View source for Bulgarian nouns

'''Bulgarian nouns''' have the [[grammatical category|categories]]: [[grammatical gender]], [[grammatical number|number]], [[grammatical case|case]] (only [[vocative]]) and [[definite article|definiteness]]. A noun has one of three specific grammatical genders (masculine, feminine, neuter) and two numbers (singular and plural), with cardinal numbers and some adverbs, masculine nouns use a separate count form. Definiteness is expressed by a [[definite article]] which is postfixed to the noun.

==Noun formation==
[[Noun]]s can be formed from other words by means of [[Affix|suffixes]]. Some important suffixes that are used to form nouns are:
*-'''ар''' for male people (риб'''ар'''&nbsp;– fisher, книж'''ар'''&nbsp;– bookseller, бръсн'''ар'''&nbsp;– barber);
*-'''ач''' for male people (нос'''ач'''&nbsp;– carrier, купув'''ач'''&nbsp;– buyer, продав'''ач'''&nbsp;– seller);
*-'''тел''' for male people (учи'''тел'''&nbsp;– teacher, роди'''тел'''&nbsp;– parent, строи'''тел'''&nbsp;– builder);
*-'''ин''' for male people (българ'''ин'''&nbsp;– a Bulgarian, граждан'''ин'''&nbsp;– citizen, селян'''ин'''&nbsp;– villager);
*-'''ик''' for male people (виновн'''ик'''&nbsp;– culprit, измен'''ик'''&nbsp;– betrayer, доверен'''ик'''&nbsp;– agent);
*-'''ец''' for male people (лет'''ец'''&nbsp;– flier, хубав'''ец'''&nbsp;– handsome man, планин'''ец'''&nbsp;– mountaineer);
*-'''ица''' for:
** female people (цар'''ица'''&nbsp;– queen, пев'''ица'''&nbsp;– singer, хубав'''ица'''&nbsp;– belle);
** female animals (лъв'''ица'''&nbsp;– lioness, слон'''ица'''&nbsp;– elephantess, магар'''ица'''&nbsp;– jennet);
** feminine [[diminutives]] (вод'''ица'''&nbsp;– water, глав'''ица'''&nbsp;– head, сестр'''ица'''&nbsp;– sister);
** feminine objects (нож'''ица'''&nbsp;– scissors, вил'''ица'''&nbsp;– fork, солн'''ица'''&nbsp;– saltern);
** products for eating and drinking (лютен'''ица'''&nbsp;– pepper puree, наден'''ица'''&nbsp;– sausage, сливов'''ица'''&nbsp;– plum-brandy);
*-'''ка''' for:
** female people (учител'''ка'''&nbsp;– female teacher, лекар'''ка'''&nbsp;– female doctor, студент'''ка'''&nbsp;– female university student);
** feminine diminutives (градин'''ка'''&nbsp;– garden, картин'''ка'''&nbsp;– picture, калин'''ка'''&nbsp;– ladybird);
*-'''ник''' for:
** objects (хладил'''ник'''&nbsp;– refrigerator, чай'''ник'''&nbsp;– teapot, кал'''ник'''&nbsp;– mud-guard);
** places with certain purpose (рибар'''ник'''&nbsp;– breeding-pond, руд'''ник'''&nbsp;– colliery);
*-'''иня''' for female people (бог'''иня'''&nbsp;– goddess, борк'''иня'''&nbsp;– woman fighter, немк'''иня'''&nbsp;– a German woman/girl);
*-'''алня''' for places with certain purpose (чит'''алня'''&nbsp;– reading-room, съблек'''алня'''&nbsp;– changing-room);
*-'''ище''' for:
** places where something is done (учил'''ище'''&nbsp;– school, читал'''ище'''&nbsp;– library club, игр'''ище'''&nbsp;– playground);
** [[augmentative]]s (мъж'''ище''', жен'''ище''', дет'''ище''');
*-'''ница''' for places where something is done (бръснар'''ница'''&nbsp;– barber's, млекар'''ница'''&nbsp;– milk shop);
*-'''ство''' for:
** places where a department is located (издател'''ство'''&nbsp;– publishing house, посол'''ство'''&nbsp;– embassy);
** the names of certain activities (тъкаче'''ство'''&nbsp;– weaving, шиваче'''ство'''&nbsp;– needlecraft);
** the names of certain qualities (удоб'''ство'''&nbsp;– convenience, нехай'''ство'''&nbsp;– carelessness);
** collective nouns (войн'''ство'''&nbsp;– army, студент'''ство'''&nbsp;– students);
*-'''а''' for the names of some actions (просвет'''а'''&nbsp;– education, прояв'''а'''&nbsp;– act/deed);
*-'''ба''' for the names of some actions (бор'''ба'''&nbsp;– fight, мол'''ба'''&nbsp;– request);
*-'''ние''' for the names of some action (уче'''ние'''&nbsp;– teaching, писа'''ние'''&nbsp;– writing);
*-'''ина''' for the names of abstract qualities (топл'''ина'''&nbsp;– warmth, бърз'''ина'''&nbsp;– quickness);
*-'''еж''' for the names of some actions (стро'''еж'''&nbsp;– building, стрем'''еж'''&nbsp;– striving);
*-'''итба''' for the names of some actions (се'''итба'''&nbsp;– sowing, кос'''итба'''&nbsp;– mowing);
*-'''не''' for the names of some actions (чете'''не'''&nbsp;– reading, писа'''не'''&nbsp;– writing);
*-'''ост''' for the names of abstract qualities (млад'''ост'''&nbsp;– youth, твърд'''ост'''&nbsp;– hardness);
*-'''ие''' for abstract nouns (съглас'''ие''' – agreement, усил'''ие'''&nbsp;– effort);
*-'''е''' for masculine diminutives (стол'''е'''&nbsp;– small chair, пръст'''е'''&nbsp;– small finger);
*-'''ота''' for the names of abstract qualities (топл'''ота''' – warmth, крас'''ота'''&nbsp;– beauty);
*-'''ле''' for masculine diminutives (нос'''ле'''&nbsp;– small nose, вратле&nbsp;— neck);
*-'''че''' for masculine diminutives (брат'''че'''&nbsp;– brother, стол'''че'''&nbsp;– small chair);
*-'''ичка''' for feminine diminutives (вод'''ичка'''&nbsp;— water, глав'''ичка'''&nbsp;– small head);
*-'''це''' for neuter diminutives (крил'''це'''&nbsp;– small wing, сел'''це'''&nbsp;– small village);

