The Bulgarian language belongs to the South Slavic branch of the Slavic language family.
In this episode, we’re going to see to what extent it’s intelligible to the speakers of
Polish - a West Slavic Language
and Russian - an East Slavic language.
In order to do that, we designed a word guessing game and the participants are:
Gery Galabova - a Bulgarian writer, blogger and stand-up comedian.
Alexey Dubinin - an English teacher and music producer from Moscow.
And I’m Norbert, an online Polish teacher, and I’m going to speak Polish in this video.
If you like language related content like that subscribe to my channel and hit the bell to be notified when the next video is out.
And now, let’s see!
Will Polish and Russian understand Bulgarian?
Gery: Okay. I have four words.
Hi!
Norbert: Four words.
G: Four words. The first one:
Food.
Norbert and Alex: "Hrana"
G: Something we eat when we watch films
N: I think I know what it is.
It's food that you eat when you watch movies.
That's how I understand it. And you Lyosha, how do you understand it?
Alexey: Is it something you would record movies on? Like a disk, for example? A DVD, or?
G: No, no
Something we eat
When we go to the cinema. For example.
A: 'Hrana', right? G: Food.
G: We go to the cinema and we usually get… this food
N: 'Hrana' is food. That's how I understand it.
N: 'Hrana' is food. That's how I understand it. Lyosha do you understand what it is?
A: Not sure… Not sure.
G: Food to eat.
N: Food - the thing you eat.
A: Is it something that we eat? It’s some kind of food, right?
G: yes, yes.
A: Is it something like popcorn or nachos?
G: Popcorn. N: Popcorn. Yes. A: Popcorn.
G: In Bulgarian “pukanki”
A: “Пуканки”? Is it because of the sound the make, “puk”?
N: That's right! Because they pop on the pun. It's interesting.
N: In Polish we normally say 'popcorn.'
And Lyosha, do you call it popcorn too?
A: Also “попкорн”. If you say...
Popcorn is an American word, and it’s easier to say it this way – “попкорн”
A: Everyone knows, what it means. G: Yes.
A: But in Russian it would be “воздушная кукуруза.”
“Воздух” as in air, and “кукуруза” as in… corn.
N: That's right. In Polish it's 'prażona kukurydza' (roasted corn.).
And how would it sound in Bulgarian?
G: Corn.
Corn, corn is “tsarevitsa”
N: Interesting. Ok. A: Interesting.
N: So the first word is done.
A: Yes. G: Yes, this is the first one.
G: The second one is connected to nature.
A: It has something to do with nature.
N: It's something connected with nature.
G: Something big, tall/high
N: I don't know what 'gulamu' means. Something up high?
G: Something… there are trees
A: Is it something that has trees, where trees grow?
G: Yes.
N: A forest.
A: Yes, forest.
G: 'Les'?
A: Forest, with many-many-many trees. G: I think that means forest
G: It’s not a forest, but something where there is “les”, a lot of “les” in one place, big.
N: In one city... In one place there is a lot of trees.
But I still don't understand what 'gulamo, gula' means.
G: Big means something, for example,
we have something small and something big.
A: Ah, “гулямо” as in big, tall? G: High, “bolshoe” yes.
N: Ah! Tall, big. Something big. I get it.
G: A place where we go on walks or climbing.
A: Is it a place where we go for hiking, for a walk, right?
N: We go for walks. Right?
It's a place we go for walks to?
A: “Spacer” (go for a walk)... Yes, a German word.
G: This is, yes, you go on a treck… on walks,
there could be a lake, “les”, but it’s the whole thing
A: So it’s a big place, which can have a forest, and many trees,
a lake, lakes, may be there? And it’s very big, right? Not tall, but big, right?
G: Yes. Both, high and large
A: Maybe it’s like a park, a national park?
N: Well, I also thought it could ba a park. Is that right?
G: Bigger than a park.
A: Well, not a park as in a city, but a national park, a big one.
G: yes. N: Ah! National park.
N: And in Bulgarian?
G: National Park.
N: Aha! Ok. So we get it. National park.
N: Attention now! Maybe Gery... What national park do you recommend in Bulgaria?
G: Can you repeat?
N: What national park do you recommend in Bulgaria?
If I go to Bulgaria, where I must go?
What must I see? The park.
G: There are national parks in all mountains: Rila…
N: In the mountains.
G: Yes.
N: Yes, but can you recommend a specific national park?
G: I’m looking for the word where there is a national park, which I said a second ago.
A: Which national park in Bulgaria would you recommend?
Like “Oh, that one park in Bulgaria is just awesome.” Which one?
G: My favourite park, national, in Bulgaria is probably Rodopi.
A: Sigurni… Where is that?
G: In the mountain Rodopi.
G: Because there are a lot of preserved types of flowers and animals.
N: Aha! That's fine. And Lyosha! What park do you recommend?
Which park do you recommend in Russia?
A: Of those which I’ve already been to, or? N: That's right.
A: Actually Russia is very large, but I’ve only been to Moscow, Saint-Petersburg.
and a few more cities.
N: But a national park!
A: Yes.
A: It’s hard to say, to be honest...
To think of a park, a national park, with nature and animals… I don’t know.
I think, of those, which i’ve never been to, where I would want to go,
I would really love to go to Baikal – the largest (freshwater) lake in the world, Baikal.
the largest (freshwater) lake in the world, Baikal
I would love to go to Altai – that is, the Altai mountains, they’re also very beautiful.
