A0 Expressions & Patterns 1 min read Leicht

Introducing Yourself (Аз съм...)

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Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

To introduce yourself in Bulgarian, use the verb 'съм' (to be) followed by your name or profession.

  • Use 'Аз съм' (I am) to state your identity: 'Аз съм Иван'.
  • The verb 'съм' changes based on the person: 'Ти си' (You are).
  • In Bulgarian, you can often drop the pronoun 'Аз' because the verb ending implies it.
Subject (optional) + Verb (съм) + Name/Noun

Meanings

The verb 'съм' is the Bulgarian equivalent of 'to be'. It is used to define identity, state, or existence.

1

Identity

Stating who you are.

“Аз съм Мария.”

“Аз съм турист.”

2

State of Being

Describing a condition or location.

“Аз съм щастлив.”

“Ние сме тук.”

Conjugation of 'Съм' (To Be)

Person Bulgarian English
1st Sing. Аз съм I am
2nd Sing. Ти си You are
3rd Sing. Той/Тя/То е He/She/It is
1st Plur. Ние сме We are
2nd Plur. Вие сте You are
3rd Plur. Те са They are

Negative and Question Forms

Type Structure Example
Negative Не + Verb Не съм
Question Verb + ли Съм ли?

Reference Table

Reference table for Introducing Yourself (Аз съм...)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative Subject + Verb Аз съм Иван
Negative Subject + Не + Verb Аз не съм Иван
Question Verb + ли + Subject Иван ли си?
Short Answer (Yes) Да, [Verb] Да, съм
Short Answer (No) Не, [Negated Verb] Не, не съм
Polite Вие + сте Вие сте учител

Formalitätsspektrum

Formell
Казвам се Иван Петров.

Казвам се Иван Петров. (Meeting someone new.)

Neutral
Аз съм Иван.

Аз съм Иван. (Meeting someone new.)

Informell
Иван съм.

Иван съм. (Meeting someone new.)

Umgangssprache
Иван, здрасти.

Иван, здрасти. (Meeting someone new.)

Uses of 'Съм'

Съм

Identity

  • Име Name
  • Професия Profession

State

  • Щастие Happiness
  • Умора Tiredness
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Beispiele nach Niveau

1

Аз съм Иван.

I am Ivan.

2

Аз съм от София.

I am from Sofia.

3

Ти си студент.

You are a student.

4

Той е лекар.

He is a doctor.

1

Не съм уморен.

I am not tired.

2

Вие ли сте учител?

Are you a teacher?

3

Ние сме приятели.

We are friends.

4

Те са вкъщи.

They are at home.

1

Аз съм доволен от резултата.

I am satisfied with the result.

2

Тя е много интелигентна жена.

She is a very intelligent woman.

3

Ние сме готови за пътуването.

We are ready for the trip.

4

Те не са съгласни с нас.

They do not agree with us.

1

Това е решението, което търсихме.

This is the solution we were looking for.

2

Вие сте отговорни за този проект.

You are responsible for this project.

3

Аз съм на мнение, че това е грешка.

I am of the opinion that this is a mistake.

4

Те са били тук преди час.

They were here an hour ago.

1

Аз съм склонен да вярвам на неговите думи.

I am inclined to believe his words.

2

Това е въпрос от изключителна важност.

This is a matter of extreme importance.

3

Ние сме длъжни да спазваме правилата.

We are obliged to follow the rules.

4

Те самите не са сигурни в отговора.

They themselves are not sure of the answer.

1

Аз съм бил свидетел на подобни събития.

I have been a witness to such events.

2

Това е същността на проблема.

This is the essence of the problem.

3

Вие сте призовани да дадете показания.

You are summoned to give testimony.

4

Те са в основата на нашия успех.

They are at the foundation of our success.

Leicht verwechselbar

Introducing Yourself (Аз съм...) vs. Съм vs. Казвам се

Learners think 'I am Ivan' is 'Аз съм Иван' (correct) but try to say 'I call myself Ivan' as 'Аз съм казвам Иван' (wrong).

Introducing Yourself (Аз съм...) vs. Съм vs. Имам

Learners use 'съм' for possession.

Introducing Yourself (Аз съм...) vs. Съм vs. Се

Confusing the verb 'to be' with the reflexive pronoun.

Häufige Fehler

✗

Аз съм име Иван

✓

Аз съм Иван

Don't add 'име' (name) before your name.
✗

Аз съм 20 години

✓

Аз съм на 20 години

Age requires 'на'.
✗

Аз съм от София

✓

Аз съм от София

This is actually correct, but often confused with 'Аз съм в София'.
✗

Ти е Иван

✓

Ти си Иван

Wrong conjugation.
✗

Не съм Иван ли?

✓

Иван ли съм?

Question structure error.
✗

Ние сме щастлив

✓

Ние сме щастливи

Adjective must be plural.
✗

Те са учител

✓

Те са учители

Plural noun required.
✗

Аз съм казвам Иван

✓

Казвам се Иван

Don't mix 'съм' with 'казвам се'.
✗

Вие са готови

✓

Вие сте готови

Wrong conjugation for 'Вие'.
✗

Той е от София, а тя са от Варна

✓

Той е от София, а тя е от Варна

Agreement error.
✗

Това са един проблем

✓

Това е един проблем

Agreement with singular noun.
✗

Ние сме били отишли

✓

Ние бяхме отишли

Auxiliary verb usage.
✗

Те са самият хора

✓

Те са същите хора

Vocabulary error.
✗

Аз съм бил да го направя

✓

Аз трябваше да го направя

Modal verb usage.

