Bulgarian nouns have the categories: grammatical gender, number, case (only vocative) and definiteness. A noun has one of three specific grammatical genders (masculine, feminine, neuter) and two numbers (singular and plural), with cardinal numbers and some adverbs, masculine nouns use a separate count form. Definiteness is expressed by a definite article which is postfixed to the noun.
Noun formation Nouns can be formed from other words by means of suffixes. Some important suffixes that are used to form nouns are: -ар for male people (рибар – fisher, книжар – bookseller, бръснар – barber); -ач for male people (носач – carrier, купувач – buyer, продавач – seller); -тел for male people (учител – teacher, родител – parent, строител – builder); -ин for male people (българин – a Bulgarian, гражданин – citizen, селянин – villager); -ик for male people (виновник – culprit, изменик – betrayer, довереник – agent); -ец for male people (летец – flier, хубавец – handsome man, планинец – mountaineer); -ица for: female people (царица – queen, певица – singer, хубавица – belle); female animals (лъвица – lioness, слоница – elephantess, магарица – jennet); feminine diminutives (водица – water, главица – head, сестрица – sister); feminine objects (ножица – scissors, вилица – fork, солница – saltern); products for eating and drinking (лютеница – pepper puree, наденица – sausage, сливовица – plum-brandy); -ка for: female people (учителка – female teacher, лекарка – female doctor, студентка – female university student); feminine diminutives (градинка – garden, картинка – picture, калинка – ladybird); -ник for: objects (хладилник – refrigerator, чайник – teapot, калник – mud-guard); places with certain purpose (рибарник – breeding-pond, рудник – colliery); -иня for female people (богиня – goddess, боркиня – woman fighter, немкиня – a German woman/girl); -алня for places with certain purpose (читалня – reading-room, съблекалня – changing-room); -ище for: places where something is done (училище – school, читалище – library club, игрище – playground); augmentatives (мъжище, женище, детище); -ница for places where something is done (бръснарница – barber's, млекарница – milk shop); -ство for: places where a department is located (издателство – publishing house, посолство – embassy); the names of certain activities (тъкачество – weaving, шивачество – needlecraft); the names of certain qualities (удобство – convenience, нехайство – carelessness); collective nouns (войнство – army, студентство – students); -а for the names of some actions (просвета – education, проява – act/deed); -ба for the names of some actions (борба – fight, молба – request); -ние for the names of some action (учение – teaching, писание – writing); -ина for the names of abstract qualities (топлина – warmth, бързина – quickness); -еж for the names of some actions (строеж – building, стремеж – striving); -итба for the names of some actions (сеитба – sowing, коситба – mowing); -не for the names of some actions (четене – reading, писане – writing); -ост for the names of abstract qualities (младост – youth, твърдост – hardness); -ие for abstract nouns (съгласие – agreement, усилие – effort); -е for masculine diminutives (столе – small chair, пръсте – small finger); -ота for the names of abstract qualities (топлота – warmth, красота – beauty); -ле for masculine diminutives (носле – small nose, вратле — neck); -че for masculine diminutives (братче – brother, столче – small chair); -ичка for feminine diminutives (водичка — water, главичка – small head); -це for neuter diminutives (крилце – small wing, селце – small village);
Gender In Bulgarian nouns have three genders: masculine, feminine and neuter. The gender is an inherent characteristic of every noun. This means that each noun is masculine, feminine or neuter. Only nouns referring to people or animals can change their gender. In most cases the gender of the noun can be determined according to its ending, but there aren't any strict rules. Masculines are all the nouns which refer to male people or animals, and many more.
