How to Say “Sorry” in Bulgarian

Ways to say it

In Bulgarian, the way you say "sorry" depends on whether you are expressing internal regret or asking for forgiveness. Use съжалявам to express genuine regret or sorrow regarding a situation or an action. If you want to apologize for a minor social transgression or ask for someone's attention, use the forms derived from извинявам, such as извинявай. To request forgiveness directly, especially with more emotional weight, use the forms derived from простя. For a very casual apology, especially in urban areas among younger people, you may hear the loanword сори.

Which one should you use?

The forms извинявай (informal) and извине́те (formal) are used for "excuse me" or to apologize for minor social slips. In contrast, прости́ (informal) and просте́те (formal) are more direct requests for forgiveness. While съжалявам expresses your own feeling of regret, the others are tools to ask for pardon. The colloquial пардо́н is typically used specifically when you have not heard what someone said and want them to repeat it.

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

For formal situations, use извине́те or просте́те. The informal versions are извинявай and прости́. The term пардо́н is considered colloquial, and сори is a very casual, informal way to apologize.

Is it said differently in some regions?

The casual term сори is commonly used in urban areas and among younger generations.

Related words

Grieved, saddened (adj): тъжен, мрачен.

Poor, regrettable (adj): жалък.

How does it change in a sentence?

When you follow съжалявам with a clause that explains why you are sorry, use the conjunction че (that), as in съжалявам, че…

How do you pronounce it?

săžaljavam