==Gender==
In Bulgarian nouns have three [[Grammatical gender|genders]]: [[Grammatical gender|masculine, feminine and neuter]]. The gender is an inherent characteristic of every noun. This means that each noun is masculine, feminine or neuter. Only nouns referring to people or animals can change their gender. In most cases the gender of the noun can be determined according to its ending, but there aren't any strict rules. Masculines are all the nouns which refer to male people or animals, and many more.

{|class="wikitable"
!colspan="4"|Noun endings
|-
!Gender
!colspan="2"|Ending
!Examples
|-
! rowspan="6" | Masculine
|colspan="2"| a [[consonant]] (most of the nouns)
| мъ'''ж''', гра'''д''', бра'''т'''
|-
| rowspan="5" |a [[vowel]] (in some special cases)
|'''а''' (when the noun refers to a male person)
| бащ'''а''', войвод'''а'''
|-
| '''я''' (when the noun refers to a male person)
| съди'''я''', бояджи'''я'''
|-
| '''о''' (when the noun refers to a male person)
| татк'''о''', дяд'''о''', чич'''о'''
|-
| '''е''' (when the noun refers to a male person)
| аташ'''е'''
|-
| '''и''' (the names of most months)
| януар'''и''', февруар'''и''', юн'''и''', юл'''и''', септемвр'''и''', октомвр'''и''', ноемвр'''и''', декемвр'''и'''
|-
! rowspan="3" |Feminine
| rowspan="2" |a [[vowel]] (most of the nouns)
|'''а'''
| жен'''а''', вод'''а''', родин'''а'''
|-
| '''я'''
| зем'''я''', ста'''я''', иде'''я'''
|-
|colspan="2"| a [[consonant]] – usually ending in –'''ст''' and –'''щ''', but also others
| стра'''ст''' (passion), пропа'''ст''' (ravine), съве'''ст''' (conscience), младо'''ст''' (youth), добле'''ст''' (valour); но'''щ''' (night), пе'''щ''' (furnace), помо'''щ''' (help), све'''щ''' (candle); це'''в''' (gun barrel), скръ'''б''' (sorrow), гибе'''л''' (doom), це'''л''' (aim), вече'''р''' (evening), проле'''т''' (spring),  смър'''т''' (death), любо'''в''' (love)
|-
! rowspan="3" |Neuter
| rowspan="3" |always a [[vowel]]
|'''о'''
| сел'''о''', дърв'''о'''
|-
| '''е'''
| дет'''е''', мор'''е'''
|-
| '''и''', '''у''', '''ю''' ([[loanwords]])
| такс'''и''', биж'''у''', мен'''ю'''
|}
Masculine nowns that end in -а/-я (usually feminine) or -о/-е/-и (usually neuter), however, still take respectively feminine or neuter forms of the definite article.

Nouns referring to people or animals can change their gender (from masculine to feminine) by
adding the suffixes: -'''ка''', -'''ица''', -'''а''', -'''иня''':
: учител&nbsp;— учител'''ка'''
: цар&nbsp;— цар'''ица'''
: лъв&nbsp;— лъв'''ица'''
: дебелан&nbsp;— дебелан'''а'''
: бог&nbsp;— бог'''иня'''
The gender of nouns that have no [[Grammatical number|singular]] form can't be determined: ''финанси, очила, обуща''.

