Understanding Bulgarian Adjective Agreement
In Bulgarian, adjectives are words that describe nouns. Just like in English, they tell us more about a person, place, or thing. However, in Bulgarian, adjectives need to match the noun they describe in gender, number, and definiteness.
Bulgarian nouns can be masculine, feminine, or neuter. Adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe.
Examples
- голям дом (big house) - masculine
- голяма градина (big garden) - feminine
- голямо дете (big child) - neuter
Adjectives also need to match whether the noun is singular or plural.
Examples
- малък котарак (small cat) - singular
- малки котараци (small cats) - plural
In Bulgarian, if a noun is definite, the adjective must also show this definiteness.
Examples
- новият учител (the new teacher) - masculine definite
- новата книга (the new book) - feminine definite
Summary of Adjective Endings
Important Points
- Masculine singular: -ен/-ят
- Feminine singular: -на/-ята
- Neuter singular: -но/-ето
- Plural: -ни/-ите
The best way to get comfortable with adjective agreement in Bulgarian is to practice. Try describing things around you using different adjectives and make sure they agree with the nouns.