A0 Basic Verbs 1 min read Fácil

The Verb 'To Be' (Съм) - Present Tense

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Practícalo

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

The verb 'съм' (to be) is the foundation of Bulgarian, used to describe states, identities, and locations.

  • Use 'съм' to link a subject to a noun or adjective: 'Аз съм студент' (I am a student).
  • The verb changes form based on the person: 'Аз съм', 'Ти си', 'Той/Тя/То е'.
  • In questions, add the particle 'ли' after the verb: 'Ти студент ли си?' (Are you a student?).
Subject + съм-form + Adjective/Noun

Present Tense of 'Съм'

Pronoun Form English
Аз
съм
I am
Ти
си
You are
Той/Тя/То
е
He/She/It is
Ние
сме
We are
Вие
сте
You are
Те
са
They are

Meanings

The verb 'съм' functions as the copula in Bulgarian, connecting a subject to its predicate (identity, state, or location).

1

Identity

Defining who someone is.

“Аз съм Иван.”

“Ти си учител.”

2

State/Quality

Describing how someone or something is.

“Той е щастлив.”

“Тя е умна.”

3

Location

Stating where something exists.

“Аз съм в София.”

“Къде е ключът?”

Reference Table

Reference table for The Verb 'To Be' (Съм) - Present Tense
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Subject + Verb
Аз съм тук.
Negative
Subject + не + Verb
Аз не съм тук.
Question
Subject + Verb + ли
Ти си ли тук?
Negative Question
Subject + не + Verb + ли
Ти не си ли тук?
Short Answer (Yes)
Да, [Pronoun] [Verb]
Да, аз съм.
Short Answer (No)
Не, [Pronoun] не [Verb]
Не, аз не съм.

Espectro de formalidad

Formal
Аз съм студент.

Аз съм студент. (Introduction)

Neutral
Студент съм.

Студент съм. (Introduction)

Informal
Студент съм.

Студент съм. (Introduction)

Jerga
Студент съм, брат.

Студент съм, брат. (Introduction)

Uses of 'Съм'

Съм

Identity

  • Аз съм Иван I am Ivan

Location

  • Аз съм тук I am here

Quality

  • Той е добър He is good
Regístrate gratis para leer la explicación completa

Ejemplos por nivel

1

Аз съм студент.

I am a student.

2

Ти си тук.

You are here.

3

Той е добър.

He is good.

4

Ние сме щастливи.

We are happy.

1

Аз не съм уморен.

I am not tired.

2

Ти ли си учител?

Are you a teacher?

3

Те не са вкъщи.

They are not at home.

4

Вие сте много мили.

You are very kind.

1

Възможно ли е това?

Is this possible?

2

Ние сме били тук преди.

We have been here before.

3

Това не е толкова лесно.

This is not that easy.

4

Те са заети с работа.

They are busy with work.

1

Ако ти си готов, тръгваме.

If you are ready, we are leaving.

2

Тя е човекът, който е тук.

She is the person who is here.

3

Не е сигурно дали са съгласни.

It is not certain if they agree.

4

Вие сте тези, които знаят истината.

You are the ones who know the truth.

1

Бил съм на много места, но това е най-красивото.

I have been to many places, but this is the most beautiful.

2

Не е редно да се говори така.

It is not appropriate to speak like that.

3

Те са били предупредени за рисковете.

They had been warned about the risks.

4

Смелостта е това, което ни движи.

Courage is what drives us.

1

Бидейки тук, осъзнавам колко е важно.

Being here, I realize how important it is.

2

Не са малко хората, които мислят така.

There are not few people who think so.

3

Това е било предречено отдавна.

This had been predicted long ago.

4

Ние сме тези, които създаваме бъдещето.

We are the ones who create the future.

Fácil de confundir

The Verb 'To Be' (Съм) - Present Tense vs Съм vs. Имам

Learners confuse 'I am' with 'I have' (possession).

The Verb 'To Be' (Съм) - Present Tense vs Съм vs. Отивам

Learners use 'съм' for movement.

The Verb 'To Be' (Съм) - Present Tense vs Сте vs. Са

Confusing 'you plural' with 'they'.

Errores comunes

✗

Аз е студент

✓

Аз съм студент

Wrong conjugation for 'Аз'.
✗

Ти съм тук

✓

Ти си тук

Wrong conjugation for 'Ти'.
✗

Той са добър

✓

Той е добър

Wrong conjugation for 'Той'.
✗

Ние сте щастливи

✓

Ние сме щастливи

Wrong conjugation for 'Ние'.
✗

Ти си тук ли?

✓

Ти тук ли си?

Particle placement error.
✗

Не съм ли?

✓

Не съм ли?

Actually correct, but often confused with 'Ли не съм'.
✗

Те са не тук

✓

Те не са тук

Negation must precede the verb.
✗

Аз съм бил тук вчера

✓

Аз бях тук вчера

Wrong tense usage.
✗

Той е човекът който тук е

✓

Той е човекът, който е тук

Word order in relative clauses.
✗

Ние сме съгласни ли?

✓

Съгласни ли сме?

Question structure.
✗

Това е бидейки важно

✓

Това е важно

Overcomplicating the copula.
✗

Те са били предупредени

✓

Те бяха предупредени

Tense mismatch.
✗

Смелостта е това, което ни движи

✓

Смелостта е това, което ни движи

Correct, but often learners try to add extra verbs.

Patrones de oraciones

Аз съм ___.

Ти си ___ ли?

Ние сме в ___.

Той не е ___.

Real World Usage

Social Media constant

Аз съм на морето!

Job Interview very common

Аз съм мотивиран.