Some nouns have changed gender with time, for example the feminine ''vecher'' (evening&nbsp;— it retains its masculine character in the phrase ''dobur vecher'' – good evening), or ''var'' (lime).<ref>''Gramatikata na bulgarskiya knizhoven ezik (The Grammar of Literary Bulgarian)'', St. Stoyanov, Nauka i izkustvo, Sofia, 1964, p.192.</ref> Some words, in spoken Bulgarian at least, can take either gender, e.g. ''domat/domata'' (tomato&nbsp;— masc/fem) or ''sandal/sandala'' (sandal);<ref>In these two particular cases, the masculine is the official dictionary term; the feminine, while rare, can sometimes be heard, but this usage is frowned upon by purists.</ref> some can take either gender with slight variations in meaning, e.g. ''gaz'' (gas) or ''prah'' (dust);<ref>''gaz; prah''&nbsp;– e.g. masculine in a scientific context and feminine in a household context, although this is not necessarily a set rule.</ref> while others, usually for etymological reasons, can have completely different meanings&nbsp;– e.g. ''med'' means "honey" in the masculine, and "copper" in the feminine, or ''prust'', meaning  finger (masc), or soil (fem).

==Number==
A noun has [[Grammatical number|singular]] (единствено) and [[Grammatical number|plural]] (множествено) number (число). Unlike in English, where almost all nouns add -'''s''' in the plural, in Bulgarian there are many endings and despite the rules listed below one cannot be absolutely sure which ending to use with which noun. Besides, when forming the plural some nouns alter additionally. That is why a noun should always be learnt together with its plural form. Generally if the noun ends in a vowel, it is removed before adding the plural suffix. Sometimes the stress changes position.

{|class="wikitable"
!colspan="5"|Plural endings
|-
! Gender
! Ending
! Examples
! Additional alterations
! Examples
|-
!rowspan="20"| Masculine
!align="center", rowspan="7"| '''и'''
(most of the nouns having two or more [[syllable]]s and a few [[monosyllabic]] nouns)
|rowspan="7"| наро̀д—наро̀д'''и'''
баща̀—бащ'''ѝ'''

съдия̀—съд'''ѝи'''

геро̀й—геро̀'''и'''

зъб—зъ̀б'''и'''

лъч—лъч'''ѝ'''

го̀ст—го̀ст'''и'''
| A change from the [[Velar consonant|velar]] [[consonant]]s '''к, г, х''', which are exactly before the ending -'''и''', to '''ц, з, с''' respectively This change does not occur with [[loanwords]] ending in -'''нг''' (-'''ng''')
| езѝ'''к'''—езѝ'''ци''', по̀дло'''г'''—по̀дло'''зи''', кожу̀'''х'''—кожу̀'''си'''; loanwords: мѝтинг—мѝтинг'''и''' (meeting), ло̀зунг—ло̀зунг'''и''' (Losung)
|-
| Losing the sound '''е''' in the final part of the word
| чужден'''ѐ'''ц—чужде'''нц'''ѝ
|-
| Losing the sound '''ъ''' in the final part of the word. This happens almost always and not only when adding '''и'''
| теа̀т'''ъ'''р—теа̀'''тр'''и; exception: пода̀р'''ъ'''к—пода̀р'''ъ'''ци
|-
| Losing the sound '''е''' in the final part of the word and inserting '''ъ''' before '''л''', or '''р'''
| бегл'''ѐ'''ц—бег'''ълц'''ѝ
|-
| Losing the suffix -'''ин'''
| бъ̀лгар'''ин'''—бъ̀лгар'''и'''
|-
| A change from '''е''' (when it is after a vowel) to '''й'''
| бо'''ѐ'''ц—бо'''й'''цѝ
|-
| A combination of the above alterations, for example losing the sound '''ъ''' in the final part of the word and a change from '''к''' to '''ц'''
| мо̀м'''ък'''—мо'''мц'''и
|-
!align="center", rowspan="5"| '''ове'''
(most of the [[monosyllabic]] nouns and a few [[disyllabic]] nouns)
|rowspan="5"| град—град'''овè'''
стол—стол'''òве'''

блок—блок'''òве'''

