PLURAL FORMS OF NOUNS – ÌÍÎÆÅÑÒÂÅÍÎ ×ÈÑËÎ ÍÀ ÑÚÙÅÑÒÂÈÒÅËÍÈÒÅ
I. Plural forms of the masculine nouns.
The endings for plural of the masculine nouns in Bulgarian depend of how many syllables the word contains.
1.Masculine nouns containing more than one syllable
The ones ending in consonant form plural by adding the ending
-è| ãàðäåðîá (garderop - wardrobe) | ãàðäåðîáè |
| ïèñàòåë (pisatel - writer) | ïèñàòåëè |
| òðîòîàð (trotoar - sidewalk) | òðîòîàðè |
The ones ending in
-à, -ÿ or -é - by replacing the ending by -è| áàùà (bashta - father) | áàùè |
| ñúäèÿ (sadiya - judge) | ñúäèè |
| áîÿäæèÿ (boyajiya - house-painter) | áîÿäæèè |
| ãåðîé (geroy - hero) | ãåðîè |
| çàâîé (zavoy - turn) | çàâîè |
| òðàìâàé (tramvay - tramway) | òðàìâàè |
When these nouns form plural, the position of the stress does not change.
2.Masculine nouns containing only one syllable form plural by adding the ending
-îâå| ãðàä (grat - city, town) | ãðàäîâå |
| ñòîë (stol - chair) | ñòîëîâå |
| áëîê (blok - block) | áëîêîâå |
When these nouns form plural, the position of the stress can change.
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II. Plural forms of feminine nouns.
1.All feminine nouns ending in vowel form plural by changing the ending -a or
-ÿ to -è.| ìàñà (masa - table) | ìàñè |
| øàïêà (shapka - hat) | øàïêè |
| ÷èíèÿ (chiniya - plate) | ÷èíèè |
| èñòîðèÿ (istoriya - history, story) | èñòîðèè |
2.Feminine nouns that end in consonant in singular form plural simply by adding -è.
| âå÷åð (vecher - evening) | âå÷åðè |
| ðàäîñò (radost - joy) | ðàäîñòè |
| ìèëîñò (milost - mercy) | ìèëîñòè |
Exceptions: ðúêà (raka - hand) - ðúöå (ratze)
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III. Plural forms of neuter nouns.
1.All neuter nouns which in singular end in
-î form plural by replacing the ending by -a.| ñåëî (selo - village) | ñåëà |
| ñúùåñòâî (sashtestvo - creature) | ñúùåñòâà |
| ïåòíî (petno - spot, stain) | ïåòíà |
| ëåãëî (leglo - bed) | ëåãëà |
When these nouns form plural, the stress falls on the last syllable.
The word äúðâî
(darvo - tree) has two forms for plural with different meaning – äúðâà (darva - firewood) and äúðâåòà (darveta - trees)The word ÷óäî (
chudo - miracle) has irregular form for plural - ÷óäåñà2.Most of the neuter nouns which in singular end in –å and the foreign words ending in -è,-ó, -þ form plural by adding the ending -òà.
| ìîðå (more - sea) | ìîðåòà |
| ìàãàðå (magare - donkey) | ìàãàðåòà |
| âðàá÷å (vrapche - sparrow) | âðàá÷åòà |
| òàêñè (taksi - taxi) | òàêñèòà |
| áèæó (bizhyu - jewel) | áèæóòà |
| ìåíþ (menyu - menu) | ìåíþòà |
When these nouns form plural, usually the position of the stress does not change.
The word íåáå
(nebå - sky) has two forms for plural with slightly different meaning – íåáåòà (nebeta - skies) and íåáåñà (nebesa - heavens).And some special cases:
4.All neuter nouns, which in singular end in -
èå or –íå form plural by replacing the ending by -èÿ.| èçðå÷åíèå (izrechenie - sentence) | èçðå÷åíèÿ |
| ñúáèòèå (sabitie - event) | ñúáèòèÿ |
| èçèñêâàíå (iziskvane - requirement) | èçèñêâàíèÿ |
| èçêàçâàíå (iskazvane - speech) | èçêàçâàíèÿ |
5.All neuter nouns which in singular end in -ìå form plural by adding the ending -íà
| âðåìå (vreme - time, weather, tense) | âðåìåíà |
| èìå (ime - name) | èìåíà |
| çíàìå (zname - flag) | çíàìåíà |
| ðà ìî (r amo - shoulder) | ðàìåíà |
The foreign words ðåíîìå
(renome - reputation) and ðåçþìe (resume) form plural regularly – by adding the ending –òà – ðåíîìåòà, ðåçþìåòà.6.Some neuter nouns ending in -o form plural by replacing the last vowel by -è. They are very rare exceptions.
| æèâîòíî (zhivotno - animal) | æèâîòíè |
| íàñåêîìî (nasekomo - insect) | íàñåêîìè |
| âëå÷óãî (vlechugo - reptile) | âëå÷óãè |
7.Some neuter nouns, which don’t end in -èå also form plural by replacing the last vowel by -ÿ.
| öâåòå (tzvete - flower) | öâåòÿ |
| ëîçå (loze - vineyard) | ëîçÿ |
8.All neuter nouns, which in singular end in – öå
or -ùå form plural by replacing the ending –e by -a| ëèöå (litze - face) | ëèöà |
| ó÷èëèùå (uchilishte - school) | ó÷èëèùà |
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IV. Important:
There are words, which have special forms for plural.| singular | plural |
| ÷îâåê (chovek - man, person) - ì.ð. | õîðà |
| äåòå (dete - child) – ñð.ð. | äåöà |
| îêî (oko - eye) – ñð.ð. | î÷è |
| óõî (uho - ear) - ñð.ð. | óøè |
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V. Bulgarian words which have only singular:
1.Some abstract words - ëþáîâ (lyubof - love), ìëàäîñò (mladost - youth), âîëÿ (volya - will) etc.
2.Some chemical substances and food - êèñëîðîä (kislorot - oxygen), âîäîðîä (vodorot - hydrogen), îðèç (oris - rice) etc.
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VI. Bulgarian words which have only plural:
î÷èëà (ochila - glasses), ïàðè* (pari - money), ôèíàíñè (finansi - finances) etc.
*Notice that unlike in English, in Bulgarian the word meaning money is always in plural!