Bulgarians are generally very hospitable people, and even if you only know how to say “hello” or “thank you”, they’ll appreciate the effort.

However, like many languages, Bulgarian has different ways to say things depending on who you are talking to. We have formal greetings (for older people or strangers) and informal greetings (for friends and family).

Understanding the difference is key to making a good first impression.

In this guide, I’ll walk you through the essential phrases you need to survive your first conversation in Bulgaria.

Saying hello in Bulgarian

The most common way to say “hello” in Bulgarian is Zdravei.

However, because Bulgarian grammar changes based on who you are speaking to, there are actually three main versions of this word.

Here is a quick breakdown:

• Zdrasti (Informal): Used with close friends, kids, or family.
• Zdravei (Standard/Informal): Used when speaking to one person.
• Zdraveite (Formal/Plural): Used when speaking to a group of people, OR when speaking politely to one person (like a teacher, a shop assistant, or an older person).

If you are ever unsure, it is safer to use Zdraveite. It shows respect.

Greetings for different times of day

Just like in English, we often greet people based on what time it is.

You will hear these phrases used constantly in shops, hotels, and on the street.

Dobar den is probably the most useful phrase in the entire language. You can use it as a standard “hello” in almost any formal situation.

Asking “how are you?”

Once you have said hello, the next natural step is to ask how the person is doing.

Again, we have a formal version and an informal version.

Informal (to a friend): Kak si?

Formal (to a stranger/group): Kak ste?

Here is a simple conversation example of how this works in real life:

Common responses to “Kak si”:

• Dobre: Good.
• Mnogo dobre: Very good.
• Gore-dolu: So-so (literally translates to “up-down”).
• Biwa: It’s okay / Not bad (very common colloquialism).

Saying goodbye

When it is time to leave, you have a few options.

The most standard, polite way to say goodbye is Dovijdane. It literally means “until seeing” (similar to au revoir in French).

However, if you walk around Sofia or Plovdiv, you will hear a much shorter word used everywhere: Chao.

Yes, we borrowed this from Italian! Chao is the most common way to say bye to friends.

Note: Only use “Leka nosht” if you are going to sleep or it is very late at night.

Being polite: please and thank you

If you want to be treated well in Bulgaria, you need to be polite. Learning these four words will take you a long way.

Thank you

We have two words for “thank you”.

1. Mersi: This is informal and borrowed from French. You will hear this everywhere in casual settings.
2. Blagodarya: This is the proper, formal Slavic word. It sounds a bit serious, but it is very beautiful. It literally means “I give a blessing/goodness”.

Please and You’re Welcome

For both “please” and “you’re welcome”, we use the same word: Molya.

If you are ordering a coffee, you say molya at the end. If someone says “thank you” to you, you reply with molya.

Excuse me

If you bump into someone on the bus or need to get past someone, you say Izvinete (formal) or Izvinyavai (informal).

A unique Bulgarian body language tip

Before you go out and practice these phrases, there is one very important thing you need to know about Bulgarian culture.

Our head gestures are backward.

In Bulgaria:

• Nodding your head up and down often means “No”.
• Shaking your head side to side often means “Yes”.

This is extremely confusing for beginners!

You might ask a shopkeeper if they have water, and they shake their head (side to side). You might walk away thinking they don’t have any, but they were actually telling you “Yes”!

Be careful with this, and try to listen to the words da (yes) and ne (no) rather than just looking at the head shake.

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Learning these basic greetings is the best way to start connecting with Bulgarian speakers.

Don’t worry if your pronunciation isn’t perfect at first. The fact that you are trying to speak Bulgarian rather than English will make people very happy.

To review, here are your top 5 must-know phrases:

1. Zdravei / Zdrasti (Hello)
2. Dobar den (Good day)
3. Kak si? (How are you?)
4. Mersi / Blagodarya (Thank you)
5. Chao / Dovijdane (Goodbye)