Bulgarian verbs change their endings depending on who’s doing the action.

This grammatical process is called verb conjugation.

Understanding how to conjugate verbs is an essential step when you start learning the language.

Bulgarian is unique because it doesn’t have an infinitive verb form.

Instead, dictionaries always list verbs in the first-person singular present tense.

I’ll show you exactly how to categorize and conjugate Bulgarian verbs in the present tense.

The three Bulgarian verb groups

Bulgarian verbs are divided into three distinct groups based on their present tense endings.

You can identify a verb’s conjugation group by looking at its third-person singular form.

This is the form used for “he”, “she”, or “it”.

Group one uses the linking vowel “е” (e).

Group two uses the linking vowel “и” (i).

Group three uses the linking vowels “а” (a) or “я” (ya).

I’ll break down the present tense rules and endings for each group below.

First conjugation: the -e verbs

The first conjugation group includes verbs that have “е” in their third-person singular form.

A very common verb in this group is чета (to read).

Notice how the root of the verb connects with the specific ending for each pronoun.

Here’s the present tense conjugation table for the first group.

In conversational Bulgarian, we often drop the personal pronoun because the verb ending makes it clear who’s doing the action.

Here’s a short example of a first group verb in a conversation.

Second conjugation: the -и verbs

The second group consists of verbs that have “и” in their third-person singular form.

An excellent example for this group is говоря (to speak).

This group is very predictable and follows a strict set of ending changes.

Here’s the present tense conjugation table for the second group.

You’ll use verbs from this group frequently when talking about languages or learning.

Here’s a short example using the verb говоря.

Third conjugation: the -а/-я verbs

The third group contains verbs that end in “а” or “я” in their third-person singular form.

This is actually the easiest conjugation group to learn.

The endings for this group simply add a consonant directly to the base vowel without changing the root.

We’ll use the verb гледам (to watch) as our example.

Here’s the present tense conjugation table for the third group.

Many common daily verbs belong to this third group.

Here’s a short conversation using the verb гледам.

Mastering Bulgarian verbs

Conjugating verbs requires a lot of repetition.

Focus your energy on memorizing the endings for the “I” form and the “You” form first.

These two forms will allow you to participate in basic conversations right away.

Once you feel comfortable, move on to mastering the rest of the personal pronouns.