Satzmuster

Аз съм ___.

Ти си ___?

Ние сме от ___.

Той не е ___.

Real World Usage

Social Media Bio constant

Аз съм пътешественик.

Job Interview very common

Аз съм опитен мениджър.

Texting constant

Тук съм!

Travel/Hotel common

Ние сме от Германия.

Food Delivery occasional

Аз съм пред вратата.

Meeting New People very common

Приятно ми е, аз съм Иван.

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💡

Drop the Pronoun

In casual Bulgarian, you don't need to say 'Аз'. Just 'Съм Иван' works perfectly.
⚠️

Gender Matters

If you are a woman, adjectives describing you must end in 'а' or 'и' for plural.
🎯

Use 'ли' for questions

Instead of changing word order, just add 'ли' after the verb.
💬

Politeness

Use 'Вие сте' when talking to strangers or elders.

Smart Tips

Drop the pronoun 'Аз' to sound more natural.

Аз съм Иван. → Иван съм.

Use 'ли' instead of changing the sentence structure.

Ти си Иван? → Иван ли си?

Always check the gender of the subject.

Аз (жена) съм щастлив. → Аз (жена) съм щастлива.

Remember to add 'на' before the number.

Аз съм 20. → Аз съм на 20.

Aussprache

sʌm

Stress

The stress in 'съм' is on the verb itself.

Question

Иван ли си? ↑

Rising intonation at the end for questions.

Einprägen

Eselsbrücke

Think of 'Съм' as 'Some' (I am some person).

Visuelle Assoziation

Imagine a mirror. You look at yourself and say 'Аз съм'.

Rhyme

Аз съм, ти си, той е, ние сме, вие сте, те са — learn them all, hip-hip-hooray!

Story

Ivan walks into a room. He points to himself: 'Аз съм Иван'. He points to his friend: 'Ти си Петър'. They both smile: 'Ние сме приятели'.

Word Web

АзТиТойТяНиеВиеТе

Herausforderung

Introduce yourself to a mirror 5 times using different professions.

Kulturelle Hinweise

Bulgarians are direct. You don't need to say 'My name is', just 'Аз съм'.

The verb 'съм' comes from Proto-Slavic *jesmь.

Gesprächseinstiege

“

Как се казваш?

“

Ти студент ли си?

“

Вие от България ли сте?

“

Каква е твоята професия?

Tagebuch-Impulse

Write 5 sentences introducing yourself and your family.
Describe your best friend.
Write about your dream job.
Describe your current mood and location.
Sign up free to see all tips

Test Yourself

Fill in the correct form of 'съм'.

Аз ___ Иван.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: съм
1st person singular.
Choose the correct form. Multiple Choice

Ти ___ студент.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: си
2nd person singular.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Той съм лекар.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Той е лекар
3rd person singular.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

Arrange the words in the correct order:

All words placed

Click words above to build the sentence

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Аз съм от София
Standard word order.
Translate to Bulgarian. Übersetzung

Are you Ivan?

Answer starts with: Ива...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Иван ли си?
Question structure.
Match the person to the verb. Match Pairs

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

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: сме
1st person plural.
What is the form for 'Те'? Conjugation Drill

Те ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: са
3rd person plural.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

Make a negative sentence with 'Аз'.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Аз не съм Иван
Negative structure.

Score: /8

Ubungsaufgaben

8 exercises
Fill in the correct form of 'съм'.

Аз ___ Иван.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: съм
1st person singular.
Choose the correct form. Multiple Choice

Ти ___ студент.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: си
2nd person singular.
Correct the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Той съм лекар.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Той е лекар
3rd person singular.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

от / съм / Аз / София

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Аз съм от София
Standard word order.
Translate to Bulgarian. Übersetzung

Are you Ivan?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Иван ли си?
Question structure.
Match the person to the verb. Match Pairs

Ние -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: сме
1st person plural.
What is the form for 'Те'? Conjugation Drill

Те ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: са
3rd person plural.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

Make a negative sentence with 'Аз'.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Аз не съм Иван
Negative structure.

Score: /8

FAQ (8)

No, you can drop it. 'Съм Иван' is very common.

Add 'ли' after the verb. 'Иван ли си?'

No, 'съм' is 'to be', 'казвам се' is 'I call myself'.

Just add 'не' before 'съм'. 'Не съм'.

Use it for formal situations or when addressing more than one person.

Bulgarian adjectives agree with the gender and number of the noun they describe.

Yes, but use 'на' + number. 'Аз съм на 20'.

Yes, 'Аз съм в София'.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

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In Other Languages

Spanish high

Ser

Bulgarian does not distinguish between permanent and temporary states with two different verbs.

French high

Être

Bulgarian is a pro-drop language.

German high

Sein

German has a more complex conjugation system.

Japanese moderate

Desu

Bulgarian 'съм' is placed after the subject.

Arabic low

Nominal sentence

Bulgarian always uses the verb 'съм' in the present tense.

Chinese moderate

Shì

Bulgarian 'съм' conjugates for person and number.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Basic Courtesy Phrases (Моля, Благодаря)
Next
Asking 'How are you?' (Как си/сте?)

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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