ям
jam[ja̟m]imperfective
The English verb "eat" is ям (jam) in Bulgarian.
ям is used to express the act of eating a meal. For more specific meal-related actions, you can use Закусвам for "To have breakfast" or Обядвам for "To have lunch". If you wish to express your physical state, Гладен съм means "I am hungry" and Сит съм means "I am full".
Meaning: eat a meal (verb)
Which one should you use?
The form ям is imperfective, which means it is used to describe an ongoing process of eating or a habitual action rather than a single, completed act.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the present tense, the verb is conjugated as follows: ям (I eat), ядеш (you eat), яде (he/she eats), ядем (we eat), ядете (you plural eat) and ядат (they eat).
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is jam.
Did you know?
- While ям means 'to eat', Bulgarian has a separate, very common word хапвам which literally means 'to bite' or 'to nibble' but is used interchangeably for eating small meals.
- The verb ям shares a common ancestor with the English verb 'eat', both tracing back to the Proto-Indo-European root *h₁ed-.
- In Bulgarian, you can often omit the subject 'I' when using ям because the verb ending alone tells you who is eating.
Examples in context
- Аз искам да ям нещо.I want to eat something.This sentence is useful for expressing a desire to eat something using ям.Tatoeba #2319375 by korobo4ka, translation #256362 by CK
- Искам да ям малко сирене.I want to eat some cheese.This sentence is useful for expressing a desire to eat some cheese using ям.Tatoeba #2759919 by korobo4ka, translation #2733947 by CM
- Той не ми даде нещо да ям.He didn't give me anything to eat.This sentence is useful for describing someone not giving you anything to eat using ям.Tatoeba #13647015 by IForTheSite, translation #297652 by CK
- Бихте ли искали нещо да изядете?Would you like something to eat?
- Не забравяйте да ядете в продължение на целия ден.Don't forget to eat throughout the day.
- Мога ли да поръчам ядене?Can I order food?
- 11 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Elena and Ivan are in the kitchen during lunch time.
- Елена ElenaОгладнях, вече искам да ям.Ogladnyah, vezhe iskam da yam.I'm hungry, I want to eat already.
- Иван IvanОчакай малко, аз още не ям.Ochakay malko, az oshte ne yam.Wait a bit, I'm not eating yet.
- Елена ElenaНо аз ям сега, защото бърза.No az yam sega, zashtoto burza.But I am eating now because I'm in a hurry.
- Иван IvanДобре, Елена, яж спокойно.Dobre, Elena, yaz spokoyno.Alright, Elena, eat peacefully.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “eat” translations and entries ям, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ям, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