Yeah, there are many places in Russia, where i’d love to go, where I haven’t been yet.
N: Aha! Ok. That's cool.
So if the ones who're watching us, can recommend a nice national park
in Bulgaria, Russia or Poland, write it down in the comments, ok?
I recommend Biebrza National Park.
A: Bebrzansky? N: Biebrza National Park in Poland.
It's the biggest national park in Poland.
And it's my area. Close to my hometown.
So I recommend it.
G: But the word I was looking for… the second word was “planina”
N: So it wasn't the word we were supposed to guess?
G: No, but it’s close.
But, you know, a lot of mountains are also national parks.
N: So 'góra' (mountain) was the word, right? What word was it?
'Planina'
N: Ok. In Polish góra (mountain.). And in Russian?
A: Mountain.
N: Ok. So we got it.
G: In Bulgarian 'les' is forest.
N: 'Gora' is a forest in Bulgarian. It's a false friend.
A: Ah, false… “Fałszywy przyjaciel”! False friend.
G: Yes.
G: The third word. N: Yes.
G: It is a mood, also an action which you perform
when you are not at work.
The word comes from Turkish
N: Lyosha. Do you understand?
A: I only understood “настроение” (mood) and “действие” (action),
after that I understood nothing.
G: The word comes from Turkish.
A: What is “турский”?
N: It's a word of Turkish origin. Right? It originates from Turkey.
A: Ah! Turkish etymology, right?
G. Turkish language, yes.
A: Yes-yes.
G: And it’s very popular in Bulgaria.
A: Is it a word?
G: And you use it when you are resting or don’t have work.
N: You use it when you don't have work?
A: Ah, when you got no work, when you rest, when you’re going out?
A: So, if I understood correctly, it’s a Turkish word
which means a mood
or a state, right? When you’re not working, you’re relaxing and everything is awesome?
or a state, right? When you’re not working, you’re relaxing and everything is awesome? G: Exactly, yes, yes.
A: Turkish…
I need to think.
There are also many Turkish words in Russian.
Norbert, any ideas?
N: Is it a bowed string instrument?
G: I don’t understand.
A: I don’t think Geri’s talking about an instrument.
N: Oh! It isn't a musical instrument, is it?
A: No, it’s not an instrument. N: Ah! So I get it completely wrong.
N: So what 'nastrojenie' is?
A: That is, mood as in emotion, state.
N: Aha! It's 'nastrój' (mood) in Polish. G&A: Yes, a mood.
A: A mood when you got no work, “nie ma pracy”. Siesta.
Siesta Turkish-style. Something like that, right?
A: I don’t know, it’s not obvious.
N: We don't have this concept.
A: We need a tip!
G: It starts with 'a'.
G: Close.
A: Ok, so it’s almost like “айда”, but not “айда”.
N: I completely don't know what it could be.
G: Should I tell you?
A: There’s a similar thing in Russian - “айда”.
It sounds Turkish, but I’m not sure. It’s just an idea.
G: In Bulgarian we use 'aylak'
N: I didn't know that either. A: No, no chance. I wouldn’t have guessed.
G: 'Aylak' you can use in a sentence like “I am aylak” or when you say something is 'aylak', as if saying 'chill'.
A: It’s chilling Turkish-style, I got it.
N: No. I didn't know it.
How would it be in Polish? I don't know either.
If someone has an idea on how it would be in Polish, write it down in the comments!
In Russian as well... Do you have any ideas, Lyosha?
A: I don’t even know, I need to think. I’m not sure.
A: Well... The thing is, there are many Turkish words in Russian, which are actually from Tatar.
Tatar is also a Turkic language and there are many words,
but that one.. I’m not sure, I don’t know.
If anybody comes up with something, write in Russian in the comments section, what word that is.
N: Ok.
G: The fourth word. N: Yes.
G: It is an animal. N: Animal.
A: Yes-yes, it's an animal.
G: A pet. A: A pet.
N: A domestic animal/a pet. G: Yes.
G: It can be small or big.
A: “Малко”? As in “молоко”, “млеко” (milk)?
G: No, no, no. “Malko” means tiny.
N: It's about the size. This animal can be either small or big.
G: Size, yes. You take it for a walk, you walk it.
A: Ah, popular? N: On walks.
G: “Razhodka” means going out.
A: Ah! “Ходят на вън” as in go out in the street? Outside?
G: Or in a park.
A: So it doesn’t stay at home all the time? You can walk it in the park and etc.?
A: Ok. On a leash?
G: Yes, on a leash. N: On a leash.
N: I Polish we say that we can go out with it on a leash.
I guess we know what animal it is, right?
A: Probably it’s a dog? A hound? N: A dog.
G: In Bulgarian it is “kuche”.
N: Interesting! Because in Hungarian it's 'kutya' (dog.).
A: Really?
And in Hindi it's 'kuta'. I guess.
A: “Kuta”? Seriously?!
N: Yes. That's what I heard when I was in India. They would say 'kuta'.
N: So it's something similar. A: That’s odd.
G: And when it is small, young, it is 'kuchentse'.
N: 'Szczenię' (puppy) in Polish. A: In Russian it’s “щенок” (a puppy.).
N: This one is closer to Polish. A: Yes.
Is Bulgarian closer to Polish or Russian?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
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And if you’re learning Polish and need conversation practice,
you can book a one-on-one conversation practice session with me on my website.
And if not, I’ll see you in the next video.
Cześć!