Picture this: You're at a weekend gathering and someone asks "Какво обичаш да правиш в свободното си време?" (What do you like to do in your free time?). You could say: "Обичам да ходя в планината и да чета." (I love hiking and reading.) Your host lights up: "И аз! Ходим на Витоша всеки уикенд." (Me too! We go to Vitosha every weekend.) Shared hobbies are the fastest way to build friendships anywhere — and Bulgaria's landscape makes outdoor activities especially popular.
Bulgarians are passionate about планинарство (hiking/mountaineering) — with seven major mountain ranges, there's a trail for every level. Sofia residents treat Витоша mountain as their backyard playground. Folk culture is also alive: хоро (circle dancing) happens at weddings, festivals, and even casual gatherings; народни танци (folk dance) groups are found in every town. Village събори (festivals) celebrate local traditions with music, food, and dance throughout summer. Today you'll learn 40 hobby and activity words plus the sentence structures to discuss them naturally.
Section 1
Hobbies and leisure vocabulary
40 activities across sport, culture and everyday enjoyment.
| Bulgarian | Romanised | English | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| четене | chetene | reading | |
| писане | pisane | writing | |
| рисуване | risuvane | drawing / painting | |
| снимане | snimane | photography | |
| готвене | gotvene | cooking | |
| градинарство | gradinarstvo | gardening | |
| пътуване | patuvane | travelling | |
| музика | muzika | music | |
| пеене | peene | singing | |
| свирене на китара | svirene na kitara | playing guitar | |
| танци | tantsi | dancing | |
| кино | kino | cinema / films | |
| театър | teatar | theatre | |
| игра на шах | igra na shah | chess | |
| видео игри | video igri | video games | |
| колекциониране | kolektsionirane | collecting | |
| доброволчество | dobrovolchestvo | volunteering |
| Sport (Bulgarian) | Romanised | English | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| футбол | futbol | football | |
| баскетбол | basketbol | basketball | |
| тенис | tenis | tennis | |
| плуване | pluvane | swimming | |
| бягане | byagane | running | |
| колоездене | koloezdene | cycling | |
| планинарство | planinarstvo | hiking / mountaineering | |
| ски | ski | skiing | |
| йога | yoga | yoga | |
| фитнес | fitnes | gym / fitness | |
| бойни изкуства | boyni izkustva | martial arts | |
| скално катерене | skalno katerene | rock climbing |
Section 2
Talking about your interests
The constructions you need to discuss hobbies naturally.
Bulgarian uses several constructions to express interest and enjoyment. The most natural are обичам да (I love to), харесва ми да (I like to), and the verbal noun directly: Четенето е любимото ми хоби (Reading is my favourite hobby).
For hobbies, обичам да + verb is usually the safest everyday pattern. Use интересувам се от for broader interests, and занимавам се с when you actively practise something.
| Bulgarian | Romanised | English | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Обичам да чета. | Obicham da cheta. | I love reading. | |
| Харесва ми да готвя. | Haresva mi da gotvya. | I like cooking. | |
| Интересувам се от музика. | Interesuvam se ot muzika. | I am interested in music. | |
| Занимавам се с фотография. | Zanimavam se s fotografiya. | I do photography. | |
| Играя тенис всяка събота. | Igraya tenis vsyaka sabota. | I play tennis every Saturday. | |
| Не ми харесва да тичам рано сутрин. | Ne mi haresva da ticham rano sutrin. | I do not like running early in the morning. | |
| Имам малко свободно време през седмицата. | Imam malko svobodno vreme prez sedmitsata. | I have little free time during the week. | |
| Какво правиш в свободното си време? | Kakvo pravish v svobodnoto si vreme? | What do you do in your free time? | |
| Какви са интересите ти? | Kakvi sa interesite ti? | What are your interests? | |
| Спортуваш ли редовно? | Sportuvash li redovno? | Do you do sport regularly? |
💡 Занимавам се с vs играя
Занимавам се с + noun = I do / I am involved in (broader, includes non-sport hobbies): занимавам се с музика, с рисуване, с футбол. Играя = I play (used for games and sports with a ball or opponent): играя футбол, тенис, шах. Both are correct for sport — занимавам се с sounds slightly more serious/committed.
Section 3
Frequency and intensity
How often and how seriously.
| Bulgarian | Romanised | English | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| веднъж седмично | vednazh sedmichno | once a week | |
| два пъти седмично | dva pati sedmichno | twice a week | |
| всеки уикенд | vseki uikend | every weekend | |
| от време на време | ot vreme na vreme | from time to time | |
| редовно | redovno | regularly | |
| сериозно | seriozno | seriously | |
| за удоволствие | za udovolstvie | for pleasure | |
| като хоби | kato hobi | as a hobby | |
| на ниво аматьор | na nivo amatyor | at amateur level | |
| на професионално ниво | na profesionalno nivo | at professional level |
| Bulgarian | Romanised | English | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Тренирам два пъти седмично. | Treniram dva pati sedmichno. | I train twice a week. | |
| Свиря на китара само за удоволствие. | Svirya na kitara samo za udovolstvie. | I play guitar only for pleasure. | |
| Занимавам се с фотография като хоби. | Zanimavam se s fotografiya kato hobi. | I do photography as a hobby. | |
| Не спортувам редовно, но ходя на планина от време на време. | Ne sportuvam redovno, no hodya na planina ot vreme na vreme. | I do not exercise regularly, but I go to the mountains from time to time. |
Section 4
Useful hobby phrases
Short speaking chunks that make conversations feel more natural.
