Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Learn to ask 'How are you?' by choosing between the informal 'си' and the formal 'сте'.
- Use 'Как си?' for friends, family, and peers.
- Use 'Как сте?' for strangers, elders, or in professional settings.
- The verb 'съм' (to be) changes based on the person you address.
3. Verb 'to be' (съм) in questions
| Form | Bulgarian | English Equivalent |
|---|---|---|
|
Informal (Singular)
|
Как си?
|
How are you?
|
|
Formal (Singular/Plural)
|
Как сте?
|
How are you?
|
Meanings
These phrases are the standard way to inquire about someone's well-being or state of being in Bulgarian.
Informal inquiry
Asking a peer or friend how they are.
“Как си?”
“Как си днес?”
Formal inquiry
Asking a stranger, elder, or superior how they are.
“Как сте?”
“Как сте, господине?”
Reference Table
| Form | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Informal
|
Как + си
|
Как си?
|
|
Formal
|
Как + сте
|
Как сте?
|
|
Plural
|
Как + сте
|
Как сте (всички)?
|
|
Past (Informal)
|
Как беше?
|
How was it?
|
|
Past (Formal)
|
Как бяхте?
|
How were you?
|
|
Future (Informal)
|
Как ще си?
|
How will you be?
|
طیف رسمیت
Как сте? (General greeting)
Как сте? (General greeting)
Как си? (General greeting)
Как е? (General greeting)
Greeting Map
Informal
- си you (singular)
Formal
- сте you (formal/plural)
مثالها بر اساس سطح
Здравей, как си?
Hello, how are you?
Добър ден, как сте?
Good day, how are you?
Как си днес?
How are you today?
Как сте всички?
How are you all?
Как си, Мария?
How are you, Maria?
Как сте, господине?
How are you, sir?
Здравейте, как сте?
Hello, how are you?
Как си, приятелю?
How are you, friend?
Не те видях отдавна, как си?
I haven't seen you in a while, how are you?
Извинете, как сте днес?
Excuse me, how are you today?
Как си след изпита?
How are you after the exam?
Как сте с работата?
How are you doing with work?
Кажи ми, как си наистина?
Tell me, how are you really?
Как сте се справили с проекта?
How have you (plural) managed with the project?
Как си, въпреки всичко?
How are you, despite everything?
Как сте, след като се преместихте?
How are you (formal) after moving?
Как си, след като преживя толкова?
How are you, after enduring so much?
Как сте, госпожо, в тези трудни времена?
How are you, ma'am, in these difficult times?
Как си, когато си сам?
How are you when you are alone?
Как сте, след като взехте решението?
How are you (formal) after making the decision?
Как си, в този хаос?
How are you, in this chaos?
Как сте, след като приключихте с преговорите?
How are you (formal) after finishing the negotiations?
Как си, след толкова години?
How are you, after so many years?
Как сте, след като се завърнахте?
How are you (formal) after returning?
بهراحتی اشتباه گرفته میشود
Learners mix up the singular informal and formal/plural.
Both start with 'Ka'.
Mixing pronouns with verbs.
اشتباهات رایج
Как сите?
Как сте?
Как ти си?
Как си?
Как сте ти?
Как си?
Как си вие?
Как сте?
Как е ти?
Как си?
Как си господине?
Как сте, господине?
Как сте, приятелю?
Как си, приятелю?
Как си, колеги?
Как сте, колеги?
Как сте, ти?
Как си?
Как си, учителю?
Как сте, учителю?
Как си, госпожо?
Как сте, госпожо?
Как сте, брат?
Как си, брат?
Как си, вие?
Как сте?
الگوهای جملهسازی
Как ___?
Как ___ днес?
Здравей, как ___?
Добър ден, как ___?
Real World Usage
Как си?
Как сте?
Как си, приятелю?
Как сте днес?
Как сте?
Как сте?
Drop the pronoun
Register matters
The 'S' trick
Be genuine
Smart Tips
Always start with 'Как сте?'.
Use 'Как си?'.
Always use 'сте'.
Default to 'сте'.
تلفظ
Stress
The stress is on the first syllable 'Как'.
Rising
Как си? ↗
Standard question intonation.
حفظ کنید
روش یادسپاری
Remember: 'S' for 'Single' friend (си), 'T' for 'Team' or 'The boss' (сте).
تداعی تصویری
Imagine a 'S' shaped snake for your friend (си) and a 'T' shaped table for a formal meeting (сте).
Rhyme
For a friend, use 'си', for a boss, use 'сте'.
Story
You walk into a cafe. You see your friend Ivan and say 'Как си?'. Then you see the manager and say 'Как сте?'. It's that simple.
شبکه واژگان
چالش
Send a text to a Bulgarian friend using 'Как си?' and note their response.
نکات فرهنگی
Bulgarians are quite direct. 'Как си?' is often a genuine question, not just a filler.
Young people often use 'Как е?' as a very casual greeting.
Formal address is strictly maintained with elders.
Derived from Old Church Slavonic interrogative 'kako'.
شروعکنندههای مکالمه
Как си?
Как сте днес?
Как си след работа?
Как сте с новия проект?
موضوعات نگارش
اشتباهات رایج
Test Yourself
Как ___?
Как ___?
Find and fix the mistake:
Как сте, приятелю?
Как + си = ?
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
Как ___?
A: Здравей! B: Здравей! Как ___?
Can I use 'сте' for a friend?
Score: /8
تمرینهای عملی
8 exercisesКак ___?
Как ___?
Find and fix the mistake:
Как сте, приятелю?
Как + си = ?
Match informal/formal.
Как ___?
A: Здравей! B: Здравей! Как ___?
Can I use 'сте' for a friend?
Score: /8
سوالات متداول (8)
Bulgarian uses different verb forms to show social distance and respect.
No, that would be too informal. Use 'Как сте'.
People will understand, but it might sound slightly rude or awkward.
No, it is the same for men and women.
You can say 'Добре съм' (I am good).
No, it is also the formal way to address one person.
No, use 'Как сте' for any group.
Yes, this is standard Bulgarian grammar.
Scaffolded Practice
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Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Cómo estás / Cómo está
Bulgarian uses the same word 'Как' for both, whereas Spanish uses 'Cómo'.
Comment vas-tu / Comment allez-vous
French requires the subject pronoun (tu/vous), while Bulgarian often drops it.
Wie geht es dir / Wie geht es Ihnen
German changes the pronoun, while Bulgarian changes the verb ending.
O-genki desu ka
Japanese relies on particles and verb endings, not subject-verb agreement.
Kayfa haluka / Kayfa haluki
Arabic distinguishes gender in the second person, which Bulgarian does not in this phrase.
Ni hao ma
Chinese has no verb conjugation for person or register.