ба́ба
bábafeminine
The Bulgarian word for grandmother is ба́ба (bába).
ба́ба refers to the mother of someone's parent. It is used both as the standard noun for grandmother and as an affectionate term similar to 'grandma' or 'granny'.
Meaning: mother of someone's parent (noun)
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
ба́ба is used both as the standard word for grandmother and as an affectionate term like 'grandma'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To specify 'the grandmother' in the definite form, you add the suffix –та to the end of the word to get ба́бата. The plural form of ба́ба is ба́би, which means 'grandmothers'.
How do you pronounce it?
bába
Did you know?
- Bulgarian folklore features a legendary figure called Баба Яга, a powerful witch who lives in a house that stands on giant chicken legs.
- The term бабини приказки literally means 'grandmothers' tales' and is used to describe myths or stories that are believed to be untrue.
- In traditional Bulgarian villages, the баба often acted as the primary keeper of folk medicine and herbal healing secrets for the community.
Examples in context
- Баба Мария редовно пече хляб за цялото семейство.Baba Maria frequently bakes bread for the whole family.
- Вчера гледах филм с баба.Yesterday, I watched a movie with Grandma.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “grandmother” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