вятър—ветр'''овè'''
| A change of the [[Stress (linguistics)|stress]] position
| гр'''à'''д—градов'''è''', ст'''ò'''л—стол'''ò'''ве
|-
| A change from '''я''' to '''е''' ([[apophony]])
| бр'''я'''г—бр'''е'''говè
|-
| [[Metathesis (linguistics)|Metathesis]] of '''ъ''' in the letter group '''ръ'''
| в'''ръ'''х—в'''ър'''ховè
|-
| [[Palatalization (phonetics)|Palatalization]] of the preceding consonant, indicated by the letter '''ь'''
| зет—зèт'''ь'''ове
|-
| A combination of the above alterations
| в'''я'''т'''ъ'''р—в'''етр'''овè (a change from '''я''' to '''е''', and losing '''ъ''' in the final part of the word), ог'''ъ'''н—о'''гнь'''òве (palatalization of the preceding consonant and losing '''ъ''' in the final part of the word)
|-
!align="center"| '''еве'''
(most [[monosyllabic]] nouns ending in '''й''')
| бро'''й''' – бро'''евè'''
|align="center"|&nbsp;—
|align="center"|&nbsp;—
|-
!align="center"| '''е'''
(only a few nouns)
|мъж—мъж'''è'''
кòн—кон'''è'''
| The [[Stress (linguistics)|stress]] always falls on the last [[syllable]]
| крàл—крал'''è''', княз—княз'''è''', цàр—цар'''è'''
|-
!align="center", rowspan="2"| '''а'''
(only a few nouns)
|rowspan=2|крàк—крак'''à'''
рòг—рог'''à'''
|The [[Stress (linguistics)|stress]] always falls on the last [[syllable]]
| лист—лист'''à'''
|-
| Losing the suffix -'''ин'''
| господ'''ин'''—господ'''à'''
|-
!align="center"| '''я'''
(only one noun)
| брат—брàт'''я'''
|align="center"|&nbsp;—
|align="center"|&nbsp;—
|-
!align="center"| '''ища'''
(only a few nouns)
|път—път'''ища'''
край—крà'''ища'''

сън—сън'''ища'''
|align="center"|&nbsp;—
|align="center"|&nbsp;—
|-
!align="center"| '''чета'''
(some [[diminutive]]s formed with the suffix -'''ец''')
| град'''че'''—град'''чета'''
|align="center"|&nbsp;—
|align="center"|&nbsp;—
|-
!align="center"| '''овци'''
(nouns referring to people)
| чичо—чич'''овци'''
дядо—дяд'''овци'''

мързелан—мързелан'''овци'''
|align="center"|&nbsp;—
|align="center"|&nbsp;—
|-
!rowspan="4"| Feminine
!align="center", rowspan="3"| '''и'''
(almost all nouns)
|rowspan="3"|жена—жен'''и'''
цел—цел'''и'''

стая—ста'''и'''

вест—вест'''и'''

стойност—стойност'''и'''
| A change from '''я''' to '''е''' ([[apophony]])
| в'''я'''ра—в'''е'''ри
|-
| Losing '''е''' and '''ъ''' in the final part of the word
| пес'''е'''н—пе'''сн'''и, мис'''ъ'''л—ми'''сл'''и
|-
| [[Metathesis (linguistics)|Metathesis]] of '''ъ''' in the letter group '''ръ'''
| к'''ръ'''в—к'''ър'''ви
|-
!align="center"|'''е'''
(only the following nouns)
| овца—овц'''е'''
свиня—свин'''е'''
| A change from the [[Velar consonant|velar]] [[consonant]]s '''к''' and '''г''' to '''ц''' and '''з''' respectively
| ръ'''к'''а—ръ'''ц'''е, но'''г'''а—но'''з'''е
|-
!rowspan="8"| Neuter
!align="center", rowspan="2"| '''а'''
(nouns, ending in -'''о''', -'''це''', -'''щe''')
|rowspan="2"|дърво—дърв'''а'''
петънце—петънц'''а'''

училище—училищ'''а'''
| A change of the [[Stress (linguistics)|stress]] position
| с'''è'''ло—сел'''à'''
|-
| A change from '''я''' to '''е''' ([[apophony]])
|т'''я̀'''ло—т'''е'''лà
|-
!align="center"| '''та'''
(nouns ending in -'''ле''', -'''е''', -'''че''', and [[loanwords]] ending in -'''у''', -'''ю''', -'''и''')
| носле—носле'''та'''
море—море'''та'''

братче—братче'''та'''

бижу—бижу'''та'''

меню—меню'''та'''

