A2 Negation 1 min read Fácil

Impersonal 'Няма' (There isn't/aren't)

Marcar como aprendido
Pratique

Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds

Use 'Няма' to say 'there is not' or 'there are not' for any noun, regardless of gender or number.

  • Use 'Няма' at the start of the sentence: 'Няма хляб' (There is no bread).
  • It never changes form: 'Няма' stays 'Няма' for singular and plural.
  • The noun following 'Няма' usually appears in its indefinite form.
Няма + [Noun]

The Impersonal Nature of 'Няма'

Form Usage Example
Present
General negation
Няма хляб
Past
Past negation
Нямаше хляб
Future
Future negation
Няма да има хляб

Meanings

The impersonal particle 'няма' is used to express the non-existence or absence of something.

1

Absolute non-existence

Stating that an object or person is not present.

“Няма мляко в хладилника.”

“Няма хора на улицата.”

Reference Table

Reference table for Impersonal 'Няма' (There isn't/aren't)
Form Structure Example
Affirmative
Има + Noun
Има хляб
Negative
Няма + Noun
Няма хляб
Question
Няма ли + Noun?
Няма ли хляб?
Past Negative
Нямаше + Noun
Нямаше хляб
Future Negative
Няма да има + Noun
Няма да има хляб

Espectro de formalidade

Formal
Няма наличност от хляб.

Няма наличност от хляб. (At the store)

Neutro
Няма хляб.

Няма хляб. (At the store)

Informal
Няма хляб, брат.

Няма хляб, брат. (At the store)

Gíria
Хляб йок.

Хляб йок. (At the store)

The 'Няма' Universe

Няма

Objects

  • хляб bread

People

  • хора people

Abstract

  • време time
Cadastre-se grátis para ler a explicação completa

Exemplos por nível

1

Няма хляб.

There is no bread.

2

Няма вода.

There is no water.

3

Няма време.

There is no time.

4

Няма проблем.

No problem.

1

Няма билети за концерта.

There are no tickets for the concert.

2

Няма хора в парка.

There are no people in the park.

3

Няма място в колата.

There is no room in the car.

4

Няма кафе в чашата.

There is no coffee in the cup.

1

Няма начин да го направим днес.

There is no way we can do it today.

2

Няма го в списъка.

He/It is not on the list.

3

Няма смисъл да спорим.

There is no point in arguing.

4

Няма съмнение в успеха.

There is no doubt in the success.

1

Нямаше никой, когато пристигнах.

There was no one when I arrived.

2

Няма да има проблеми.

There won't be any problems.

3

Няма как да знаем истината.

There is no way for us to know the truth.

4

Няма по-добър вариант от този.

There is no better option than this.

1

Няма що да се прави в такава ситуация.

There is nothing to be done in such a situation.

2

Няма как да не се съгласиш с него.

There is no way you cannot agree with him.

3

Няма нищо по-хубаво от почивката.

There is nothing better than a vacation.

4

Няма кой да ни помогне сега.

There is no one to help us now.

1

Нямаше и помен от предишната му увереност.

There was not even a trace of his previous confidence.

2

Няма как да се пренебрегне този факт.

There is no way to ignore this fact.

3

Няма нито един човек, който да не знае това.

There is not a single person who doesn't know this.

4

Нямаше как да се предвиди този развой.

There was no way to foresee this development.

Fácil de confundir

Impersonal 'Няма' (There isn't/aren't) vs Няма vs Нямам

Learners confuse 'There is no' (impersonal) with 'I don't have' (personal).

Impersonal 'Няма' (There isn't/aren't) vs Няма vs Не е

Both negate, but one is for existence and one for state.

Impersonal 'Няма' (There isn't/aren't) vs Няма vs Не има

Learners try to build 'not' + 'have' literally.

Erros comuns

✗

Нямам хляб

✓

Няма хляб

You are negating the existence of bread, not your possession of it.
✗

Няма хлябът

✓

Няма хляб

Do not use the definite article.
✗

Нямат хора

✓

Няма хора

Do not conjugate for plural.
✗

Не има хляб

✓

Няма хляб

Use the particle, not 'не' + 'има'.
✗

Нямаше го хляб

✓

Нямаше хляб

Avoid redundant pronouns.
✗

Няма да имаше

✓

Няма да има

Future tense logic.
✗

Няма за хляб

✓

Няма хляб

Preposition error.
✗

Няма смисълът

✓

Няма смисъл

Abstract nouns remain indefinite.
✗

Нямаше никой хора

✓

Нямаше никой

Redundancy.
✗

Няма как да се прави

✓

Няма какво да се прави

Wrong interrogative pronoun.
✗

Няма кой да го знае

✓

Няма кой да знае

Clitic placement.
✗

Нямаше помен от нищо

✓

Нямаше и помен от нищо

Missing emphatic particle.
✗

Няма да имаше

✓

Нямаше да има

Conditional vs Future.

Padrões de frases

Няма ___ в ___.

Нямаше ___ за ___.

Няма ___ да ___.

Няма да има ___ до ___.

Real World Usage

Social Media constant

Няма интернет!

Texting very common

Няма проблем.

Job Interview common

Няма пречки за започване.

Travel very common

Няма места във влака.

Food Delivery common

Няма наличност от този продукт.

Shopping very common

Няма размер.

Cadastre-se grátis para ver todos os exemplos
💡

Keep it simple

Don't try to add pronouns. Just 'Няма' + noun.
⚠️

No articles

Never use the definite article after 'Няма'.
🎯

The 'Няма' response

Use 'Няма проблем' as a universal 'You're welcome'.
💬

Regional variation

In some dialects, you might hear 'Йок' instead of 'Няма'.

