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Unit 5 · Hear stress and the vowel ъ · Meet

Hear stress and the vowel ъ

Compare the sounds before learning their spellings.

About this unit

Train your ear before you meet the letters. Every Bulgarian word has one strong syllable, and ъ is a full vowel of its own.

  • strong first syllable: MA-ma
    ма́ма · mum
  • strong last syllable: ka-FE
    кафе́ · coffee
  • open a, as in “father”
    мак · poppy
  • relaxed vowel, like u in “but”
    път · road / way

Ъ is neither а nor е: the mouth stays relaxed in the middle. These symbols return in the listening games.

Reading practice

Find the strong syllable

Listen and choose the stressed syllable, counting from the beginning.

Clip 1

Find the strong syllable

Listen and choose the stressed syllable, counting from the beginning.

Clip 1

Listen before looking

Are these two clips the same or different?

Clip 1
Clip 2

Listen before looking

Are these two clips the same or different?

Clip 1
Clip 2

Finish practice to save this unit.

You can read and write this

Compare the sounds before learning their spellings.

Next unit
Use a Bulgarian keyboard

Bulgarian has a standard BDS layout and widely used phonetic layouts. Either is optional: the guided course has on-screen tiles. Keep ъ and ь separate. Teaching acute accents may be omitted in input; the grave in ѝ belongs to the word and is not a removable stress hint.

All letters

А а
i

a

К кIn ка
i

ka

М мIn ма
i

ma

О о
i

o

Т тIn та
i

ta

В вIn ва
i

va. В is v, not Latin B.

Н нIn на
i

na. Н is n, not Latin H.

Р рIn ра
i

ra. Р is r, not Latin P.

С сIn са
i

sa. С is s, not a Latin c reading.

У у
i

u. У is u, not Latin y.

Х хIn ха
i

kha. Х is a friction sound, as in German Bach.

Е е
i

e. Bulgarian е is e, without a general word-initial ye rule.

Б бIn ба
i

ba

Г гIn га
i

ga

Д дIn да
i

da

Л лIn ла
i

la

П пIn па
i

pa

З зIn за
i

za

Ж жIn жа
i

zha

Ш шIn ша
i

sha

И и
i

i

Й й
i

y. Й is a consonant, not an extra vowel syllable.

Ф фIn фа
i

fa

Ю юyu; softens the consonant
i

yu. Initially ю is yu; after a consonant it indicates softness plus u.

Я яya; softens the consonant
i

ya. Initially я is ya; after a consonant it indicates softness plus a.

Ъ ъrelaxed vowel, like u in “but”
i

ǎ / ɤ. A real vowel, often stressed. Never treat it as a Russian hard sign.

Ч чIn ча
i

cha

Ц цIn ца
i

tsa

Щ щIn ща
i

shta. Щ is sh + t in Bulgarian, not the Russian щ sound.

Ь ьno sound; softens before оIn ер малък
i

soft sign (name). Ь has no sound of its own and occurs before о in this pattern.