здравей, красавице
zdravey, krasavitse
The English phrase "hello beautiful" is translated into Bulgarian as здравей, красавице (zdravey, krasavitse).
This phrase is a friendly greeting used when speaking to a woman the speaker finds attractive.
Which one should you use?
While здравей, красавице uses the singular greeting, using здравейте, красавице makes the greeting more formal or respectful, though the use of красавице remains highly flirtatious or intimate.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase здравей, красавице, the word for "beautiful woman" changes from the nominative красавица to the vocative красавице when used as a direct address. Additionally, one can use the adjective красива (beautiful) as a substantive to mean "beautiful one" as здравей, красива.
How do you pronounce it?
zdravey, krasavitse
Did you know?
- The greeting здравей is not actually a wish for 'hello', but is the imperative form of a verb meaning 'to be healthy'.
- In Bulgarian culture, using красавице with a stranger can be seen as overly aggressive or 'machismo' depending on the setting and the speaker's tone.
- Bulgarian is one of the few modern Slavic languages that preserves a distinct vocative case, which is why красавица changes to красавице when addressing someone.
Examples in context
- Здравей, красавице, как си?Zdravey, krasavice, kak si?Hello, beautiful, how are you?
Example conversation
Dimitar meets Elena at a cafe.
- Димитър DimitarЗдравей, красавице! Радвам се да те видя.Zdravei, krasavice! Radvam se da te vidya.Hello beautiful! I am glad to see you.
- Елена ElenaЗдравей, Димитър! Благодаря за комплимента.Zdravei, Dimitar! Blagodarya za komplimenta.Hello, Dimitar! Thanks for the compliment.
- Димитър DimitarТова е истина. Изглеждаш страхотно.Tova e istina. Izglezhdash strahotno.It is the truth. You look great.
- Елена ElenaТи си много мил. Хайде да сядем.Ti si mnogo mil. Haide da syadem.You are very sweet. Let's sit down.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries здравей, CC BY-SA 4.0.