Noun endingsGenderEndingExamples Masculine a consonant (most of the nouns) мъж, град, братa vowel (in some special cases)а (when the noun refers to a male person) баща, войвода я (when the noun refers to a male person) съдия, бояджия о (when the noun refers to a male person) татко, дядо, чичо е (when the noun refers to a male person) аташе и (the names of most months) януари, февруари, юни, юли, септември, октомври, ноември, декемвриFemininea vowel (most of the nouns)а жена, вода, родина я земя, стая, идея a consonant – usually ending in –ст and –щ, but also others страст (passion), пропаст (ravine), съвест (conscience), младост (youth), доблест (valour); нощ (night), пещ (furnace), помощ (help), свещ (candle); цев (gun barrel), скръб (sorrow), гибел (doom), цел (aim), вечер (evening), пролет (spring), смърт (death), любов (love)Neuteralways a vowelо село, дърво е дете, море и, у, ю (loanwords) такси, бижу, меню Masculine nouns that end in -а/-я (usually feminine) or -о/-е/-и (usually neuter), however, still take respectively feminine or neuter forms of the definite article.
Nouns referring to people or animals can change their gender (from masculine to feminine) by adding the suffixes: -ка, -ица, -а, -иня: учител — учителка цар — царица лъв — лъвица дебелан — дебелана бог — богиня The gender of nouns that have no singular form can't be determined: финанси, очила, обуща.
Some nouns have changed gender with time, for example the feminine vecher (evening — it retains its masculine character in the phrase dobur vecher – good evening), or var (lime).Gramatikata na bulgarskiya knizhoven ezik (The Grammar of Literary Bulgarian), St. Stoyanov, Nauka i izkustvo, Sofia, 1964, p.192. Some words, in spoken Bulgarian at least, can take either gender, e.g. domat/domata (tomato — masc/fem) or sandal/sandala (sandal);In these two particular cases, the masculine is the official dictionary term; the feminine, while rare, can sometimes be heard, but this usage is frowned upon by purists. some can take either gender with slight variations in meaning, e.g. gaz (gas) or prah (dust);gaz; prah – e.g. masculine in a scientific context and feminine in a household context, although this is not necessarily a set rule. while others, usually for etymological reasons, can have completely different meanings – e.g. med means "honey" in the masculine, and "copper" in the feminine, or prust, meaning finger (masc), or soil (fem).
Number A noun has singular (единствено) and plural (множествено) number (число). Unlike in English, where almost all nouns add -s in the plural, in Bulgarian there are many endings and despite the rules listed below one cannot be absolutely sure which ending to use with which noun. Besides, when forming the plural some nouns alter additionally. That is why a noun should always be learnt together with its plural form. Generally if the noun ends in a vowel, it is removed before adding the plural suffix. Sometimes the stress changes position.
Plural endings Gender Ending Examples Additional alterations Examples Masculine и (most of the nouns having two or more syllables and a few monosyllabic nouns) наро̀д—наро̀ди баща̀—бащѝ
съдия̀—съдѝи
геро̀й—геро̀и
зъб—зъ̀би
лъч—лъчѝ
го̀ст—го̀сти A change from the velar consonants к, г, х, which are exactly before the ending -и, to ц, з, с respectively This change does not occur with loanwords ending in -нг (-ng) езѝк—езѝци, по̀длог—по̀длози, кожу̀х—кожу̀си; loanwords: мѝтинг—мѝтинги (meeting), ло̀зунг—ло̀зунги (Losung) Losing the sound е in the final part of the word чужденѐц—чужденцѝ Losing the sound ъ in the final part of the word. This happens almost always and not only when adding и теа̀тър—теа̀три; exception: пода̀рък—пода̀ръци Losing the sound е in the final part of the word and inserting ъ before л, or р беглѐц—бегълцѝ Losing the suffix -ин бъ̀лгарин—бъ̀лгари A change from е (when it is after a vowel) to й боѐц—бойцѝ A combination of the above alterations, for example losing the sound ъ in the final part of the word and a change from к to ц мо̀мък—момци ове (most of the monosyllabic nouns and a few disyllabic nouns) град—градовè стол—столòве