такси—такси'''та'''
|align="center"|&nbsp;—
|align="center"|&nbsp;—
|-
!align="center"| '''я'''
(nouns ending in -'''ие''' and a few more)
|изключение—изключени'''я'''
допълнение—допълнени'''я'''
| A change of the [[Stress (linguistics)|stress]] position
| цв'''è'''те—цвет'''я̀''', л'''о̀'''зе—лоз'''я̀'''
|-
!align="center"| '''на'''
(only a few nouns ending in -'''ме''')
| ѝме—име'''на̀'''
врѐме—време'''на̀'''
|The [[Stress (linguistics)|stress]] always falls on the last [[syllable]]
|зна̀ме—знаме'''на̀''', плѐме—племе'''на̀'''
|-
!align="center", rowspan="2"|'''са'''
(very few nouns)
|rowspan="2"| чу̀до—чуде'''са̀'''
небѐ—небе'''са̀'''
| A change of the final '''о''' into '''е'''
| чу̀д'''о'''—чуд'''е'''са̀
|-
| The [[Stress (linguistics)|stress]] always falls on the last [[syllable]]
| неб'''ѐ'''—небес'''а̀'''
|-
!align="center"| '''и'''
(not a large amount of nouns, ending in -'''о''')
| живо̀тно—живо̀тн'''и'''
насеко̀мо—насеко̀м'''и'''
| A change from the [[Velar consonant|velar]] [[consonant]]s '''к''' and '''х''' to '''ч''' and '''ш''' respectively
| о'''к'''о̀—о'''ч'''ѝ, у'''х'''о̀-у'''ш'''ѝ
|}

===Count form===
{{See also|Bulgarian grammar#Remnant of the dual}}

Masculine [[noun]]s which end in a [[consonant]] have an additional, specialized plural. This form is called the count form or numerical form (бройна форма&nbsp;— broyna forma), and is used only after [[cardinal number (linguistics)|cardinal number]]s and the [[adverb]]s ''колко'' (how many), ''толкова'' (this/that/so many), ''няколко'' (several/a few/some): ''пет / колко / толкова / няколко молив'''а''''' versus ''тези молив'''и'''''. An exception to this occurs in some ''exclamations'' following ''колко'', when the ordinary plural is used and the inferred meaning is "what a large amount of!": e.g. ''колко кон'''я'''?'' (''kolko kon'''ya'''?'' "how many horses?" – numeric plural), but ''колко кон'''е'''!'' (''kolko kon'''e'''!'' – ordinary plural, implying "look at all those horses!").

The count form is created with the endings -'''а''' and -'''я''', and—unlike the usual plural—without any additional changes (no loss of the sounds -'''ъ''' and -'''е''', no change of consonants, etc.), except for the moving of stress (it never falls on the last syllable, so if it is on the last syllable in the singular, it will move to the penultimate in the count form), and [[Metathesis (linguistics)|metathesis]] of '''ъ''' in the letter group '''ръ'''.

There are also a handful of [[Grammatical gender|neuter]] nouns for parts of the body which also take a count form&nbsp;– ''ramo (shoulder) → ramene / 2 ramena''; ''kolyano (knee) → kolene / 2 kolena''.

{|class="wikitable"
!colspan="2"|Count form endings
|-
! Ending
! Examples
|-
!'''а'''
(most nouns)
|наро̀д—наро̀д'''а'''
съ̀д—съ̀д'''а'''

теа̀тър—теа̀тър'''а'''

лѝтър—лѝтр'''а'''/лѝтър'''а'''*

мѐтър—мѐтр'''а'''/мѐтър'''а'''*

дѐн—дѐн'''а'''/днѝ**

езѝк—езѝк'''а'''

бря̀г—бря̀г'''а'''

в''ръ''х—в''ър''х'''а'''
|-
!'''я'''
(nouns ending in й, тел, ар, and a few more)
|змѐ'''й'''—змѐ'''я'''
двига̀'''тел'''—двига̀тел'''я'''

лѐк'''ар'''—лѐкар'''я'''

пъ̀т-пъ̀т'''я'''/пъти*

ко̀н—ко̀н'''я'''

зѐт—зет'''я'''

кра̀л-кра̀л'''я'''

ца̀р-цàр'''я'''
|}

'''*''' Some nouns have different count forms according to their meaning.  When "литър" (litre) and "метър" (metre) mean measures of volume and length, their count form is "литра" and "метра" respectively. But when "метър" means "meter" (a device that measures and records the amount of electricity, gas, water, etc.) its count form is "метъра". The case is the same with "път": път ("road") – пътя and път ("time", "occasion", "instance") – пъти. The nouns "литър" and "метър" are the only ones that lose the "ъ" in their count forms.

'''**''' The usual plural form of the noun "ден" (day) is "дни" and its count form is "дена". "Дни" can be used instead of "дена", but not vice versa. The combinations of words ''два дни'' and ''два дена'' are both correct, but the sentence ''Зимните дена са студени'' (Winter days are cold) is incorrect. The usual form must be used, not the count one – ''Зимните '''дни''' са студени.''

The count form is avoided with nouns denoting persons and in such cases the usual plural form is much more preferred (''колко ученици'' – how many students, ''осем ученици''&nbsp;— eight students).

The usual form is also used after masculine numbers (in Bulgarian some cardinal numbers have gender), ending in -'''ма''' (these forms of the numbers are used only with male persons, not with other masculine nouns denoting inanimate objects) – ''два'''ма''' ученици'' (two students), ''пети'''ма''' ученици'' (five students).

