💬 Setting the scene
Reported speech is how people pass on life in Bulgaria: what the landlord said, what the pharmacist told you, what your grandmother used to say, what the office warned everyone about, what a news presenter announced, or what a neighbour promised and then failed to do. Without this structure, you can speak directly. With it, you can narrate social reality.
That is why this lesson matters so much at B1. It opens the door to retelling conversations, gossip, instructions, news, and family stories — which is how a lot of real Bulgarian conversation actually works.
Section 1
Reporting statements — казва, че / каза, че
The core reported speech construction.
Bulgarian reported speech usually uses the conjunction че after a reporting verb. The practical classroom rule is that Bulgarian does not force the kind of rigid tense backshift English learners expect. In real usage, the reported clause usually keeps the same time meaning, but the exact form can still shift for person, aspect, or the speaker’s preferred natural phrasing.
| Direct speech | Reported speech | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| „Уморен съм.“ | Той каза, че е уморен. | Person changes: съм -> е. |
| „Работя в банката.“ | Тя каза, че работи в банката. | Present meaning stays present. |
| „Ще дойда утре.“ | Той каза, че ще дойде утре. | Future meaning is usually preserved. |
| „Отидох на пазара.“ | Тя каза, че е отишла на пазара. | Past events are often reported with a perfect-style form. |
| „Не знам.“ | Той каза, че не знае. | The key change is person, not English-style backshift. |
💡 The real rule learners need
Do not import English reported-speech logic directly into Bulgarian. Usually you keep the same time meaning and change the person. But learners should not treat this as a robotic “never change anything” rule, because natural Bulgarian can still choose forms differently depending on aspect, context, and how the speaker frames a past event.
Section 2
Reporting verbs
Beyond казва/каза — the full range.
| Bulgarian | Romanised | English | Usage |
|---|---|---|---|
| казва / каза | kazva / kaza | says / said | Most common — neutral |
| твърди / твърдеше | tvardi / tvardeshe | claims / claimed | When the content may be disputed |
| обяснява / обясни | obyasnyava / obyasni | explains / explained | For explanations |
| съобщава / съобщи | saobshtava / saobshti | reports / reported | News/formal contexts |
| признава / призна | priznava / prizna | admits / admitted | Concession |
| отговаря / отговори | otgovarya / otgovori | replies / replied | In response to a question |
| добавя / добави | dobavya / dobavi | adds / added | Supplementary information |
| предупреждава / предупреди | preduprezhdava / predupredi | warns / warned | Warning |
| обещава / обеща | obeshtava / obeshta | promises / promised | Commitment |
Section 3
Reporting questions — indirect questions
How to report what someone asked.
Reported questions use дали for yes/no questions, and the original question word for information questions. The reported clause keeps statement word order, which is why this section becomes much easier once you stop expecting English inversion patterns.
| Direct question | Reported question | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| „Дойде ли?“ | Тя попита дали е дошъл. | Yes/no -> дали + statement order |
| „Кога ще дойдеш?“ | Тя попита кога ще дойда. | Question word stays the same |
| „Защо закъсня?“ | Той попита защо съм закъснял. | Person changes with the speaker |
| „Какво правиш?“ | Тя попита какво правя. | No inversion in the reported clause |
| „Имаш ли пари?“ | Той попита дали имам пари. | дали = whether / if |
Section 4
Reporting commands and requests
How to report what someone told you to do.
Reported commands usually use да + present tense after the reporting verb. This is one of the most useful B1 patterns because it shows up everywhere: instructions from work, requests from family, warnings from doctors, and messages passed on from one person to another.
| Direct command | Reported command | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| „Ела тук!“ | Той ми каза да дойда. | да + present-tense form |
| „Не го правете!“ | Тя ни каза да не го правим. | Negative command -> да не |
| „Обади се утре.“ | Тя ми каза да се обадя утре. | Reflexive се stays in place |
| „Изчакайте малко.“ | Той ни помоли да изчакаме малко. | помоли is softer and more natural for requests |
Section 5
Dialogue — passing on a message
A full reported speech conversation.
— Обади ли се Мария?
— Да, преди малко. Каза, че закъснява и ще дойде в осем.
