Picture this: A Bulgarian friend asks "Как си?" (How are you?) and you want to go beyond "Добре". Maybe you're excited about a weekend trip: "Щастлив съм! Ще ходим на Рилските езера." (I'm happy! We're going to the Rila Lakes.) Or maybe work has been tough: "Уморен съм и малко притеснен." (I'm tired and a bit worried.) Emotions are where language gets real — and Bulgarian has some beautifully expressive ways to talk about feelings.
Bulgarians tend to be emotionally direct in close relationships — friends and family share feelings openly, and asking "Какво ти е?" (What's wrong?) when someone looks down is considered caring, not intrusive. The language reflects this expressiveness: Bulgarian has the unique ми е construction (literally "to me it is") for states like boredom, interest, and sadness — a grammatical structure that puts the feeling first and the person second, as if the emotion is something that happens to you rather than something you choose. Today you'll learn 30 core emotions plus the sentence patterns to express them naturally.
Section 1
Core emotion vocabulary
The 30 feelings you will use most.
At this level, learners need both the dictionary adjective and the everyday sentence that goes with it. The examples below are the phrases you are most likely to use in real conversations.
| Bulgarian | Romanised | English | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| щастлив / щастлива съм | shtastliv / shtastliva sam | I am happy. | |
| тъжен / тъжна съм | tazhen / tazhna sam | I am sad. | |
| ядосан / ядосана съм | yadosan / yadosana sam | I am angry. | |
| уплашен / уплашена съм | uplashen / uplashena sam | I am scared. | |
| изненадан / изненадана съм | iznenadan / iznenadana sam | I am surprised. | |
| доволен / доволна съм | dovolen / dovolna sam | I am pleased / satisfied. | |
| уморен / уморена съм | umoren / umorena sam | I am tired. | |
| притеснен / притеснена съм | pritesnen / pritesnena sam | I am worried. | |
| самотен / самотна съм | samoten / samotna sam | I am lonely. | |
| влюбен / влюбена съм | vlyuben / vlyubena sam | I am in love. |
Section 2
Expressing how you feel
Key constructions beyond just "I am...".
Bulgarian has several ways to express emotional states. The simplest uses съм + adjective. More nuanced expressions use чувствам се (I feel), радвам се (I am glad), or impersonal constructions with ми е.
| Bulgarian | Romanised | English | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Чувствам се страхотно. | Chuvstvam se strakhotno. | I feel great. | |
| Чувствам се зле. | Chuvstvam se zle. | I feel bad / unwell. | |
| Радвам се. | Radvam se. | I am glad. | |
| Не ми е добре. | Ne mi e dobre. | I am not feeling well. | |
| Страх ме е. | Strah me e. | I am afraid. | |
| Срам ме е. | Sram me e. | I am embarrassed. | |
| Жал ми е. | Zhal mi e. | I feel sorry / sad about it. | |
| Скучно ми е. | Skuchno mi e. | I am bored. | |
| Интересно ми е. | Interesno mi e. | I find it interesting. | |
| Много ми харесва. | Mnogo mi haresva. | I like it very much. |
💡 The ми е construction
A group of emotional states use ми е + adjective/noun: скучно ми е (I am bored — lit. "boring is to me"), интересно ми е (I find it interesting), жал ми е (I feel sorry). The emotion word is neuter and invariable — only the object pronoun changes: ми (me) · ти (you) · му/й (him/her) · ни (us).
Section 3
Asking about feelings
How to check in on someone and show you care.
| Bulgarian | Romanised | English | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Как се чувстваш? | Kak se chuvstvash? | How are you feeling? (informal) | |
| Как се чувствате? | Kak se chuvstvate? | How are you feeling? (formal) | |
| Добре ли си? | Dobre li si? | Are you OK? | |
| Нещо ли те притеснява? | Neshto li te pritesnyava? | Is something worrying you? | |
| Мога ли да помогна? | Moga li da pomogna? | Can I help? | |
| Не се притеснявай. | Ne se pritesnyavay. | Don't worry. | |
| Всичко ще бъде наред. | Vsichko shte bade nared. | Everything will be fine. |
Section 4
Personality adjectives
Describing what people are like — not just how they feel.
