Unemployment

Understanding Unemployment in Bulgarian: B1 Level

This lesson focuses on learning vocabulary and expressions related to the topic of unemployment in Bulgarian, tailored for intermediate learners at the B1 level. You will explore important words, useful phrases, and linguistic structures that enable you to discuss employment status and economic conditions confidently.

Key Vocabulary and Phrases

To start, here are some essential Bulgarian terms connected with unemployment:

• Безработица – Unemployment
• Безработен / безработна – Unemployed (masculine/feminine)
• Работа – Job/work
• Трудов договор – Employment contract
• Търся работа – I am looking for a job
• Заетост – Employment
• Платен отпуск – Paid leave
• Намаляване на персонала – Staff reduction / layoffs

Expressions to Talk About Employment Status

Learn how to form common expressions related to unemployment. For example:

• Аз съм безработен от три месеца. – I have been unemployed for three months.
• Търся нова работа. – I am looking for a new job.
• Компанията обяви съкращения. – The company announced layoffs.

Grammar and Usage Notes

In Bulgarian, noun gender and verb conjugations are important. For instance, безработен changes according to gender: безработен (male) and безработна (female). Also, Bulgarian uses definite and indefinite forms, so note how words adapt depending on context.

Comparing Bulgarian and English

Unlike English, where "unemployed" is an adjective or noun that does not change by gender, Bulgarian marks gender in adjectives and nouns, so it is important to match these with the subject. Additionally, Bulgarian verbs conjugate more extensively, and the sentence structure allows topic placement for emphasis.

Here are some useful phrases with notes on their English equivalents:

• Търся работа – "I am looking for a job." Here, the verb търся means "to look for," regularly conjugated depending on the subject.
• Безработен съм literally means "I am unemployed," but the adjective безработен aligns with the gender of the speaker, which English does not convey.

This lesson equips you with practical tools to talk naturally about unemployment in Bulgarian, using clear vocabulary and grammar useful for real-life conversations.