Complex Impersonal Constructions
Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Impersonal constructions describe actions or states without a grammatical subject, focusing on the experience or the event itself rather than the 'doer'.
- Use the 3rd person singular verb form as the default for all impersonal actions (e.g., 'Вали').
- Combine verbs with 'се' to express general truths or rumors (e.g., 'Говори се, че...').
- Use dative clitics (ми, ти, му...) to express physical or emotional states (e.g., 'Спи ми се').
Meanings
A syntactic structure where the verb does not have a grammatical subject. It is used to describe natural phenomena, physical/mental states, or general actions where the agent is irrelevant or unknown.
Natural Phenomena
Describing weather or environmental changes without a dummy 'it'.
“Вали.”
“Гърми.”
Physical/Psychological States
Expressing internal feelings using dative clitics to show who is affected.
“Спи ми се.”
“Лошо ми е.”
General Truths & Rumors
Using 'се' to indicate that something is generally said, known, or done.
“Говори се, че ще има избори.”
“Тук не се пуши.”
Modality & Necessity
Expressing obligation or possibility impersonally.
“Трябва да тръгваме.”
“Може да закъснея.”
Impersonal State Formation (Verb + Dative Clitic)
| Person | Dative Clitic | Verb (3rd Sing.) | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | ми | се спи | Спи ми се (I am sleepy) |
| You (sing.) | ти | се спи | Спи ти се (You are sleepy) |
| He/She/It | му / й | се спи | Спи му се (He is sleepy) |
| We | ни | се спи | Спи ни се (We are sleepy) |
| You (pl./formal) | ви | се спи | Спи ви се (You are sleepy) |
| They | им | се спи | Спи им се (They are sleepy) |
Common Impersonal Particles
| Particle | Function | Example |
|---|---|---|
| се | Generalizes the action | Говори се (It is said) |
| да | Connects to a sub-clause | Трябва да (Must) |
| ли | Forms a question | Спи ли ти се? (Are you sleepy?) |
| не | Negation | Не ми се яде (I don't feel like eating) |
Reference Table
| Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | Verb (3rd Sing.) | Вали. |
| Physical State | Adverb + Dative Clitic + 'е' | Студено ми е. |
| Emotional State | Verb + Dative Clitic | Домъчня ми. |
| Desire/Urge | Verb + Dative Clitic + 'се' | Яде ми се. |
| General Rule | Verb + 'се' | Тук се пуши. |
| Necessity | Трябва + да + Verb | Трябва да се внимава. |
| Rumor/Report | 3rd Sing. Verb + 'се' + че... | Говори се, че... |
| Negative State | Не + Dative Clitic + Verb + 'се' | Не ми се работи. |
격식 수준 스펙트럼
Имам желание да консумирам храна. (Hunger)
Яде ми се. (Hunger)
Хапва ми се нещо. (Hunger)
Умирам за ядене. (Hunger)
Types of Impersonal Constructions
Weather
- Вали It rains
- Гърми It thunders
States
- Спи ми се I'm sleepy
- Лошо ми е I feel sick
General
- Говори се It is said
- Пуши се One smokes
Personal vs. Impersonal
Is it Impersonal?
Is there a subject (I, you, the cat)?
Is it about weather or a feeling?
Examples by Level
Вали.
It is raining.
Студено е.
It is cold.
Топъл ден е.
It is a warm day.
Тъмно е.
It is dark.
Студено ми е.
I am cold.
Трябва да тръгвам.
I must leave.
Лошо ми е.
I feel sick/bad.
Спи ли ти се?
Are you sleepy?
Тук се пуши.
Smoking is allowed here.
Домъчня ми за дома.
I missed home.
Говори се за теб.
People are talking about you.
Не ми се излиза.
I don't feel like going out.
Струва ми се, че грешиш.
It seems to me that you are wrong.
Оказа се, че той е прав.
It turned out that he was right.
Налага се да отменим срещата.
It is necessary to cancel the meeting.
Вярва се, че това носи късмет.
It is believed that this brings luck.
Предполага се, че проектът ще успее.
It is hypothesized that the project will succeed.
Дощя ми се да те видя.
I suddenly felt like seeing you.
Счита се за недопустимо.
It is considered unacceptable.
Причерня ми пред очите.
Everything went black before my eyes.
Мрачи се вече.
It's getting dark/gloomy already.
Не се следваше да постъпваш така.
It was not appropriate for you to act that way.
Отдава се голямо значение на детайлите.
Great importance is attributed to the details.
Сви ми се сърцето от мъка.
My heart sank with grief.
Easily Confused
Learners try to conjugate 'трябва' to match the subject (e.g., 'аз трябвам').
Both use 'се', but passive has a subject, impersonal doesn't.
Both mean 'I want', but the nuance is different.
자주 하는 실수
То вали.
Вали.
Аз съм студено.
Студено ми е.
Днес е дъжд.
Днес вали.
То е тъмно.
Тъмно е.
Ние трябваме да учим.
Трябва да учим.
Аз ми се спи.
Спи ми се.
Искам ми се.
Иска ми се.
Хората се говори, че...
Говори се, че...
Спи ми се много.
Много ми се спи.
Не се пуши тук.
Тук не се пуши.
Оказа се него.
Оказа се, че е той.