Smart Tips

Always use 'Няма' + indefinite noun.

Няма хлябът. → Няма хляб.

Use 'Няма го/я' (He/She is missing).

Той няма тук. → Няма го тук.

Use 'Няма да има' for future absence.

Няма има вода утре. → Няма да има вода утре.

Use 'Няма проблем' as a polite filler.

Благодаря! - Да. → Благодаря! - Няма проблем.

Pronúncia

/ˈɲamɐ/

Stress

The stress is on the first syllable: NYA-ma.

Falling

Няма хляб. ↓

Statement of fact.

Rising

Няма ли хляб? ↑

Questioning existence.

Memorize

Mnemônico

Think of 'Няма' as 'No-ma' (No, ma'am, we don't have it).

Associação visual

Imagine an empty shelf in a store with a big sign that says 'НЯМА'.

Rhyme

For things you lack, use 'Няма' at the back... wait, at the front!

Story

Ivan went to the store. He wanted bread, but there was 'Няма'. He wanted milk, but there was 'Няма'. He went home hungry.

Word Web

нямаимавремепарихораначин

Desafio

Look around your room and list 5 things you DON'T have using 'Няма'.

Notas culturais

Bulgarians use 'Няма проблем' as a polite response to 'Thank you'.

Younger generations often use 'Йок' (from Turkish) as a synonym for 'Няма'.

In formal settings, 'Няма' is often replaced by 'Не разполагаме с'.

The word 'няма' is a contraction of 'не' (not) and 'има' (has/there is).

Iniciadores de conversa

“

Има ли кафе?

“

Има ли билети за филма?

“

Има ли начин да се оправи това?

“

Има ли някой в стаята?

Temas para diário

Write about your fridge. What is missing?
Describe a time you were disappointed at a store.
Write a dialogue about a cancelled event.
Reflect on a situation where you felt helpless.

Erros comuns

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Incorrect

Correto

Sign up free to see all tips

Test Yourself

Fill in the blank.

___ хляб в магазина.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Няма
Correct impersonal negation.
Choose the correct sentence. Múltipla escolha

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Няма хляб
Indefinite noun is required.
Fix the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Нямат хора в парка.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Няма хора
No plural conjugation.
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: All are correct
Bulgarian word order is flexible.
Translate to Bulgarian. Tradução

There is no time.

Answer starts with: Ням...

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Няма време
Standard existential negation.
Match the meaning. Match Pairs

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

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: All match
Common idioms.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

Use 'Няма' and 'билети'.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: All are correct
Flexible word order.
Choose the correct form. Conjugation Drill

___ билети вчера.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Нямаше
Past tense required.

Score: /8

Exercicios praticos

8 exercises
Fill in the blank.

___ хляб в магазина.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Няма
Correct impersonal negation.
Choose the correct sentence. Múltipla escolha

Which is correct?

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Няма хляб
Indefinite noun is required.
Fix the error. Error Correction

Find and fix the mistake:

Нямат хора в парка.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Няма хора
No plural conjugation.
Reorder the words. Sentence Reorder

в / няма / хладилника / мляко

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: All are correct
Bulgarian word order is flexible.
Translate to Bulgarian. Tradução

There is no time.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Няма време
Standard existential negation.
Match the meaning. Match Pairs

Match 'Няма' usage.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: All match
Common idioms.
Build a sentence. Sentence Building

Use 'Няма' and 'билети'.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: All are correct
Flexible word order.
Choose the correct form. Conjugation Drill

___ билети вчера.

✓ Correct! ✗ Not quite. Correct answer: Нямаше
Past tense required.

Score: /8

Perguntas frequentes (8)

Yes, 'Няма' is used for both singular and plural nouns.

No, it remains 'Няма' regardless of gender.

'Няма' is existential (there is no), 'Нямам' is possessive (I don't have).

Yes, 'Няма да има' means 'there will not be'.

It is neutral and used in all registers.

It is a polite way to say 'You're welcome' or 'It's okay'.

Yes, e.g., 'Няма го' (He is not here).

It functions as an impersonal predicate, though it originated from a verb.

Scaffolded Practice

1

1

2

2

3

3

4

4

Mastery Progress

Needs Practice

Improving

Strong

Mastered

Cadastre-se grátis para praticar

In Other Languages

Spanish high

No hay

Spanish 'hay' comes from 'haber', Bulgarian 'няма' from 'не' + 'има'.

French moderate

Il n'y a pas

Bulgarian is much more concise.

German partial

Es gibt kein

Case usage differs significantly.

Japanese moderate

Nai

Bulgarian 'няма' is an impersonal particle.

Arabic high

La yujad

Arabic requires agreement in some dialects.

Chinese high

Meiyou

Chinese 'meiyou' can also mean 'I don't have'.

Learning Path

Prerequisites

Previous
Impersonal 'Има' (There is/are)
Next
Impersonal Expressions with 'Е' (It is...)

Related Grammar Rules

A2

Negating Future Tense (Няма да)
A0

Using 'Да' (Yes) and 'Не' (No)
A1

Negating Verbs in Present Tense
A1

Negation with 'Не' (Не съм, Не правя)
A1

Negating 'Имам' (Нямам)
Was this helpful?

Comentários (0)

Faça Login para Comentar
Nenhum comentário ainda. Seja o primeiro a compartilhar suas ideias!