Beginner · 12 Weeks

Your Bulgarian Study Plan

A structured path from zero to conversational basics — covering the Cyrillic alphabet, essential vocabulary, and everyday phrases.

12
Weeks of content
30
Cyrillic letters
200+
Vocabulary words
4
Study tools
💡
How to use this plan
Each week focuses on a theme. Expand a card to see the goals, then practise with the Alphabet trainer, Flashcards, and Phrase reference. Aim for 30–45 minutes a day.
12-Week Curriculum
W1
Cyrillic Alphabet — Part 1
Letters А through М
Alphabet ▶
  • Learn the first 13 letters: А Б В Г Д Е Ж З И Й К Л М
  • Practise writing uppercase and lowercase forms
  • Learn 2–3 simple Bulgarian words using these letters
  • Use the Alphabet trainer (Browse mode) daily
💡 Tip: Many letters look like English but sound different — watch out for В (/v/), Н (/n/), Р (/r/).
⏱ 45 min/day
W2
Cyrillic Alphabet — Part 2
Letters Н through Я
Alphabet ▶
  • Learn the remaining 17 letters: Н О П Р С Т У Ф Х Ц Ч Ш Щ Ъ Ь Ю Я
  • Read simple Bulgarian words out loud
  • Try the Alphabet Quiz mode — aim for 80%+ accuracy
  • Combine both halves and recite the full alphabet
💡 Tip: Щ = "sht", Ъ = the "u" in "butter". These are the trickiest — spend extra time here.
⏱ 45 min/day
W3
Greetings & Introductions
Meeting people
Vocabulary ▶
  • Learn formal vs informal greetings (Здравейте vs Здравей)
  • Introduce yourself: Казвам се… / Аз съм от…
  • Ask and answer: Как се казвате? / Откъде сте?
  • Practise the Greetings flashcard deck
💡 Tip: Bulgarian uses formal (Вие) and informal (ти) address. With strangers, always use formal.
⏱ 30 min/day
W4
Numbers & Time
1–20, days, telling the time
Vocabulary ▶
  • Count confidently from 1 (едно) to 20 (двадесет)
  • Learn the 7 days of the week
  • Say today / tomorrow / yesterday: днес / утре / вчера
  • Basic clock phrases: Колко е часът? / Часът е…
💡 Tip: Numbers 11–19 all end in -надесет (like "eleven" → единадесет). Learn the pattern, not each word.
⏱ 30 min/day
W5
Essential Nouns
Gender, everyday objects
Grammar ▶
  • Learn 20 common nouns: вода, хляб, книга, дом, улица…
  • Understand noun gender: masculine, feminine, neuter
  • Note how definite articles attach as suffixes (-ът/-та/-то)
  • Practise the Useful Nouns flashcard deck
💡 Tip: Unlike English, Bulgarian nouns have NO indefinite article — "a book" is just "книга".
⏱ 30 min/day
W6
Colors & Descriptions
Adjectives and agreement
Grammar ▶
  • Learn 10 core colours: червен, син, зелен, жълт…
  • Understand that adjectives agree with noun gender
  • Learn big/small, hot/cold, good/bad: голям/малък, горещ/студен, добър/лош
  • Build simple sentences: Кафето е горещо. (The coffee is hot.)
💡 Tip: Adjective endings: -ен (m), -на (f), -но (n), -ни (pl). E.g. червен / червена / червено / червени.
⏱ 30 min/day
W7
Food & Eating Out
Restaurants, menus, likes
Vocabulary ▶
  • Learn 20 food/drink words: хляб, вода, кафе, вино, риба, месо…
  • Order at a restaurant: Искам…, Менюто, моля / Сметката, моля
  • Express preferences: Харесвам… / Не харесвам…
  • Review the Food & Restaurants phrases
💡 Tip: Моля is one of the most useful words — it means both "please" and "you're welcome".
⏱ 30 min/day
W8
Getting Around
Directions & transport
Vocabulary ▶
  • Directions: наляво (left), надясно (right), направо (straight)
  • Ask: Къде е…? (Where is…?) / Как да стигна до…? (How do I get to…?)
  • Transport words: автобус, метро, влак, такси
  • Practise the Getting Around phrases
💡 Tip: Sofia has an excellent metro (метро). Useful: Колко спирки? — "How many stops?"
⏱ 30 min/day
W9
Shopping
Prices, quantities, asking for things
Vocabulary ▶
  • Key phrase: Колко струва? (How much does it cost?)
  • Review numbers up to 100 for prices
  • Shopping phrases: Имате ли…? / Може ли да видя…?
  • Currency: the Bulgarian lev (лев / лева)
💡 Tip: Bulgaria uses the lev (BGN), not the euro. 1 EUR ≈ 2 leva. Numbers revision is essential here.
⏱ 30 min/day
W10
The Verb "to be" — съм
Core grammar: present tense
Grammar ▶
  • Conjugate съм in full: аз съм / ти си / той-тя-то е / ние сме / вие сте / те са
  • Form simple sentences: Аз съм студент. / Тя е от България.
  • Negation: аз не съм / той не е
  • Questions: Ти студент ли си?
💡 Tip: "Li" (ли) at the end of a sentence turns it into a yes/no question — no word order change needed!
⏱ 35 min/day
W11
Common Verbs
Present tense patterns
Grammar ▶
  • Learn 8 essential verbs: имам (have), искам (want), отивам (go), ям (eat), пия (drink), говоря (speak), разбирам (understand), чета (read)
  • Conjugate each in the present tense
  • Build sentences: Искам кафе. / Не разбирам.
  • Learn Не говоря добре български. (I don't speak Bulgarian well.)
💡 Tip: Bulgarians appreciate any attempt at their language. "Уча се!" (I'm learning!) goes a long way.
⏱ 35 min/day
W12
Review & Conversation
Putting it all together
Review ▶
  • Review all flashcard decks — focus on cards you marked "still learning"
  • Practise mini-dialogues covering weeks 3–11 topics
  • Try reading short Bulgarian texts (menus, signs, simple sentences)
  • Plan your next steps: grammar deep-dive, or more vocabulary?
💡 Tip: Resources to continue: Duolingo Bulgarian, Pimsleur Bulgarian, and the Language Transfer audio course.
⏱ 45 min/day