A2 Expressions & Patterns 1 min read Fácil

Impersonal Expressions with 'Е' (It is...)

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Bulgarian uses the verb 'е' (is) alone to describe states, weather, and time without needing a word for 'it'.

  • No 'it' needed: Just start with 'Е' or the description, like 'Е студено' (It is cold).
  • Use neuter forms: Adjectives in these patterns always end in '-о', like 'ясно' or 'важно'.
  • Negate with 'не': Simply place 'не' before the verb, e.g., 'Не е късно' (It's not late).
❌ [То] + ✅ Е + Adverb/Neuter Adjective (+ да + Verb)

Formation of Impersonal 'Е'

Type Structure Example English Translation
Affirmative
Е + Adverb/Neuter Adj
Е топло.
It is warm.
Negative
Не + е + Adverb/Neuter Adj
Не е топло.
It is not warm.
Question
Adverb/Neuter Adj + ли + е?
Топло ли е?
Is it warm?
Negative Question
Не е ли + Adverb/Neuter Adj?
Не е ли топло?
Isn't it warm?
Past Tense
Беше + Adverb/Neuter Adj
Беше топло.
It was warm.
Future Tense
Ще бъде + Adverb/Neuter Adj
Ще бъде топло.
It will be warm.

Meanings

Impersonal expressions are used to describe conditions, weather, time, or general opinions where there is no specific person performing the action. In Bulgarian, the 3rd person singular verb 'е' (is) acts as the anchor for these sentences.

1

Weather and Environment

Describing the atmospheric conditions or the state of the surroundings.

“Е слънчево.”

“Е ветровито.”

2

Time and Distance

Stating the time, part of the day, or how far something is.

“Е рано.”

“Е пет часът.”

3

General Opinions and Modal States

Expressing how an action or situation is perceived (easy, hard, important).

“Е лесно да се каже.”

“Е важно да учиш.”

4

Physical and Emotional States

Describing a general feeling in the air or a subjective state.

“Е скучно.”

“Е весело тук.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Impersonal Expressions with 'Е' (It is...)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Е + [State]
Е скучно.
Negative
Не е + [State]
Не е скучно.
Question
[State] + ли е?
Скучно ли е?
Negative Question
Не е ли + [State]?
Не е ли скучно?
With Action
Е + [State] + да + [Verb]
Е скучно да чакаш.
Emphasis
[State] + е
Скучно е.
Past
Беше + [State]
Беше скучно.
Future
Ще бъде + [State]
Ще бъде скучно.

Espectro de formalidad

Formal
Времето е студено.

Времето е студено. (Weather report vs. Street talk)

Neutral
Е студено.

Е студено. (Weather report vs. Street talk)

Informal
Студ е.

Студ е. (Weather report vs. Street talk)

Jerga
Голям кучан е.

Голям кучан е. (Weather report vs. Street talk)

Uses of Impersonal 'Е'

Е (It is...)

Weather

  • Е слънчево It's sunny
  • Е студено It's cold

Time

  • Е рано It's early
  • Е късно It's late

Opinions

  • Е важно It's important
  • Е лесно It's easy

English vs. Bulgarian Impersonal

English
It is cold Subject 'It' is required
Bulgarian
Е студено No subject pronoun used

Is it Impersonal?

1

Is there a specific person/thing doing the action?

YES
Use personal verb (Аз съм, Той е...)
NO
Go to next step
2

Are you describing weather, time, or a general state?

YES
Use 'Е' + Neuter Adjective/Adverb
NO
Check other grammar rules

Common Adjectives for 'Е'

☀️

Weather

  • • Слънчево
  • • Облачно
  • • Ветровито
🧠

Difficulty

  • • Лесно
  • • Трудно
  • • Сложно
⚠️

Importance

  • • Важно
  • • Спешно
  • • Нужно

Ejemplos por nivel

1

Е топло.

It is warm.

2

Е късно.

It is late.

3

Е тук.

It is here.

4

Е пет часът.

It is five o'clock.

1

Не е студено.

It is not cold.

2

Студено ли е?

Is it cold?

3

Е добре.

It is good / It's okay.

4

Е лесно.

It is easy.

1

Важно е да учиш.

It is important to study.

2

Възможно е да вали.

It is possible that it will rain.

3

Трудно е да се каже.

It is hard to say.

4

Едва ли е вярно.

It is hardly true.

1

Очевидно е, че грешиш.

It is obvious that you are wrong.

2

Наложително е да тръгнем веднага.

It is imperative that we leave immediately.

3

Струва си да опиташ.

It is worth trying.

4

Изключено е да дойда.

It is out of the question for me to come.

1

Немислимо е такова поведение.

Such behavior is unthinkable.

2

Уместно е да се отбележи, че...

It is appropriate to note that...

3

Жалко е, че не разбра.

It is a pity that you didn't understand.

4

Едва ли не е задължително.

It is almost mandatory.

1

Парадоксално е, че колкото повече учим, толкова по-малко знаем.