— Попита ли за срещата?
— Да, попита дали ще бъдем всички. Казах й, че Петър няма да може да дойде.
— Как реагира?
— Каза, че разбира. Но добави, че ще е по-добре следващия път да се организираме по-рано.
— Права е. Предупреди ли я за промяната на адреса?
— О! Забравих. Трябва да й се обадя.
— Кажи й да дойде на новия адрес — улица "Раковски" номер 45.
— Obadi li se Mariya?
— Da, predi malko. Kaza, che zakasnYava i shte doyde v osem.
— Popita li za sreshtata?
— Da, popita dali shte badem vsichki. Kazah y, che Petar nyama da mozhe da doyde.
— Kak reagira?
— Kaza, che razbira. No dobavi, che shte e po-dobre sledvashtiya pat da se organizirame po-rano.
— Prava e. Predupredi li ya za promyanata na adresa?
— O! Zabravikh. Tryabva da y se obadya.
— Kazhi y da doyde na noviya adres — ulitsa Rakovski nomer 45.
— Did Maria call?
— Yes, a little while ago. She said she is running late and will come at eight.
— Did she ask about the meeting?
— Yes, she asked whether we would all be there. I told her that Peter won't be able to come.
— How did she react?
— She said she understands. But she added that it would be better next time to organise ourselves earlier.
— She's right. Did you warn her about the change of address?
— Oh! I forgot. I need to call her.
— Tell her to come to the new address — Rakovski Street number 45.
📺 Real Bulgarian usage
Reported speech is everywhere in Bulgaria’s media and daily talk: съобщиха, че..., той добави, че..., лекарят ми каза да..., хазяинът обеща, че.... If you want to follow conversations about housing, bureaucracy, travel delays, politics, or family logistics, this structure stops being optional very quickly.
Section 6
Writing task
✏️ Writing task — Day 37
- Report these direct statements: (a) "Уморена съм." (b) "Ще отида в Пловдив утре." (c) "Не знам отговора."
- Report this question: "Кога ще се върнеш?" — asked by Maria to you.
- Report this command: "Елате в пет часа." (Come at five o'clock.)
- Why does Bulgarian reported speech not require tense backshift? Give one example showing the difference from English.
Show answers
1. (a) Тя каза, че е уморена. (b) Той каза, че ще отиде в Пловдив утре. (c) Той каза, че не знае отговора.
2. Мария ме попита кога ще се върна.
3. Те ни казаха да дойдем в пет часа.
4. Bulgarian keeps the original tense. E.g. "I am tired" → Той каза, че е уморен (is, not was). English requires "He said he WAS tired".
Day 37 Quiz
8 questions · aim for at least 6 correct answers
Question 1 of 8
Reported speech in Bulgarian uses which conjunction after the verb?
Question 2 of 8
Does Bulgarian reported speech backshift tenses?
Question 3 of 8
"She said she is tired" — correct Bulgarian:
Question 4 of 8
Reported yes/no questions use which conjunction?
Question 5 of 8
"He asked when I would come" — correct Bulgarian:
Question 6 of 8
Reported commands use which construction?
Question 7 of 8
"She told us not to do it" — correct Bulgarian:
Question 8 of 8
"He promised he would call" — correct Bulgarian:
Day 37 Recap
Review before Day 38. Every point builds on the last.
| Topic | Key point | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Core structure | Reporting verb + че + statement (same tense, 3rd person). | Той каза, че е уморен. |
| No backshift | Bulgarian keeps the original tense — unlike English. Present stays present. | Key grammar advantage over English |
| Person change | аз → той/тя. ти → аз (if speaking). ние → те. | Only the person pronoun changes |
| Indirect questions | Yes/no → дали. Information questions → same question word (кога, защо, какво). | Той попита дали... / кога... |
| Reported commands | каза/помоли + да + present tense. Negative: да не + present. | Каза ми да дойда. / да не правя. |
| Reporting verbs | казва · твърди · обяснява · добавя · предупреждава · обещава | Choose verb to reflect the intention |
| 🌎 Culture | Bulgarian reported speech keeps original tenses — simpler than English; gossip and news relay are major social activities | казва, твърди, обяснява are your reporting toolkit |