Texting constant

Тук съм.

Ordering Food common

Това е за мен.

Travel common

Къде е хотелът?

Classroom very common

Аз съм готов.

Regístrate gratis para ver todos los ejemplos
💡

Drop the pronoun

You can often drop 'Аз', 'Ти', etc. The verb ending makes it clear who you are talking about.
⚠️

Don't forget 'ли'

In questions, always use 'ли' after the verb. Don't rely only on your voice tone.
🎯

Negation placement

Always put 'не' before the verb, not after.
💬

Formal 'Вие'

Always use 'Вие сте' when talking to someone you don't know well.

Smart Tips

Drop the pronoun when the subject is obvious.

Аз съм уморен. → Уморен съм.

Always place 'ли' right after the verb.

Ти си тук ли? → Ти тук ли си?

Keep 'не' attached to the verb.

Аз съм не тук. → Аз не съм тук.

Always use 'Вие сте' for respect.

Ти си поканен. → Вие сте поканени.

Pronunciación

e -> i

Vowel reduction

In unstressed positions, 'е' sounds like 'и'.

съм (sum)

Stress

The stress is usually on the verb form itself.

Question

Ти си тук ли? ↗

Rising intonation at the end for yes/no questions.

Memorízalo

Mnemotecnia

Remember 'Съм-Си-Е, Сме-Сте-Са' like a rhythmic chant to lock in the order.

Asociación visual

Imagine a staircase where each step has a form of the verb. As you climb, you say the forms: 'съм, си, е, сме, сте, са'.

Rhyme

Аз съм, ти си, той е, Ние сме, вие сте, те са, това се знае!

Story

I (Аз) am (съм) a hero. You (Ти) are (си) my sidekick. He (Той) is (е) the villain. We (Ние) are (сме) a team. You all (Вие) are (сте) watching. They (Те) are (са) cheering.

Word Web

съмсиесместесанели

Desafío

Write 6 sentences, one for each person, describing yourself and your friends in 5 minutes.

Notas culturales

Bulgarians often drop the pronoun 'Аз' or 'Ти' to sound more natural.

In formal settings, always use the pronoun 'Вие' and the verb 'сте'.

In some dialects, the verb forms might be slightly shortened or pronounced differently.

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

Inicios de conversación

“

Ти студент ли си?

“

Къде си ти?

“

Вие сте от София, нали?

“

Готов ли си за урока?

Temas para diario

Describe yourself in 3 sentences using 'съм'.
Where are you and your friends right now?
Are you happy today? Why or why not?
Describe a person you admire using 'е'.

Errores comunes

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

Incorrect

Correcto

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Test Yourself

Fill in the correct form of 'съм'.

Аз ___ студент.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: съм
First person singular is 'съм'.
Choose the correct question form. Opción múltiple

___ ти студент?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Си
Second person singular is 'си'.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Те е тук.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Те са тук
Third person plural is 'са'.
Reorder the words. Sentence Building

ли / тук / си / ти

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ти тук ли си?
Standard question order.
Translate to Bulgarian. Traducción

We are happy.

Answer starts with: Ние...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ние сме щастливи
First person plural is 'сме'.
What is the form for 'Вие'? Conjugation Drill

Вие ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: сте
Second person plural is 'сте'.
Match the pronoun to the verb. Match Pairs

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

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: съм, са
Correct mapping.
Is this true? True False Rule

The verb 'съм' changes for gender in the present tense.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
It does not change for gender.

Score: /8

Ejercicios de practica

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

Аз ___ студент.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: съм
First person singular is 'съм'.
Choose the correct question form. Opción múltiple

___ ти студент?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Си
Second person singular is 'си'.
Fix the sentence. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Те е тук.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Те са тук
Third person plural is 'са'.
Reorder the words. Sentence Building

ли / тук / си / ти

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ти тук ли си?
Standard question order.
Translate to Bulgarian. Traducción

We are happy.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Ние сме щастливи
First person plural is 'сме'.
What is the form for 'Вие'? Conjugation Drill

Вие ___.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: сте
Second person plural is 'сте'.
Match the pronoun to the verb. Match Pairs

Аз -> ?, Те -> ?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: съм, са
Correct mapping.
Is this true? True False Rule

The verb 'съм' changes for gender in the present tense.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: False
It does not change for gender.

Score: /8

Preguntas frecuentes (8)

No, you can often drop it. 'Съм студент' is perfectly fine.

Add 'ли' after the verb. 'Ти си ли?' -> 'Ти ли си?'

It is used for identity, state, and location.

They sound similar but 'сте' is for 'you' and 'са' is for 'they'.

Bulgarian is more flexible with word order and pronoun dropping.

It is neutral and used in all registers.

No, it is a very regular verb in the present tense.

Use the chant 'Съм-Си-Е, Сме-Сте-Са'.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

Regístrate gratis para practicar

In Other Languages

Spanish partial

ser/estar

Bulgarian does not distinguish between ser and estar.

French high

être

French requires the pronoun, Bulgarian often drops it.

German high

sein

German word order is more rigid.

Japanese low

desu/iru/aru

Bulgarian uses 'съм' for everything.

Arabic low

nominal sentence

Bulgarian requires the copula.

Chinese moderate

是 (shì)

Bulgarian uses 'съм' for both identity and adjectives.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Personal Pronouns (Аз, Ти, Той/Тя/То)
Next
Forming Simple Sentences with 'Съм'

Related Grammar Rules

A2

Impersonal 'Има' (There is/are)
A1

Common Regular Verbs (Present Tense)
A1

Conjugation of 'Имам' (To Have) - Present Tense
A1

Using 'Има' (There is/are)
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