Струва ми се за вярно.
Струва ми се вярно.
Sentence Patterns
На ___ му се ___.
Струва ми се, че ___.
Оказа се, че ___.
Налага се да ___.
Real World Usage
Вали сняг.
Съобщава се за инцидент.
Лошо ми е и ми се гади.
Скучно ми е, хайде навън!
Забранява се престоят.
Налага се да отбележа, че...
Свърши се шопската салата.
Яде ми се нещо сладко.
The 'Me' Rule
No 'То' for Weather
Fixed 'Трябва'
Objectivity
Smart Tips
Stop! Don't use 'Аз съм'. Use the adverb + 'ми е'.
Use 'Говори се, че...' to avoid taking responsibility for the information.
Keep it frozen. Never add endings to it.
Use the verb + 'ми се'.
발음
Clitic Stress
Dative clitics (ми, ти, му) are never stressed. The stress falls on the verb or the preceding adverb.
Particle 'се'
The particle 'се' is pronounced quickly and blends with the verb.
Impersonal Question
Спи ли ти се? ↑
Rising intonation on 'ли' to indicate a question about a state.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
The 'Invisible Man' rule: In impersonal sentences, the 'doer' is invisible, but the 'feeling' (clitic) is right there next to the verb.
Visual Association
Imagine a cloud raining (Вали) with no one holding a watering can. Then imagine a person with a thought bubble saying 'Спи ми се' where the sleepiness is a heavy blanket falling on them, not something they chose.
Rhyme
When the subject is nowhere to be found, the 3rd person singular is always around!
Story
Ivan is in a room. He doesn't say 'I am cold.' He says 'Студено ми е' because the cold is an outside force acting on him. He hears a rumor 'Говори се' from the walls. Suddenly, he feels an urge 'Яде ми се' for pizza. The room is the subject, not Ivan.
Word Web
챌린지
Write 5 sentences about your current physical state (hunger, sleepiness, temperature) using only impersonal constructions.
문화 노트
Bulgarians use impersonal constructions like 'Лошо ми е' (I feel bad) very frequently to express physical discomfort without sounding like they are complaining too much. It sounds more like a fact of nature than a personal grievance.
In Bulgarian news, the impersonal 'се' is the standard way to report unconfirmed information, allowing journalists to avoid naming sources while remaining grammatically correct.
Many Bulgarian superstitions are phrased impersonally, such as 'Не се свири в къщи' (One doesn't whistle at home - it brings poverty).
Impersonal constructions in Bulgarian evolved from Old Church Slavonic reflexive and dative structures.
Conversation Starters
Спи ли ти се след работа?
Какво ти се прави този уикенд?
Струва ли ти се, че животът става по-скъп?
Говори ли се нещо интересно в офиса напоследък?
Journal Prompts
Test Yourself
На мен ___ се спи.
___, че цените ще паднат.
Find and fix the mistake:
То вали днес.
Arrange the words in the correct order:
All words placed
Click words above to build the sentence
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
The verb 'трябва' changes to 'трябваме' when the subject is 'we'.
- Искаш ли пица? - Не, не ___ се яде.
1. Аз уча, 2. Вали, 3. Спи ми се, 4. Той чете
Score: /8
연습 문제
8 exercisesНа мен ___ се спи.
___, че цените ще паднат.
Find and fix the mistake:
То вали днес.
че / Струва / е / ми / той / се / прав
1. Спи ми се, 2. Студено ми е, 3. Лошо ми е
The verb 'трябва' changes to 'трябваме' when the subject is 'we'.
- Искаш ли пица? - Не, не ___ се яде.
1. Аз уча, 2. Вали, 3. Спи ми се, 4. Той чете
Score: /8
자주 묻는 질문 (8)
In Bulgarian, verbs like `вали` are inherently impersonal. Adding `то` makes it sound like you are referring to a specific object (like a machine) that is raining, which is nonsensical.
`Искам` is a direct, personal wish ('I want'). `Иска ми се` is more like a craving or a passing thought ('I feel like/It would be nice if').
Yes! Just put the verb in the 3rd person singular neuter past tense: `Спеше ми се` (I was sleepy) or `Говореше се` (It was being said).
In 99% of cases, yes. While an archaic personal form exists, you should always use the impersonal `трябва да` to sound natural.
Use `Скучно ми е`. The word `скучно` is an adverb, and `ми е` shows it is happening to you.
Most do, but it changes the meaning to 'one does X' or 'it is done'. Not all make sense in every context.
Because the state is viewed as being 'given' to you or existing 'for' you, which is the traditional role of the dative case.
They are both! `Спи ми се` is neutral/informal, while `Предполага се` is formal. They are a fundamental part of the language at all levels.
In Other Languages
Dummy 'it' or 'one'
Bulgarian drops the subject entirely.
Se impersonal / Me gusta
Bulgarian uses dative clitics for 'being sleepy' or 'being cold' where Spanish uses 'tener'.
Man / Es
German always requires a placeholder subject (es/man).
Subjectless sentences
Japanese relies on context; Bulgarian relies on specific grammatical markers (се/clitics).
Passive/Impersonal verbs
Bulgarian's dative clitic system is unique compared to Arabic's person markers.
Subjectless weather/state
Chinese has no verb conjugation or clitics.
