THE IMPERSONAL FORMS "ÈÌÀ" AND “ÍßÌÀ” – ÁÅÇËÈ×ÍÈÒÅ ÔÎÐÌÈ “ÈÌÀ” È “ÍßÌÀ”

 

The Bulgarian verb “èìàì” means “to have”

àç èìàì I have
òè èìàø you have
òîé èìà he has
òÿ èìà she has
òî èìà he/she/it has
   
íèå èìàìå we have
âèå èìàòå you have
òå èìàò they have

The form for 3rd person singular “èìà” is used in Bulgarian as an impersonal form with the following two meanings in English:

there is

there are

Examples:

Èìà êíèãà íà ìàñàòà.

There is a book on the table.

Èìà ìíîãî äúðâåòà â ãîðàòà.

There are many trees in the forest.

Remember that to form the negative of a verb you need to put the negative article “íå” between the subject pronoun (or the noun) and the verb.

For example:

òîé èñêà… he wants…
òîé íå èñêà… he doesn't want…
òÿ å… she is…
òÿ íå å… she isn't…

The negative of the verb “èìàì” is not formed this way. There is a verb in Bulgarian meaning “to do not have” – the verb “íÿìàì”.

àç íÿìàì I don’t have any
òè íÿìàø you don’t have any
òîé íÿìà he doesn’t have any
òÿ íÿìà she doesn’t have any
òîé íÿìà it doesn’t have any
   
íèå íÿìàìå we don’t have any
âèå íÿìàòå you don’t have any
òå íÿìàò they don’t have any

The form for 3rd person singular “íÿìà” is used in Bulgarian as an impersonal form with the following meanings in English:

there isn't any,

there is no,

there are not any,

there are no, etc.

Examples:

Íÿìà õèìèêàë â ÷àíòàòà.

There isn’t a pen in the bag.

Íÿìà íèùî íà ìàñàòà.

There is nothing on the table.

Íÿìà íèêîãî ó äîìà.

There is nobody home.

Íÿìà (íèêàêâè) õîðà íà óëèöàòà.

There aren’t any people on the street.

 

The impersonal form íÿìà is used also for forming the negative form in the future tense of the Bulgarian verbs.

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