FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS – РОДНИНСКИ ВРЪЗКИ
Bulgarian language has a wide variety of words, meaning different members of the family. An uncle can be чичо, вуйчо or свако, depending on what exactly your relation with him is – your mother’s or father’s brother or your aunt’s husband. In this lesson we will try to give as much explanations as possible. Note that people use all these words and you can hear them on the street of read them in a book.
1.Blood relatives – кръвни роднини
майка – mother
баща – father
родители – parents
брат – brother
сестра – sister
син – son
дъщеря – daughter
баба – grandmother
дядо – grandfather
внук – grandson
внучка – granddaughter
леля – aunt, your mother’s or father’s sister
чичо – uncle, your father’s brother
вуйчо – uncle, your mother’s brother
племенник – nephew
племенница – niece
братовчед – cousin (male)
братовчедка – cousin (female)
2.Other relatives – други роднини
съпруг – husband
съпруга – wife
In Bulgarian the people often use the words мъж (man, male person) and жена (woman) instead of съпруг и съпруга. If somebody says “моята жена” or “жена ми”, it means “my wife” or “мъжа ми” – “my husband”.
The word “мъж” in Bulgarian means only “male person”. The word for “man, as a human being” is “човек”.
uncle, your aunt’s husband*
*In the different regions of Bulgaria, different words are used
свако – mostly in the Eastern part of the country,
вуйчо – in the Central North,
чичо – quite rare,
лелинчо – in the South-West,
калеко – in the Central-West.
вуйна - aunt, the wife of your mother’s brother (вуйчо)
чинка or стринка - aunt, the wife of your father’s brother (чичо)
снаха – sister in low (your brother’s wife) as well as daughter in low (your son’s wife)
зет – brother in low (your sister’s husband) as well as son in low (your daughter’s husband)
девер – (only for a woman) - your husband’s brother
зълва – (only for a woman) - your husband’s sister
свекър – (only for a woman) - your husband’s father
свекърва – (only for a woman) - your husband’s mother
шурей – (only for a man) - your wife’s brother
балдъза – (only for a man) - your wife’s sister
тъст – (only for a man) - your wife’s father
тъща – (only for a man) - your wife’s mother
баджанак, pl. баджанаци – the husbands of two sisters
етърва, pl. етърви – the wives of two brothers
3.Other vocabulary related to the family - други думи, свързани със семейството:
кръщене – baptism
кръщавам – to baptize
кръстник – godfather
кръстница – godmother
кръщелник – godson
кръщелница – goddaughter
сватба – wedding
женя се – (only for a man) - to get married*
омъжвам се - (only for a woman) - to get married**
булка, младоженка – bride
младоженец - groom
кум – best man, witness of a wedding, male
кума – witness of a wedding, female***
*The verb женя се descends from the noun жена – woman
**The verb омъжвам се descends from the noun мъж – man
***In the Bulgarian weddings there are always two witnesses – one male and one female. They are usually a family, but it is not obligatory.
неженен, ерген – single, for a man
неомъжена – single, for a woman
женен – married, for a man
омъжена – married, for a woman
развод – divorce
развеждам се – to get divorced
разведен – divorced, for a man
разведена – divorced, for a woman
вдовец – widower
вдовица - widow