| Bulgarian | Romanised | English | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| умен / умна | umen / umna | intelligent | |
| добър / добра | dobar / dobra | kind / good | |
| мил / мила | mil / mila | sweet / kind | |
| смешен / смешна | smeshen / smeshna | funny | |
| сериозен / сериозна | seriozen / seriozna | serious | |
| трудолюбив / трудолюбива | trudolyubiv / trudolyubiva | hardworking | |
| честен / честна | chesten / chestna | honest | |
| щедър / щедра | shtedar / shtedra | generous | |
| общителен / общителна | obshtitelen / obshtitelna | sociable | |
| чувствителен / чувствителна | chuvstvitelen / chuvstvitelna | sensitive |
Section 5
Comforting and responding
Useful phrases when someone is worried, sad, or overwhelmed.
Section 6
Dialogue — how are you really?
A deeper conversation about feelings.
Здравей! Добре ли си? Изглеждаш уморена.
Zdravey! Dobre li si? Izglezhdash umorena.
Hello. Are you OK? You look tired.
Не много. Много работа тази седмица и съм малко притеснена.
Ne mnogo. Mnogo rabota tazi sedmitsa i sam malko pritesnena.
Not really. I have a lot of work this week and I am a little worried.
Нещо ли те притеснява? Мога ли да помогна?
Neshto li te pritesnyava? Moga li da pomogna?
Is something worrying you? Can I help?
Да, имам важен изпит следващата седмица и не се чувствам готова.
Da, imam vazhen izpit sledvashtata sedmitsa i ne se chuvstvam gotova.
Yes, I have an important exam next week and I do not feel ready.
Разбирам те. Не се притеснявай, ти си умна и трудолюбива.
Razbiram te. Ne se pritesnyavay, ti si umna i trudolyubiva.
I understand you. Do not worry, you are intelligent and hardworking.
Благодаря. Радвам се да го чуя. Вече се чувствам по-спокойна.
Blagodarya. Radvam se da go chuya. Veche se chuvstvam po-spokoyna.
Thank you. I am glad to hear that. I already feel calmer.
Section 7
Writing task
✏️ Writing task — Day 25
- Describe how you are feeling today using at least 4 different emotion expressions.
- Translate: "He is tired and worried. She is happy but a little nervous."
- Write a short description of someone you know using 5 personality adjectives.
- What is the difference between "Щастлив съм" and "Радвам се"? When would you use each?
Show answers
1. Free answer — use чувствам се, ми е constructions, adjective + съм.
2. Той е уморен и притеснен. Тя е щастлива, но малко притеснена.
3. Free answer — use умен/а, мил/а, трудолюбив/а, честен/а, общителен/а etc.
4. Щастлив съм = general state of happiness. Радвам се = active gladness/pleasure about something specific. Радвам се, че дойде! = I am glad you came!
Day 25 Quiz
8 questions · score 6+ to mark day complete
Question 1 of 8
"I am tired" in Bulgarian:
Question 2 of 8
"I am bored" — which idiomatic construction?
Question 3 of 8
"Don't worry!" in Bulgarian:
Question 4 of 8
"Everything will be fine" in Bulgarian:
Question 5 of 8
"I am afraid" — idiomatic form:
Question 6 of 8
"Hardworking" in Bulgarian:
Question 7 of 8
"How are you feeling?" (formal):
Question 8 of 8
"I find it interesting" — idiomatic form:
Day 25 Recap
Review before Day 26. Every point builds on the last.
| Topic | Key point | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Emotion adjectives | Always agree with gender: щастлив/а · тъжен/тъжна · уморен/а · притеснен/а | Add -а for feminine |
| Чувствам се | I feel — followed by adverb: чувствам се добре/зле/страхотно. | Reflexive verb — always with се |
| ми е construction | Скучно ми е · интересно ми е · жал ми е · страх ме е | Impersonal — only pronoun changes |
| Радвам се | I am glad/happy — active, often about something specific. | Радвам се, че дойде. |
| Personality | умен · мил · честен · щедър · трудолюбив · общителен · смел | Describe people with these |
| Не се притеснявай | "Don't worry" — essential comforting phrase. | Всичко ще бъде наред. |
| 🌎 Culture | Bulgarians are emotionally direct with close ones; asking "Какво ти е?" (What's wrong?) is caring, not intrusive | The ми е construction puts the feeling first — emotion happens to you |