Convenience Store

1. Една кутия цигари, моля

   ED-na KU-ti-ya tsi-GA-ri MO-lya

   A pack of cigarettes, please

   Usage

   The staple purchase at a "pavilion" or "budka", the small street kiosk found at every Sofia bus stop and metro exit, selling cigarettes, water, papers and tickets through a window. Just add the brand name

   Grammar Note

   Bulgarian (like Macedonian) has all but lost noun cases, so "kutiya tsigari" simply stacks the words. Serbian or Croatian would require a genitive here

2. Бутилка вода и запалка, моля

   bu-TIL-ka vo-DA i za-PAL-ka MO-lya

   A bottle of water and a lighter, please

   Usage

   Kiosk goods sit behind the glass out of reach, so you name what you want. Add "negazirana" for still water or "gazirana" for sparkling

   Grammar Note

   "Zapalka" derives from the verb "zapalya" (to light). Bulgarian lets you drop the indefinite "edna" and simply name the items

3. Продавате ли билети за градския транспорт?

   pro-da-VA-te li bi-LE-ti za GRAD-ski-ya TRANS-port

   Do you sell city transport tickets?

   Usage

   Paper tickets for Sofia's trams, buses and metro have traditionally been bought at the kiosk by the stop. Machines and contactless payment have spread, but the machines often fail, so the kiosk remains the reliable option

   Grammar Note

   The particle "li" forms a yes-no question and always follows the verb. "Gradskiya" carries a suffixed definite article - Bulgarian attaches its articles to the end of the word

4. Трябва ми ваучер за предплатена СИМ карта

   TRYAB-va mi VA-u-cher za pred-pla-TE-na SIM KAR-ta

   I need a top-up voucher for a prepaid SIM

   Usage

   Prepaid A1, Yettel and Vivacom SIMs are topped up with a voucher bought at a kiosk: name the amount, take the slip with a code and key it in yourself. It is the quickest fix when a tourist SIM runs out

   Grammar Note

   "Tryabva mi" is impersonal: the thing needed is the subject and the person appears as the dative clitic "mi". The roles are the reverse of English "I need"

5. Може ли с карта за толкова малка сума?

   MO-zhe li s KAR-ta za TOL-ko-va MAL-ka SU-ma

   Can I pay by card for such a small amount?

   Usage

   Bulgarian kiosks and the "kvartalen magazin" - the little neighbourhood shop - still run largely on cash and often refuse cards on tiny purchases. Even where a terminal exists there is usually a minimum, so ask before buying a single bottle of water

   Grammar Note

   "Mozhe li...?" is an all-purpose request with neither subject nor main verb and covers almost anything you need at a counter. With no case endings, means is carried by the preposition "s" alone

6. Картата работи само за по-големи суми

   KAR-ta-ta ra-BO-ti SA-mo za po-go-LE-mi SU-mi

   The card only works for larger amounts

   Usage

   Said by staff. Card fees hit tiny transactions hardest, so shops set their own floor. If you hear this, pay cash or add an item to clear the limit - carrying a little cash for kiosks is simply prudent here

   Grammar Note

   Comparatives are formed with the prefix "po-" (golyam to po-golyam) and superlatives with "nay-". The -ta ending on "kartata" is the postposed definite article, a hallmark of Bulgarian

7. Нямам ресто, имате ли по-дребни?

   NYA-mam RES-to I-ma-te li po-DREB-ni

   I have no change - do you have anything smaller?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Kiosks keep little float, so a big note first thing in the morning or late at night almost always gets this reply. ATMs dispense large denominations, so locals break them during a bigger purchase

   Grammar Note

   "Nyamam" is the fused negative of "imam" (to have). Note the distinction: "resto" is the change handed back, while "drebni" means small notes and coins themselves

8. Извинявайте, имам само едра банкнота

   iz-vi-NYA-vay-te I-mam SA-mo ED-ra bank-NO-ta

   Sorry, I only have a large note

   Usage

   Declaring it first keeps things smooth: the owner may go next door for change or suggest "vzemete oshte neshto" (add something to your order). It goes down far better than silently pushing a big note across

   Grammar Note

   "Edar / edra / edro" basically means coarse or large-grained; applied to money it means a high denomination. Its opposite, "dreben", covers small notes and coins

9. Колко струва торбичката?

   KOL-ko STRU-va tor-BICH-ka-ta

   How much is the bag?