It is paradoxical that the more we study, the less we know.

2

Кощунствено е да се твърди подобно нещо.

It is blasphemous to claim such a thing.

3

Сякаш е било писано да се срещнем.

It is as if it was written (fated) for us to meet.

4

Колкото и да е странно, той спечели.

Strange as it may be, he won.

Fácil de confundir

Impersonal Expressions with 'Е' (It is...) vs Personal vs. Impersonal 'Е'

Learners confuse 'Той е добре' (He is well) with 'Добре е' (It is good/well).

Impersonal Expressions with 'Е' (It is...) vs Трябва vs. Е нужно

Both mean 'it is necessary', but 'трябва' never takes the verb 'е'.

Impersonal Expressions with 'Е' (It is...) vs Има vs. Е

English uses 'There is' (Има) and 'It is' (Е). Learners mix them up.

Errores comunes

✗

То е студено.

✓

Е студено.

Bulgarian does not use a dummy subject 'it'.
✗

Е студен.

✓

Е студено.

Impersonal adjectives must be in the neuter form (-о).
✗

Е ли топло?

✓

Топло ли е?

The question particle 'ли' usually follows the adjective, not the verb 'е'.
✗

Не студено е.

✓

Не е студено.

The negation 'не' must come before the verb 'е'.
✗

Е важно да учиш.

✓

Важно е да учиш.

While 'Е важно' is okay, 'Важно е' is more natural for emphasis.
✗

Е много късна.

✓

Е много късно.

Using feminine 'късна' instead of neuter/adverb 'късно'.
✗

Е време за тръгваме.

✓

Време е да тръгваме.

Impersonal expressions of time followed by an action need 'да'.
✗

Възможно е че ще вали.

✓

Възможно е да вали.

Bulgarian prefers 'да' over 'че' for possibility in impersonal expressions.
✗

Трябва е да отида.

✓

Трябва да отида.

The verb 'трябва' (must/should) is already impersonal and does not need 'е'.
✗

Е добре за мен.

✓

Добре ми е.

Using 'за мен' instead of the dative clitic 'ми' for personal feelings.
✗

Едва ли не е вярно.

✓

Едва ли е вярно.

Double negatives can change the meaning; 'едва ли' already implies doubt.

Patrones de oraciones

Е ___ днес.

Не е ___ да се ___.

___ ли е да ___?

Беше ___ , че ___.

Real World Usage

Texting a friend constant

Ей, тук е супер!

Weather Forecast very common

Утре ще бъде слънчево.

Job Interview occasional

За мен е важно да се развивам.

Ordering Food common

Люто ли е това ястие?

Travel/Directions very common

Далече ли е центърът?

Social Media Comment common

Е прелестно!

Doctor's Appointment occasional

Болно ли е?

News Headline common

Възможно е поскъпване на тока.

💡

The '-o' Rule

If you're unsure which form of the adjective to use, always pick the one ending in '-o'. It's the universal 'impersonal' ending.
⚠️

No 'To' Allowed

Never start an impersonal sentence with 'То'. It's the most common mistake for English speakers and sounds very 'foreign'.
🎯

Emphasis Shift

Switch 'Е студено' to 'Студено е' to sound more like a native speaker when you're reacting to something immediately.
💬

Resignation

Use 'Е, така е' when you want to agree with someone about a difficult situation you can't change.

Smart Tips

Pause and delete the 'It'. Just start with 'Е'.

То е късно. → Късно е.

Put the adjective first, then 'ли', then 'е'.

Е ли топло? → Топло ли е?

Use 'Е' + neuter adjective + 'да' + verb.

Важно е учим. → Важно е да учим.

Move the adjective to the very beginning of the sentence.

Е много скучно. → Много скучно е!

Pronunciación

[e stu-DE-no]

Stress on the Adjective

In the phrase 'Е студено', the stress falls on the second syllable of 'студено' (студЕно). The 'е' is short and unstressed.

[TOP-lo li e?]

Question Intonation

In 'Топло ли е?', the pitch rises on 'Топло' and falls on 'ли е'.

Declarative

Е вярно. ↘

A simple statement of fact.

Surprise

Вярно ли е?! ↗

Expressing disbelief or shock.

Memorízalo

Mnemotecnia

Remember: 'E' is for 'Empty'—the subject slot is empty in Bulgarian!

Asociación visual

Imagine a weather map with no people on it, just the word 'Е' floating over the clouds and sun. There is no 'It' person holding the sun; the state just exists.

Rhyme

When the weather is bold, and you want to say 'cold', Drop the 'it', don't be told—just 'Е студено', as of old!

Story

A traveler arrives in Sofia and keeps saying 'То е студено'. A friendly local points to the sky and says 'No "To"! Just "E"! The sky doesn't need a name.'

Word Web

Естуденоважнокъсновремелине

Desafío

Look out the window right now. Say three things about the weather or the time using only 'Е' + one word. (e.g., 'Е светло. Е тихо. Е рано.')