блок—блокòве
вятър—ветровè A change of the stress position грàд—градовè, стòл—столòве A change from я to е (apophony) бряг—бреговè Metathesis of ъ in the letter group ръ връх—върховè Palatalization of the preceding consonant, indicated by the letter ь зет—зèтьове A combination of the above alterations вятър—ветровè (a change from я to е, and losing ъ in the final part of the word), огън—огньòве (palatalization of the preceding consonant and losing ъ in the final part of the word) еве (most monosyllabic nouns ending in й) брой – броевè — — е (only a few nouns)мъж—мъжè кòн—конè The stress always falls on the last syllable крàл—кралè, княз—князè, цàр—царè а (only a few nouns)крàк—кракà рòг—рогàThe stress always falls on the last syllable лист—листà Losing the suffix -ин господин—господà я (only one noun) брат—брàтя — — ища (only a few nouns)път—пътища край—крàища
сън—сънища — — чета (some diminutives formed with the suffix -ец) градче—градчета — — овци (nouns referring to people) чичо—чичовци дядо—дядовци
мързелан—мързелановци — — Feminine и (almost all nouns)жена—жени цел—цели
стая—стаи
вест—вести
стойност—стойности A change from я to е (apophony) вяра—вери Losing е and ъ in the final part of the word песен—песни, мисъл—мисли Metathesis of ъ in the letter group ръ кръв—кървие (only the following nouns) овца—овце свиня—свине A change from the velar consonants к and г to ц and з respectively ръка—ръце, нога—нозе Neuter а (nouns, ending in -о, -це, -щe)дърво—дърва петънце—петънца
училище—училища A change of the stress position сèло—селà A change from я to е (apophony)тя̀ло—телà та (nouns ending in -ле, -е, -че, and loanwords ending in -у, -ю, -и) носле—нослета море—морета
братче—братчета
бижу—бижута
меню—менюта
такси—таксита — — я (nouns ending in -ие and a few more)изключение—изключения допълнение—допълнения A change of the stress position цвèте—цветя̀, ло̀зе—лозя̀ на (only a few nouns ending in -ме) ѝме—имена̀ врѐме—времена̀The stress always falls on the last syllableзна̀ме—знамена̀, плѐме—племена̀са (very few nouns) чу̀до—чудеса̀ небѐ—небеса̀ A change of the final о into е чу̀до—чудеса̀ The stress always falls on the last syllable небѐ—небеса̀ и (not a large amount of nouns, ending in -о) живо̀тно—живо̀тни насеко̀мо—насеко̀ми A change from the velar consonants к and х to ч and ш respectively око̀—очѝ, ухо̀-ушѝ
Count form
Masculine nouns which end in a consonant have an additional, specialized plural. This form is called the count form or numerical form (бройна форма — broyna forma), and is used only after cardinal numbers and the adverbs колко (how many), толкова (this/that/so many), няколко (several/a few/some): пет / колко / толкова / няколко молива versus тези моливи. An exception to this occurs in some exclamations following колко, when the ordinary plural is used and the inferred meaning is "what a large amount of!": e.g. колко коня? (kolko konya? "how many horses?" – numeric plural), but колко коне! (kolko kone! – ordinary plural, implying "look at all those horses!").
The count form is created with the endings -а and -я, and—unlike the usual plural—without any additional changes (no loss of the sounds -ъ and -е, no change of consonants, etc.), except for the moving of stress (it never falls on the last syllable, so if it is on the last syllable in the singular, it will move to the penultimate in the count form), and metathesis of ъ in the letter group ръ.
There are also a handful of neuter nouns for parts of the body which also take a count form – ramo (shoulder) → ramene / 2 ramena; kolyano (knee) → kolene / 2 kolena.
Count form endings Ending Examplesа (most nouns)наро̀д—наро̀да съ̀д—съ̀да
теа̀тър—теа̀търа
лѝтър—лѝтра/лѝтъра*