   Usage

   Bulgaria levies an environmental charge on thin carrier bags, so they always cost money and are never handed over free - most people bring their own. "Torbichka" is the diminutive of "torba" and means a carrier bag

   Grammar Note

   The diminutive suffix -ichka turns "torba" into "torbichka", and the final -ta is the definite article, giving "torbichka + ta" = the bag

10. Торбичката се плаща, искате ли?

    tor-BICH-ka-ta se PLA-shta IS-ka-te li

    The bag is charged for - do you want one?

    Usage

    Said by staff. Answer "Ne, blagodarya" (no thanks) or "Da, molya" (yes please). Bulgarians famously shake the head for yes and nod for no, so answering in words is the safe course

    Grammar Note

    The reflexive "se" does the work of an English passive, so "plashta se" means "is paid for", i.e. it costs extra. "Iskate" is the polite form addressed to "Vie"

11. Приемате ли обратно празни бутилки?

    pri-E-ma-te li o-BRAT-no PRAZ-ni bu-TIL-ki

    Do you take back empty bottles?

    Usage

    Large glass beer bottles in Bulgaria have long carried a deposit that some shops refund on return, while PET bottles and cans usually do not. A returnable bottle is called an "ambalazhna butilka" and the shelf tag says so

    Grammar Note

    Adjectives agree in number, giving the plural "prazni". With no case system, Bulgarian only asks you to match number and then follow word order

12. За стъклените бутилки връщаме депозита само с касовата бележка

    za STAK-le-ni-te bu-TIL-ki VRASH-ta-me de-PO-zi-ta SA-mo s KA-so-va-ta be-LEZH-ka

    We refund the deposit on glass bottles only with the receipt

    Usage

    Said by staff. The deposit is added at purchase and the receipt ("kasova belezhka") is what proves it. Travellers rarely make it back with the empties, so on a short trip either buy cans or write the deposit off

    Grammar Note

    The definite article attaches to the first word of the phrase, so it lands on the adjective in "staklenite butilki". "Depozita" shows the short masculine article -a used in object position

13. До колко часа може да се купува алкохол?

    do KOL-ko cha-SA MO-zhe da se ku-PU-va al-ko-HOL

    Until what time can alcohol be bought?

    Usage

    Bulgaria has no nationwide curfew on alcohol sales, so a "nonstop" shop will sell you a beer at any hour - unlike Serbia and Croatia, where sales stop at 22:00-23:00. Coastal resort municipalities do sometimes impose their own night-time limits

    Grammar Note

    "Mozhe da se + verb" is an impersonal construction with no stated agent, ideal for talking about rules. Bulgarian has no infinitive at all and always substitutes "da + present tense"

14. Не продаваме алкохол на лица под осемнайсет години

    ne pro-da-VA-me al-ko-HOL na li-TSA pod o-sem-NAY-set GO-di-ni

    We do not sell alcohol to anyone under eighteen

    Usage

    Said by staff. Bulgaria has no time restriction but is strict on age: anyone looking young will be asked for a "lichna karta" or passport. The same wording is usually posted on a sign by the window

    Grammar Note

    Negation puts "ne" before the verb. "Litse" literally means face but denotes a person in legal language. "Osemnayset" is the spoken form; written Bulgarian prefers "osemnadeset"

15. Магазинът работи ли нонстоп?

    ma-ga-ZI-nat ra-BO-ti li NON-stop

    Is the shop open around the clock?

    Usage

    "Nonstop" is written straight on the sign and means round-the-clock. Central Sofia and the main boulevards have plenty of nonstop mini shops where you can get water or a snack at any hour; neighbourhood ones close around 22:00

    Grammar Note

    The -at ending on "magazinat" is the long masculine article used in subject position; in object position it shortens to -a. Opening hours use the verb "rabotya" (to work)

16. Още нещо? Всичко е седем и двайсет

    OSH-te NE-shto VSICH-ko e SE-dem i DVAY-set

    Anything else? That's seven twenty in total

    Usage

    Said by staff. Totals are given as bare numbers - "seven and twenty" - with the currency name left off. When you are done, reply "Tova e vsichko" (that's everything)

    Grammar Note

    "Oshte" (more) plus "neshto" (something) gives "anything else". In speech the part after the decimal point is simply joined with "i" (and)

17. На рафта пишеше друга цена

    na RAF-ta PI-she-she DRU-ga tse-NA

    The shelf showed a different price

    Usage

    Small shops do not always keep shelf labels up to date, so the till price can differ from the tag. A calm mention usually gets it checked, and the same sentence works if you only notice on the receipt

    Grammar Note

    "Pisheshe" is the imperfect, describing an ongoing state - it was written there. Bulgarian is unusual among Slavic languages in preserving the distinction between imperfect and aorist

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