Bulgarian Phrases for Buying a House (with English Pronunciation and Audio)

You do not need fluent Bulgarian to buy a house in Bulgaria. You do need a few dozen phrases. They help you ask the right questions, understand the answers, and show the sellers and neighbours that you are making an effort. That goes a long way in a Bulgarian village.

This guide gives you the phrases that matter most on a viewing trip. Each one is written in Cyrillic, spelled the way it sounds to an English speaker, and translated. CAPITALS show the stressed syllable.

Hear every phrase and test yourself: try our free interactive Bulgarian practice game. Hear each phrase, pick what it means, and see the right answer spelled out after every question. No account needed.

Five things to know first

1. Bulgarian uses the Cyrillic alphabet. It is 30 letters, and about a week of practice is enough to read signs and street names. Start with the Bulgarian alphabet cards.
2. Some letters look English but are not. Р is "r", Н is "n", В is "v", С is "s". So РЕСТОРАНТ is simply restorant.
3. Nodding and shaking are often reversed. Many Bulgarians shake their head for yes and nod for no. When it matters, listen for the words: Да (dah, yes) and Не (neh, no).
4. Use the polite form with strangers. The phrases below use the polite "you", which is right for agents, sellers, officials and older neighbours.
5. Prices are now in euro. Bulgaria uses the euro (евро, EV-roh), so you will hear euro prices at viewings.

Greetings and politeness

Tip: open with Zdrah-VEY-teh even if you switch to English straight away. It sets a friendly tone.

At the viewing

These are the questions that protect your money. Ask them in Bulgarian if you can, and always get the answers confirmed in writing by your own lawyer.

Why "is the land included?" matters: in Bulgaria the house and the land it stands on can be registered separately. Never assume the garden comes with the house. See the buying process for what your lawyer should check.

Talking to neighbours about the area

Neighbours will tell you things an agent won't. A few words of Bulgarian make them far more likely to talk.

For a full list of what to check in a village, use the community and area check.

Getting around and daily life

In an emergency, call 112. It works across Bulgaria and operators can often help in English.

For pet owners

Moving with a dog or cat? The pet move planner covers the paperwork.

How to make the phrases stick

Reading a list once will not do it. What works is short, repeated practice, out loud:

• Five minutes a day for the two weeks before your trip beats one long session.
• Listen first, then say it. Our practice game plays each phrase and then shows the right answer, with its spelling and pronunciation, after every question.
• Practise the ones you get wrong. At the end of each round, replay just the phrases you missed.
• Learn five viewing questions by heart. Price, land, water, roof and winter matter more than anything else on this page.

The phonetic spellings here are a close guide for English speakers, not perfect. Listening and repeating is what gets your accent right.

Ready to try? Play the free Bulgarian phrase game now. Ten quick questions, with audio, and no sign-up needed.