===Irregular and variant forms===
Some nouns have irregular plural forms:
* човек/čovek (person)&nbsp;— хора/hora (people)&nbsp;— души/duši (people&nbsp;— numerical form) <ref>Differentiate between ''dùši'' – people, and ''duší'' – souls (from ''dušá'')</ref>
* дете/dete (child)&nbsp;— деца/deca (children)

Some neuter nouns have two or more plural forms (most of them with no difference in meaning). For example: ''кълбо&nbsp;— кълба and кълбета, крило&nbsp;— крила and криле, рамо&nbsp;— рамена and рамене, коляно&nbsp;— колена and колене, море&nbsp;— морета and моря, дърво&nbsp;— дървета, дърва and дървеса, четене&nbsp;— четения and четенета''. Some plural forms have different meanings: ''дърва'' – fuel wood, ''дървета'' – trees; some are used in specific contexts: the variants ''моря'' (from ''море''), ''поля'' (from ''поле'') are found only in poetry.

In Bulgarian, there are some nouns that are only found in the singular, and they are uncountable. This category includes some abstract nouns (''материализъм'' – materialism, ''сигурност'' – security, любов&nbsp;— love); some collective nouns (''студентство'' – students); and chemical elements and some other substances (''водород'' – hydrogen, ''въглерод'' – carbon, ''грис'' – semolina, ''ориз'' – rice). There are also words which have only plural forms. These are nouns referring to objects composed of two identical parts (''очила'' – glasses, ''ножици'' – scissors), and some concepts and objects consisting of many elements (''въглища'' – coal, ''финанси'' – finances, ''пари'' – money).

==Definiteness==
In Bulgarian, nouns have the grammatical category of [[definiteness]] (определеност). The morphological indicator of definiteness is the presence of a special [[morpheme]], called the '''[[Article (grammar)|definite article]]''' (определителен член). The definite article is placed after the noun and is written together with it. The use of the definite article in Bulgarian is called членуване.

{|class="wikitable"
!colspan="5" | Definite articles
|-
!Gender and number
!Article
!Examples
!Additional alterations
!Examples
|-
! rowspan="7"| Masculine
Singular
! rowspan="4"| -ът/а*
(most nouns ending in a [[consonant]])
| rowspan="4"| човѐк—човѐк'''ът'''/човѐк'''а'''
вя̀тър—вя̀тър'''ът'''/вя̀тър'''а'''

кло̀н—кло̀н'''ът'''/кло̀н'''а'''
| A change of the [[stress (linguistics)|stress]] position (most [[monosyllabic]] nouns)
| гр'''а̀'''д—град'''ъ̀'''т/град'''а̀'''
м'''ъ̀'''ж—мъж'''ъ̀'''т/мъж'''а̀'''
|-
| A change from '''я''' to '''е''' (regular [[apophony]])
| бр'''я̀'''г—бр'''е'''гъ̀т/бр'''е'''га̀
гр'''я̀'''х—гр'''е'''хъ̀т/гр'''е'''ха̀
|-
|[[Metathesis (linguistics)|Metathesis]] of '''ъ''' in the letter group '''ръ'''
| в'''ръ̀'''х—в'''ър'''хъ̀т/в'''ър'''ха̀
г'''ръ̀'''б—г'''ър'''бъ̀т/г'''ър'''ба̀
|-
|Losing the sound '''ъ''' in the [[affix|suffix]] -'''зъм'''. This happens always.
|ентусиа̀'''зъм'''—ентусиа̀'''зм'''ът/ентусиа̀'''зм'''а
органѝ'''зъм''''—органѝ'''зм'''ът/органѝ'''зм'''а
|-
! {{lang|bg|-ят}}/я*
(nouns ending in -'''й''', -'''тел''', -'''ар''' and a few more)
|змѐ'''й'''—змѐ'''ят'''/змѐ'''я'''
двига̀'''тел'''—двига̀тел'''ят'''/двига̀тел'''я'''

лѐк'''ар'''—лѐкар'''ят'''/лѐкар'''я'''

ко̀н—ко̀н'''ят'''/ко̀н'''я'''

зѐт—зѐт'''ят'''/зѐт'''я'''

о̀гън—о̀гън'''ят'''/о̀гън'''я'''
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|—
|-
! -та
(all nouns ending in -а or -я)
|бащ'''а̀'''—баща̀'''та'''
съди'''я̀'''—съдия̀'''та'''
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|—
|-
! -то
(all nouns ending in -о)
|дя̀д'''о'''—дя̀до'''то'''
чѝч'''о'''—чѝчо'''то'''
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|—
|-
! rowspan="2"|Feminine
Singular
! rowspan="2"| -та
(all nouns)
|rowspan="2"| жена̀—жена̀'''та'''
земя̀—земя̀'''та'''

вя̀ра—вя̀ра'''та'''

цѐл—цел'''та̀'''

вѐст—вест'''та̀'''