Section 5
Bulgarian cultural life
What Bulgarians typically do for leisure.
Understanding Bulgarian leisure culture helps you connect with native speakers. A few key facts: Bulgaria has a strong folk music and dance tradition (народна музика); hiking (планинарство) is extremely popular, with a network of mountain huts (хижи); football is the dominant sport (Левски and ЦСКА are the two biggest Sofia clubs); and Bulgarians are avid readers, with a strong tradition of poetry and literature.
| Bulgarian activity | Romanised | What it is | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|
| народни танци | narodni tantsi | Traditional folk dances that many Bulgarians still learn and dance socially | |
| хоро | horo | The Bulgarian circle dance often seen at weddings, festivals, and community events | |
| розобер | rozober | Rose picking, associated with the Rose Valley and spring celebrations | |
| пикник | piknik | Picnicking in nature, a very common Bulgarian weekend habit | |
| събори | sabori | Folk gatherings and festivals held in villages and towns | |
| хижа | hizha | Mountain hut, central to Bulgarian hiking culture |
Section 6
Dialogue — talking about free time
A full conversation about hobbies and interests.
Какво обичаш да правиш в свободното си време?
Kakvo obichash da pravish v svobodnoto si vreme?
What do you like to do in your free time?
Обичам да чета и да готвя. Занимавам се и с фотография.
Obicham da cheta i da gotvya. Zanimavam se i s fotografiya.
I like reading and cooking. I am also into photography.
Сериозно? Какво снимаш най-често?
Seriozno? Kakvo snimash nay-chesto?
Really? What do you photograph most often?
Предимно природа — планини, залези и животни. Ходя на планина почти всяка събота.
Predimno priroda — planini, zalezi i zhivotni. Hodya na planina pochti vsyaka sabota.
Mostly nature: mountains, sunsets, and animals. I go to the mountains almost every Saturday.
Звучи страхотно. Аз не спортувам много, но много обичам музиката.
Zvuchi strakhotno. Az ne sportuvam mnogo, no mnogo obicham muzikata.
That sounds great. I do not do much sport, but I really love music.
Свириш ли на инструмент?
Svirish li na instrument?
Do you play an instrument?
Да, уча китара от две години. Все още съм начинаещ, но много ми харесва.
Da, ucha kitara ot dve godini. Vse oshte sam nachinaesht, no mnogo mi haresva.
Yes, I have been learning guitar for two years. I am still a beginner, but I enjoy it a lot.
Супер. И аз искам да имам повече време за хобита след работа.
Super. I az iskam da imam poveche vreme za hobita sled rabota.
Great. I also want to have more time for hobbies after work.
Section 7
Writing task
✏️ Writing task — Day 27
- Write a paragraph about your own hobbies using обичам да, харесва ми да, and занимавам се с.
- Translate: "I play football twice a week. I also like reading — especially history books."
- Write three questions you would ask someone to find out about their interests.
- Name three typically Bulgarian leisure activities and briefly describe each.
Show answers
1. Free answer — aim for 6+ sentences with frequency expressions.
2. Играя футбол два пъти седмично. Обичам и да чета — особено исторически книги.
3. E.g. Спортуваш ли? Какво обичаш да правиш вечер? Интересуваш ли се от музика?
4. народни танци (folk circle dances), хоро (circle dance at celebrations), планинарство (hiking — huge national pastime).
Day 27 Quiz
8 questions · score 6+ to mark day complete
Question 1 of 8
"I am interested in music" — correct Bulgarian:
Question 2 of 8
"I play chess" in Bulgarian:
Question 3 of 8
"Twice a week" in Bulgarian:
Question 4 of 8
"What do you do in your free time?":
Question 5 of 8
What is "хоро"?
Question 6 of 8
"For pleasure" in Bulgarian:
Question 7 of 8
"I love cooking" in Bulgarian:
Question 8 of 8
"From time to time" in Bulgarian:
Day 27 Recap
Review before Day 28. Every point builds on the last.
| Topic | Key point | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Hobbies | четене · готвене · рисуване · пътуване · музика · танци · кино · планинарство | Verbal nouns — all end in -не/-ство |
| Sports | футбол · тенис · плуване · бягане · колоездене · ски · йога · фитнес | |
| Обичам да | I love to — followed by да + verb: обичам да чета, да готвя, да пея. | Most natural for hobbies |
| Занимавам се с | I do / am into — followed by noun: занимавам се с музика, с футбол. | Slightly more serious/committed |
| Frequency | веднъж/два пъти седмично · всеки уикенд · от време на време · редовно | |
| Bulgarian culture | народни танци · хоро · планинарство · розобер · събори | Know these for citizenship exam context |
| 🌎 Culture | Витоша mountain is Sofia's backyard playground; хоро circle dancing happens at every celebration; village събори run all summer | Bulgaria has 7 major mountain ranges — hiking is a national passion |