The document summarizes the prefixes used in Bulgarian verbs. It discusses 20 prefixes and their meanings, which include causing an action, bringing an action to an end, doing an action in the opposite direction, and more. Some prefixes have similar meanings, while others modify the meaning of the same verb stem slightly differently. The use of the reflexive pronoun "се" is also explained, which can indicate doing something to oneself, mutual or repeated action between objects, or one's own pleasure.

1. These Are the Verbs Prefixes in the Bulgarian Language
В (въ)– to cause to the inner part or to inlay (insert) or usher in the inner part:
въвеждам, вдълбавам (се)
Въз – in verbs: to bring to end from 1 condition to another, and /or bringing a
new quality: възвеличавам, възмъжавам (no “се” is needed, as it -
възмъжавам- refers only to the subject ), възобновявам (се)
Де- (or “дез”-) in verbs: to do something in the opposite direction – деградирам
(no “се” is needed, as it refers only to the subject; with the other meaning of
English, you will say it to sound like: I deprive the grade of
something/somebody), демонтирам, дезинфектирам
До- 1.a final phase of the action with a result: доглеждам, допивам, дояждам
2. additional implementation of the action with an adding result: добавям,
доплащам, досипвам 3. a boundary, bound, a final purpose of the action
usually connected with the speaker, the person in the spotlight: довеждам,
довличам, донасям 4. an abrupt appearance of a desire to do an action: допява
ми се, дояжда ми се, доспива ми се 5. A seize of a feeling, a sense or a
transition to a new condition: домъчнява ми, дострашава ме
За- 1. commencement: заплаквам, запявам 2. to do to the end, to the
achievement of a result: завършвам, записвам 3. to get a condition (state) or to
make get a condition: загрубявам, задължавам, задлъжнявам 4. to direct the
action out of myself, in another direction: завличам, заминавам, занасям 5. to
get infatuated with something: заглеждам се, зазяпвам се, запивам се 6. to do
the action around the object or on its surface: завивам, загъвам
Из – in verbs: 1.to exhaust or deplete something to end: извършвам, 2.to
deplete the action in which the object attains a new quality: изрусявам (се),
избистрям (се)(see also “по-”); 3. to do a single (only once) action: иззвънявам
На- 1. the action is done to end, to an enough degree: науча, наготвя; 2.the
action encompasses all or many objects: накупувам, наприказвам; 3.the action
is done to the full saturation (satisfaction) of the subject: наям се, наприказвам
се; 4. the action appears to a low degree to the object: наболявам, накуцвам; 5.
the action ruins the integrity of something: наблизвам, нахапвам; 6. the action
shows penetration accompanied by (an) effort(s): набутвам, навлизам; 7. the
action shows the subject gets a characteristic: надебелея, назрея; 8. the action
shows providing the object with a characteristic: надебеля, навлажнявам (се),
намислям
Над- 1. the action is done on the upper part of something: надписвам,
надстройвам; 2. the action is done at a bigger degree, quantity or quality than
someone else: надиграя, надпия; 3. the action is done to a degree bigger than
the real one: надвземам, надвнясам, надценявам (се) 4.the action is done as an
addition to something: наддавам, надплитам
О- 1. the action is done to an enough degree, to the end: опера, опека; 2. the
action shows attaining a characteristic by the subject: оплешивявам,

2. остарявам; 3. the action is spread on the whole surface of the object/subject
(subject - if it is with “се”): обелвам (се), ощавям (means “to skin” in English);
4. the action assigns a characteristic: обожествявам, оприличавам; 5. the
action is done around the object or the subject(if t is with “се”): окопавам,
олепвам; 6. the action is connected with giving birth when it is about animals:
окучвам се, окотвам се; 7. the action leads to obtaining the adding of
something: озахарявам, оженвам (се).
Об- 1. the action encompasses the object from all sides: обвивам, обземам,
обмислям; 2. the action encompasses the surface of the object: обгарям (се),
обраствам; 3. the action is spread on multiple of objects: обхождам
Обез – / OFTEN, THE OPPOSITE OF “O-”, but not in the examples provided
here/ deprive of , take out from something: обезсилвам (се), обездвижвам (се)
От- 1. through the action something gets detached: отсичам, отхапвам; 2. the
action goes further from or deviates from its starting point: отблъсквам,
отпътувам 3. the action is in the opposite direction of another action: отшивам,
отучвам 4. the action is discontinued or stopped: отболявам, отшумявам 5. the
action is done to an enough degree, to the end: отболявам, отшумявам 6. the
action is done to full saturation: отглеждам, отрасвам 7. the action is done in
response to another action: отблагодарявам се, отзовавам се 8. through the
action a characteristic is achieved: отслабвам, отчуждавам (се)
По- 1. to do the action at a low degree: побутвам, поболявам, 2. to set the
beginning of an action: побягвам, повярвам; 3. to achieve a new condition,
quality; to become: побелявам, помъдрявам; 4.to make something/somebody
achieve a quality: побългарявам, погърчвам, подобрявам
Под- 1.actions coming from under or from inside: подпечатвам, подписвам;
2.a beginning of an action in which it evolves from its fundament: подхващам,
подкарвам; 3. to provide a new quality by adding a new element: подсолявам,
подмладявам (се), подновявам
Пре- 1.to do or to make do an action again: преразглеждам, преговарям; 2. to
do something over the normal: преяждам, прегарям; 3. to do the action in its
full length: пребивавам, преброявам 4. a short action: прегърмявам,
превалявам; 5. to divide and ruin integrity: преграждам, прехапвам; 6. an
action in which the subject overtakes the object: пререждам; 7. an action over
or through a space: преплувам, превозвам
При- 1. bringing the action to the final aim, by shortening the distance between
the objects: приближавам (се), притеглям; 2. adding, fastening to something:
прибавям, прилепвам, принадлежа; 3.resuming a definite action which gives
an additional result: пристроявам, присъединявам (се); 4. an action done to a
low degree: примижавам, припуквам; 5. bring the action to a result:
привършвам; 6. an abrupt beginning of an action or a condition: придрямва ми
се, призлява ми; 7.an abrupt action with a little duration or with a low force:
пригърмява, присторва ми се