сто̀йност—стойност'''та̀'''
|A change of the [[stress (linguistics)|stress]] position (nouns ending in a [[consonant]])
|люб'''о̀'''в—любовт'''а̀'''
ст'''а̀'''рост—старостт'''а̀'''
|-
|A change from '''я''' to '''е''' (regular [[apophony]])
|зр'''я̀'''лост—зр'''е'''лостта̀
ц'''я̀'''лост—ц'''е'''лостта̀
|-
!Neuter
Singular
! -то
(all nouns)
|детѐ—детѐ'''то'''
сѐло—сѐло'''то'''

таксѝ—таксѝ'''то'''
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|—
|-
!rowspan="2"|Plural
(all three genders)
! -те
(all nouns ending in -е or -и, regardless of their gender)
|мъж'''ѐ'''—мъжѐ'''те'''
жен'''ѝ'''—женѝ'''те'''

ръц'''ѐ'''—ръцѐ'''те'''

оч'''ѝ'''—очѝ'''те'''
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|—
|-
! -та
(all nouns ending in -а or -я, regardless of their gender)
|рог'''а̀'''—рога̀'''та'''
книж'''а̀'''—книжа̀'''та'''

дец'''а̀'''—деца̀'''та'''

цвет'''я̀'''—цветя̀'''та'''
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|—
|}

'''*'''Nouns that end in a consonant and are masculine use&nbsp;–'''ът'''/–'''ят''' ("full article"-"пълен член"), when they are [[subject (grammar)|grammatical subject]]s, and&nbsp;–'''а'''/–'''я''' ("short article"-"кратък член"), when they are [[object (grammar)|grammatical object]]s. This rule is observed only in writing. In speech, there is no distinction between the full and the short article, and the short form is normally used in all cases.

There is an additional discrepancy between pronunciation and spelling when the [[Stress (linguistics)|stress]] of some [[monosyllabic]] masculine nouns falls on the [[Article (grammar)|definite articles]] -'''а''' or -'''ят'''/'''я'''.

{|class="wikitable"
!colspan="4" | Discrepancy between spelling and pronunciation
|-
! Correct spelling
Incorrect pronunciation
! Correct pronunciation
Incorrect spelling
|-
| мъж{{Highlight|а}}
| мъж{{Highlight|ъ}}
|-
|сън{{Highlight|я}}т
|сънь{{Highlight|ъ}}(т)
|-
|сън{{Highlight|я}}
|сънь{{Highlight|ъ}}
|}

==Case==
{{See also|Bulgarian grammar#Case system}}
In Bulgarian masculine and feminine nouns have two cases ('''падежи''') '''[[Nominative]]''' ('''Именителен падеж''') and '''[[Vocative]]''' ('''Звателен падеж'''). The vocative is used when addressing a person or a thing, in all other cases the nominative is used. Theoretically, all masculine and feminine nouns can be declined in the vocative but vocative forms are used mainly with personal names and with nouns denoting people.

{|class="wikitable"
!colspan="5" | Vocative case endings
|-
!Gender
!Ending
!Examples
!Additional alterations
!Examples
|-
! rowspan="8"| Masculine
! rowspan="3"| -e
most nouns ending in a [[consonant]]
| rowspan="3"| Ива̀н—Ива̀н'''е'''

наро̀д—наро̀д'''е'''

профѐсор—профѐсор'''е'''

господѝн—господѝн'''е'''
|Losing the sound '''ъ''' in the final part of the word
|Пѐт'''ъ'''р—Пѐ'''тр'''е
Димѝт'''ъ'''р—Димѝ'''тр'''е
|-
|A change from the [[consonant]]s '''г''' or '''з''', which are exactly before the ending, to '''ж''', or from '''к''' to '''ч'''
|Бо̀'''г'''—Бо̀'''ж'''е
кня̀'''з'''—кня̀'''ж'''е

юна̀'''к'''—юна̀'''ч'''е
|-
|Replacement of the ending -'''ец''' with '''ч'''
|от'''ѐц'''—о̀т'''ч'''е
ста̀р'''ец'''—ста̀р'''ч'''е
|-
!rowspan="3"|-'''о'''
all nouns ending in -'''к''', -'''ч''', -'''ц''' (with a few exceptions) and in -'''ин''' (except ''господин'') and a few more
|rowspan="3"|тъпа̀'''к'''—тъпа̀к'''о'''
продава̀'''ч'''—продава̀ч'''о'''

хубавѐ'''ц'''—хубавѐц'''о'''

бъ̀лгар'''ин'''—бъ̀лгарин'''о'''

