THE SYSTEM OF THE BULGARIAN TENSES - СИСТЕМАТА НА БЪЛГАРСКИТЕ ГЛАГОЛНИ ВРЕМЕНА - part 1

In Bulgarian there are 9 tenses - in English there are 16! This is the good news :-)

The bas news is that obviously there is no direct correspondence between English and Bulgarian tenses. Sometimes different English tenses can be translated with the same Bulgarian tense and vice versa.

That's why it is important to understand the idea of every tense and the rules of it's use.

I. To start with - Present tense - Сегашно време.

The present tense in Bulgarian (сегашно време) is used to express an action or a condition in the present moment:

Пиша - I write, I'm writing, I've been writing

Спя - I sleep, I'm sleeping, I've been sleeping

Comparison with English:

There's only one present tense in Bulgarian. In English there are four:

Both present simple (I write) and present continuous (I'm writing) tenses are translated in Bulgarian with сегашно време (present) - пиша.

The difference between the meaning of the two tenses in English can not be expressed in Bulgarian by the verbal form. This can only happen if we add more details.

I write (present simple) - Пиша (сегашно време) - Аз умея да пиша. (I know how to write.) or Пиша за вестник "24 часа" - журналист съм. (I write for "24 hours" newspaper - I'm a journalist.)

I'm writing (present continuous) - Пиша  (сегашно врeме) - В момента пиша писмо (I'm writing a letter at the moment).

Although it is called a present tense, it expresses actions that have completed in the past, but have a connection with the present.

I've received the fax (present perfect tense) - Получил съм факса (минало неопределено време).

But sometimes it is also translated with сегашно време (present) in Bulgarian - in phrases of the type:

I've known him for 10 years - Познавам го от 10 години. (The verb познавам (to know) is in present).

The idea is that although the action started in the past (10 years ago), it is not yet completed and extends in the present (I still know him).

Present perfect continuous tense is also usually translated in Bulgarian with сегашно време (present).

I've been working for this company for three years - Работя за тази компания от 3 години.

I've been living in Sofia since 1992. - Живея в София от 1992 година.

The same idea - the action started in the past (3 years ago or in 1992), but it is not yet completed and extends in the present (I still work for the company and live in Sofia).

I've been sleeping all day long. - Спя цял ден.

As long as the day is not finished, the action can be considered present.

To summarize:

Other uses of Bulgarian present tense (сегашно време):

1.The present tense is used also to express a near future

Идвам след пет минути - I'm coming in 5 min.

or a future action which is certain.

Заминавам за Лондон другия месец - I'm leaving for London next month.

In English this is translated with present continuous tense. The idea of using present tense in these two cases - like in English - that the future action is forthcoming and so close to the present moment - in the first case - or 100% certain and irrevocable - in the second case - that it can be expressed by a verb in present.

2. Another very common use of the present tense in Bulgarian is the so called Present historical tense. To express a past action in a historical context in Bulgarian we use сегашно време.

България приема християнството през 864 година - Bulgaria adopts Christianity in 864.

Българската армия побеждава кръстоносците в битката при Клокотница през 1230 година. - The Bulgarian army defeats the Crusaders in the battle of Klokotnitza in 1230. 

This use is common in the history books, encyclopedias and all kind of books of reference.

To learn how to form present tense in Bulgarian - go to Present tense of Bulgarian verbs

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