Bulgarian Language: The Art of Twisting Your Tongue

Ah, the Bulgarian language - a beautiful and perplexing tongue that can twist your mind and your tongue like a pretzel. It’s the only language in the world where you can say “yes” by shaking your head from side to side vigorously, while “no” is signified by a slow up-and-down nod of the head.

The Bulgarian language is a Slavic language spoken by over 9 million people, most of whom live in Bulgaria. If you’re not Bulgarian, learning this language can make you feel like you just stepped into a Doctor Seuss book.

The Bulgarian alphabet, for example, is beautiful but confounding. It has 30 letters, many of which look completely unfamiliar to anyone outside of Bulgaria. Good luck trying to decipher the difference between the letters “Ш” and “Щ” - a task that still confuses many native speakers to this day.

But the best part about the Bulgarian language is the way words are formed. Bulgarian has a unique way of adding prefixes and suffixes to words, creating a dizzying array of possible meanings. For example, the word “жаба” means “frog,” but add the prefix “из-” and “жаба” becomes “изжабрям,” which means “to beg for something.” Huh?

And let’s not forget one of our favorite Bulgarian tongue twisters: “четири щъркела стрекочат на стърчилата.” Try saying that ten times fast. Or even once.

But the Bulgarian language isn’t all about confusion and tongue-twisters. It also has some beautiful words that simply don’t translate well into English. Like “мъгла,” which means “fog.” But to a Bulgarian, it’s more than just a weather phenomenon. It’s a feeling, a mood, a state of mind.

So if you’re planning on visiting Bulgaria, make sure to brush up on your Bulgarian language skills. And remember: it’s okay to shake your head to say “yes” and nod to say “no.” Just try not to get too tongue-tied when attempting to speak the language.