3. Про- 1. a result from the action of the verb producing the action: прочитам; 2.
an action through space or time: прокарвам, протичам; 3. an action through
something by doing a hole in the object: пробождам (се), прострелвам (се); 4.
a single short action or an action with interruption: промърморвам,
проплаквам; 5. a beginning of an action: проговарям, прохождам; 6. spread of
the action of the producing verb on the whole object: прогнивам, промивам,
прочиствам
Раз – 1.to act or cause something intensively on the whole object –
разсъбличам, развенчавам; 2.to spread an action in different directions, in a
centrifugal way: разхвърлям, разплисквам; 3.an action with a beginning and
gradual intensity: развиквам се, разигравам се; 4.an action n the opposite
direction: разочаровам (се), разубеждавам (се); 5.setting an end to the action:
разлюбвам, размислям;
С (съ-)– 1.unition or decreasing the distance: свързвам, сдобрявам, сродявам
се; 2. an action done fast and with big force: сграбчвам, сритвам; 3. an action
done from up to down: свличам (се), смъквам, събличам (се); 4. the subject or
the action attain the quality which as a word is a part of the verb: смекчавам,
състарявам; 5. the action shows a result: сварявам, скривам, сътворявам
У – to bring an action to end: 1) sometimes to the inner part of the object:
ужилвам, ухапвам, упоявам; 2) or to a complete result by achieving a new
quality: уголемявам (се) or 3. stating a complete phase of the action done by
the subject: удушавам (се), ушивам
Notes: 20 prefixes, but some of them have similar meanings; some, combined
with one and the same word as a stem, make a little more different meaning, for
instance: 1.осолявам 2. подсолявам (both mean to put salt, but the first one is
connected with meaning 3. of the o- prefix - an example in a sentence: Аз
осолих рибата. (I put salt on the whole surface of the fish.) ; while the second
example is connected with meaning 3. of под-, an example in a sentence: Аз
подсолих ястието.—I added salt to the dish.). Or: Аз посолих филията. (I put
salt on the slice of bread) –we can say meaning 4, but mostly meaning 1 –
because it means we put a little salt- of по-
Note: the meaning of “се” is sometimes “себе си” - it means to do something to
myself, but also to ourselves, themselves; OR BETWEEN EACH OTHER as it
shows mutuality: Ние се обичаме (We love each other), or it shows the present
tense of the passive voice of an action done multiply. Легендата се предава от
уста на уста. (The legend is relayed from mouth to mouth.); or in the meaning
for one’s own pleasure, but then it is “си” and usually it is with the meaning of
the English present continuous (at the moment)– although there is no such in the
Bulgarian language: Той си чете книга и за нищо друго не мисли. (He is
reading (reads) a book and is not thinking (doesn’t think) of anything else.)

4. And pay attention if I say: "Аз се обичам" or with the same meaning - "Обичам се", it
mеans: "I love myself", but if I say:"Ние се обичаме" "Обичаме се" , it means: "We love
each other", and to a less degree it can mean:"We love ourselves", and there is such a meaning
too, but for a reader to make the difference you should say: "Обичаме себе си".
(And "I love him" is: "Аз го обичам" and "Обичам го" )
If I say: "На мен не ми се плува", it means:"I feel reluctant to swim", but if I say "На мен
ми се плува", it means:"I am eager to swim" - yes, IN THIS CONSTRUCTION ONLY THE
VERB IS IN the 3rd person as for a neuter, singular ALWAYS, and for past it will be again
3rd person, neuter: "На мен (не) ми се плуваше". But the pronouns change respectively as to
the person and the number of the speaker(s).
And for showing either a result by Present Perfect Tense, or evidentiality by Inferential Tense
(if it refers to someone else, it means the speaker hasn’t witnessed the action and he/she was
told so; but if it refers to the speaker, then he/she doesn’t remember the action):"На мен (не)
ми се е плувало".
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