Notas culturales

Bulgarians often use short impersonal expressions like 'Е!' or 'Е, така е' to express resignation or agreement with fate. It reflects a certain Balkan stoicism.

Talking about the weather is a common social lubricant. Using 'Е...' expressions is the standard way to start a conversation with a neighbor.

In some western dialects (Shopski), you might hear 'Е па студено е', where 'па' adds emphasis, similar to 'well' or 'again'.

Bulgarian impersonal expressions evolved from Proto-Slavic subjectless constructions. Unlike Germanic or Romance languages, Slavic languages didn't develop a mandatory 'dummy' pronoun.

Inicios de conversación

“

Студено ли е навън днес?

“

Важно ли е да се учи български?

“

Късно ли е за кафе?

“

Възможно ли е да се пътува до Марс?

Temas para diario

Describe the weather today in 5 sentences using 'Е'.
Write about what is important for a healthy life.
Is it easy or difficult to live in a foreign country? Explain.
Reflect on a situation where it was 'too late' to change something.

Errores comunes

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

Test Yourself

Choose the correct form of the verb. Opción múltiple

___ студено днес.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Е
Impersonal expressions always use the 3rd person singular 'е'.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

То е важно да учиш.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Важно е да учиш.
Remove the dummy subject 'То'.
Fill in the correct adjective ending.

Късн___ ли е?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: о
Impersonal adjectives take the neuter ending '-о'.
Put the words in the correct order. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Време е да си тръгваме.
The standard order is [Noun/Adj] + е + да + [Verb].
Match the Bulgarian to the English. Match Pairs

Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Е топло - It is warm
Simple translation match.
Which question is most natural? Opción múltiple

Is it spicy?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Люто ли е?
The particle 'ли' follows the adjective.
Negate the sentence.

___ е трудно.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Не
Use 'не' to negate the verb 'е'.
Select the impersonal sentence. Opción múltiple

Which one is impersonal?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Студено е.
The others refer to specific people.

Score: /8

Ejercicios de practica

8 exercises
Choose the correct form of the verb. Opción múltiple

___ студено днес.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Е
Impersonal expressions always use the 3rd person singular 'е'.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

То е важно да учиш.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Важно е да учиш.
Remove the dummy subject 'То'.
Fill in the correct adjective ending.

Късн___ ли е?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: о
Impersonal adjectives take the neuter ending '-о'.
Put the words in the correct order. Sentence Reorder

да, е, време, тръгваме, си

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Време е да си тръгваме.
The standard order is [Noun/Adj] + е + да + [Verb].
Match the Bulgarian to the English. Match Pairs

Match the following:

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Е топло - It is warm
Simple translation match.
Which question is most natural? Opción múltiple

Is it spicy?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Люто ли е?
The particle 'ли' follows the adjective.
Negate the sentence.

___ е трудно.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Не
Use 'не' to negate the verb 'е'.
Select the impersonal sentence. Opción múltiple

Which one is impersonal?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Студено е.
The others refer to specific people.

Score: /8

Preguntas frecuentes (8)

In Bulgarian, 'То' is a real pronoun referring to a specific neuter noun (like 'дете' - child). Using it for weather sounds like you are calling the weather a specific person or thing.

Yes, they mean the same thing. 'Студено е' is slightly more common in speech because it emphasizes the feeling of being cold.

You use a dative clitic: `Студено ми е`. This literally means 'It is cold to me'.

Yes! Just change 'е' to 'беше'. For example: `Беше студено` (It was cold).

Use 'ще бъде'. For example: `Ще бъде слънчево` (It will be sunny).

Usually, yes. These are technically adverbs or neuter adjectives acting as predicates.

Yes, for time and distance. `Е пет часът` (It is 5 o'clock) or `Е време` (It is time).

It is neutral. You can use it in any context, from a casual text to a formal speech.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

In Other Languages

English moderate

It is...

Bulgarian has no equivalent for the word 'it' in this context.

Spanish high

Es... / Hace...

Bulgarian uses 'to be' for weather, Spanish uses 'to make/do'.

French low

Il fait... / C'est...

French must have a subject pronoun; Bulgarian must not.

German moderate

Es ist...

German 'es' is mandatory; Bulgarian 'то' is forbidden.

Japanese high

___ desu

Japanese uses a copula at the end; Bulgarian uses the verb 'е' at the beginning.

Arabic low

Al-jawwu barid

Bulgarian requires the verb 'е'; Arabic often omits it.

Chinese low

Hen leng

Bulgarian uses a verb ('е'); Chinese uses an adjectival predicate.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Impersonal 'Няма' (There isn't/aren't)
Next
Impersonal 'Трябва' (It is necessary)

Related Grammar Rules

A1

Common Imperative Expressions
A0

Greetings (Поздрави)
A0

Farewells (Довиждане)
A0

Basic Courtesy Phrases (Моля, Благодаря)
A1

Responding to Questions (Отговори)
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