Bulgarian, a South Slavic language, features a rich set of pronouns that are essential for effective communication. Unlike English, Bulgarian pronouns change based on case (subjective, objective), gender (masculine, feminine, neuter), and number (singular, plural). This guide covers personal, possessive, demonstrative, reflexive, and interrogative pronouns, providing detailed explanations and examples for each.

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns in Bulgarian vary based on their role in the sentence and the gender and number of the noun they replace.

Subject Pronouns:

• Аз (Az) – I: “Аз отивам.” (Az otivam) – I am going.
• Ти (Ti) – You (singular, informal): “Ти идваш ли?” (Ti idvash li?) – Are you coming?
• Той/Тя/То (Toy/Tya/To) – He/She/It: “Той е тук.” (Toy e tuk) – He is here.
• Ние (Nie) – We: “Ние печелим.” (Nie pechelim) – We win.
• Вие (Vie) – You (plural or formal): “Вие разбирате ли?” (Vie razbirate li?) – Do you understand?
• Те (Te) – They: “Те заминават.” (Te zaminavat) – They are leaving.

Object Pronouns:

In Bulgarian, object pronouns usually follow the verb and agree with the gender and number of the noun they refer to.

• Мен (Men) / Ме (Me) – Me: “Той ме вижда.” (Toy me vizhda) – He sees me.
• Теб (Teb) / Те (Te) – You: “Аз те обичам.” (Az te obicham) – I love you.
• Него (Nego) / Го (Go); Нея (Neya) / Я (Ya); Него (Nego) / Го (Go) – Him/Her/It: “Тя го познава.” (Tya go pozнava) – She knows him.
• Нас (Nas) / Ни (Ni) – Us: “Те ни поканиха.” (Te ni pokaniha) – They invited us.
• Вас (Vas) / Ви (Vi) – You (plural or formal): “Той ви поздравява.” (Toy vi pozdravyava) – He greets you.
• Тях (Tyah) / Ги (Gi) – Them: “Аз ги видях.” (Az gi vidyah) – I saw them.

Possessive Pronouns

Possessive pronouns in Bulgarian indicate ownership and match the gender, number, and case of the noun they describe.

• Мой (Moy), Моя (Moya), Мое (Moe), Мои (Moi) – My: “Моят дом.” (Moyat dom) – My house.
• Твой (Tvoy), Твоя (Tvoya), Твое (Tvoe), Твои (Tvoi) – Your (singular, informal): “Твоята кола.” (Tvoyata kola) – Your car.
• Негов (Negov), Негова (Negova), Негово (Negovo), Негови (Negovi) – His: “Неговият приятел.” (Negoviyat priyatel) – His friend.
• Наш (Nash), Наша (Nasha), Наше (Nashe), Наши (Nashi) – Our: “Нашата среща.” (Nashata sreshta) – Our meeting.
• Ваш (Vash), Ваша (Vasha), Ваше (Vashe), Ваши (Vashi) – Your (plural or formal): “Вашият учител.” (Vashiyat uchitel) – Your teacher.
• Техен (Tehen), Техна (Tehna), Техно (Tehno), Техни (Tehni) – Their: “Техният апартамент.” (Tehniyat apartament) – Their apartment.

Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative pronouns in Bulgarian are used to point out specific nouns.

• Този (Tozi), Тази (Tazi), Това (Tova), Тези (Tezi) – This/These: “Този човек.” (Tozi chovek) – This man.
• Онзи (Onzi), Онази (Onazi), Онова (Onova), Ония (Oniya) – That/Those: “Онзи ден.” (Onzi den) – That day.

Reflexive Pronouns

Reflexive pronouns in Bulgarian are used when the subject and object of the verb are the same.

• Себе си (Sebe si) – Myself/Yourself/Himself/Herself/Itself/Ourselves/Yourselves/Themselves: “Той се гледа в огледалото.” (Toy se gleda v ogledaloto) – He looks at himself in the mirror.

Interrogative Pronouns

Interrogative pronouns are used to ask questions about people, places, or things.

• Кой (Koy), Коя (Koya), Кое (Koe), Кои (Koi) – Who/Which: “Коя е твоята книга?” (Koya e tvoyata kniga?) – Which is your book?
• Какъв (Kakav), Каква (Kakva), Какво (Kakvo), Какви (Kakvi) – What kind of: “Какъв цвят предпочиташ?” (Kakav tsvyat predpochitash?) – What color do you prefer?
• Къде (Kade) – Where: “Къде живееш?” (Kade zhiveesh?) – Where do you live?

Understanding and using these pronouns correctly will significantly enhance your ability to communicate effectively in Bulgarian. Practice forming sentences with each type of pronoun, and try to engage in conversations to apply these concepts actively. Remember, the context and the grammatical gender and number of the noun are crucial in choosing the correct pronoun form in Bulgarian.