мъ̀ж—мъ̀ж'''о'''
|Losing the sound '''ъ''' in the final part of the word
|мо̀м'''ъ'''к—мо̀'''мк'''о
|-
|[[Metathesis (linguistics)|Metathesis]] of '''ъ''' in the letter group '''ръ'''
|г'''ръ̀'''к—г'''ъ̀р'''ко
|-
|[[Palatalization (phonetics)|Palatalization]] of the [[consonant]] preceding the ending, indicated by the letter '''ь'''
|зѐт—зѐ'''ть'''о
|-
!-'''ю'''
all nouns ending in -'''тел''', – '''ар''', -'''й''' and a few more
|прия̀'''тел'''—прия̀тел'''ю'''
лѐк'''ар'''—лѐкар'''ю'''

геро̀'''й'''—геро̀'''ю'''

кра̀л—крал'''ю̀'''
|A change of the [[Stress (linguistics)|stress]] position
|ца̀р-цар'''ю̀'''
|-
!-'''и'''
only one noun
|Го̀спод—Го̀спод'''и'''
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|—
|-
!rowspan="4"|Feminine
!-'''о'''
most nouns ending in -'''а'''
|Кристѝн'''а'''—Кристѝн'''о'''
ба̀б'''а'''—ба̀б'''о'''

друга̀рк'''а'''—друга̀рк'''о'''*
|A change of the [[Stress (linguistics)|stress]] position
|сестр'''а̀'''—с'''ѐ'''стро
|-
!-'''йо'''
nouns ending in a [[vowel]] + '''я'''
|Бълга̀р'''ия'''—Бълга̀ри'''йо'''
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|—
|-
!-'''ьо'''
nouns ending in a [[consonant]] + '''я'''
|лѐ'''ля'''—лѐл'''ьо'''
|A change of the [[Stress (linguistics)|stress]] position
|зем'''я̀'''—з'''ѐ'''мьо
|-
! -'''е'''
all nouns ending in -'''ца''', most nouns ending in -'''чка''' and '''рка''', and all [[personal name]]s ending in -'''ка'''
|вѐщи'''ца'''—вѐщиц'''е'''
тъпа̀'''чка'''—тъпа̀чк'''е'''*

дирѐкто'''рка'''—дирѐкторк'''е'''*

Стѐф'''ка'''—Стѐфк'''е'''
|align="center"|—
|align="center"|—
|}
'''*'''Most [[common noun]]s ending in -'''ка''' can be found both with the ending '''о''' and '''е''' ({{lang|bg|другарко}}/{{lang|bg|другарке}}, {{lang|bg|тъпачко}}/{{lang|bg|тъпачке}}). One of the forms is considered colloquial, but there aren't any strict rules which one. For example: the form '''другарко''' is found more often than '''другарке''', but '''директорко''' (instead of '''директорке''') sounds very odd. Generally, the form with '''о''' is ruder.

Feminine nouns which end in a consonant do not have vocative forms.

===Usage of vocative===
There is a difference in usage between vocative forms of [[common noun]]s and [[proper noun]]s. The former are used always, when addressing someone, and the use of nominative forms instead is immediately perceived as a gross error:

{| border=1
 !Definitely incorrect
 !Correct
 !Translation
 |-
 |Как сте, професор?
 |Как сте, професоре?
 |How are you, professor?
 |-
 |Пощадете живота ми, цар!
 |Пощадете живота ми, царю!
 |Spare my life, king!
 |-
 |Здравей, баба!
 |Здравей, бабо!
 |Hello, grandmother!
 |-
 |}

The latter, however, are considered informal, and are used less frequently, especially the
vocative forms of [[female]] [[personal name]]s ending in -'''о''', which are even considered by some to be rude or rustic (Елено, Богдано). Nevertheless, nominative forms (especially the male ones) sound too formal, even snobbish, and are used rarely by native speakers. Instead, [[diminutive]]s (Еленче, Богданче) or short forms (Ели, Боби) are preferred. Diminutives are used usually by elder people, when addressing younger ones.

Male vocative forms and female ones ending in '''е''' are used regularly and their substitution with nominative forms is also considered a gross error (or the speaker may sound too snobbish).

There is difference between the vocative form of both male and female short name forms and their other, non-vocative form (the form that is used in all other cases). The latter takes the definite article -'''та''' or -'''то''', depending on the ending:

{| border=1
 !Name
 !Short form
 !Vocative form
 !Non-vocative form
 |-
 |Павел
 |Павка
 |Павка, ела тук! (''Pavka, come here!'')
 |Дадох книгата на Павка'''та''' (''I gave the book to Pavkata.'')
 |-
 |Веселина
 |Веси
 |Веси, ще ми помогнеш ли? (''Vesi, will you help me?'')
 |Веси'''то''' ми помогна. (''Vesito helped me.'')
 |-
 |}

==See also==
* [[Bulgarian grammar]]
* [[wikt:bg:Начална страница]] (Bulgarian wiktionary)

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

{{Bulgarian language}}
{{Language nouns}}
[[Category:Bulgarian grammar]]
[[Category:Declension]]
[[Category:Nouns by language]]