Basic phrases
- Здравейте! (Zdravéyte) – formal “hello”; Здрасти! (Zdrásti) – between friends
- Благодаря (Blagodaryá) – polite “thank you”; Мерси (Mersí) – equally common, borrowed from French
- Моля (Mólya) – “please”, “here you are” and “what did you say?” all in one
- Да / Не (Da / Ne, yes / no) – remember that the head does the opposite
- Колко струва? (Kólko struva, how much is it?) – now in euros
- Наздраве! (Nazdráve, cheers!) – with eye contact, otherwise seven years of bad luck (not official, but nobody takes the risk)
- Добър апетит! (Dóbar apetít, bon appétit) – before a meal; Да ви е сладко! (Da vi e sládko, “may it be sweet for you”) – even warmer
- Извинете (Izvinéte) – “excuse me”, for everything
- Не разбирам (Ne razbíram, I don't understand) – say it with a smile, so that they explain with gestures
Numbers
едно, две, три, четири, пет, шест, седем, осем, девет, десет (one to ten). After that it gets easy: единайсет (eleven, “one-on-ten”), двайсет (twenty, “two tens”).
Etiquette
- When visiting, always bring something – flowers, wine, chocolates. Flowers come in an odd number. An even number is for cemeteries.
- Shoes are often taken off at the door. Your hosts will give you slippers, which are probably older than you are.
- If you are offered rakia at 10 in the morning, it is not a sign of alcoholism but of hospitality. Refusing is an insult. Sip slowly.
Between us
The most important word is “айде” (áyde). It means “come on”, “goodbye”, “please”, “enough already” and “all right then, I agree”. If you learn only that one, you will understand about 30% of conversations.