Bulgarian and Russian: 77 words that are the same
Among the two thousand words each language uses most, these are written identically and carry the same meaning in both. If you have one of the two, this is the part you do not have to learn.
A shared word is not proof of a shared root. Two languages can land on the same spelling by borrowing from a third — that is all tren and bomba are — and a word that looks the same can still be said quite differently. What this list is good for is the head start.
| Word | In English | Bulgarian | Russian |
|---|---|---|---|
| и[i] | and | #5 | #5 |
| илиbg [iˈli]ru [ˈilʲɪ] | or | #64 | #65 |
| там[tam] | there | #78 | #68 |
| точноbg [ˈtɔt͡ʃno]ru [ˈtot͡ɕnə] | exactly, precisely, accurately | #102 | #178 |
| работаbg [ˈrabotɐ]ru [raˈbotə] | work | #115 | #365 |
| двеbg [ˈdvɛ]ru [ˈdvʲe] | two | #190 | #478 |
| триbg [tri]ru [trʲi] | three | #215 | #249 |
| мойbg [mɔj]ru [moj] | my, mine | #247 | #77 |
| дваbg [dva]ru [ˈdva] | two | #273 | #201 |
| брат[brat] | brother | #274 | #410 |
| ясноbg [ˈja̟sno]ru [ˈjasnə] | clearly | #276 | #330 |
| трудноbg [ˈtrudno]ru [ˈtrudnə] | with difficulty | #314 | #750 |
| почтиbg [pot͡ʃˈti]ru [pɐt͡ɕˈtʲi] | almost, nearly | #319 | #350 |
| вероятноbg [vɛroˈja̟tno]ru [vʲɪrɐˈjatnə] | possibly, perhaps | #331 | #997 |
| сестраbg [sɛˈstra]ru [sʲɪˈstra] | sister | #348 | #617 |
| надbg [nat]ru [nət] | above, over | #353 | #335 |
| дам[dam] | to give | #376 | #924 |
| историяbg [iˈstɔrijɐ]ru [ɪˈstorʲɪjə] | history | #434 | #733 |
| ужасноbg [oˈʒa̟sno]ru [ʊˈʐasnə] | terribly, horribly | #454 | #655 |
| противbg [proˈtif]ru [ˈprotʲɪf] | against | #480 | #300 |
| информацияbg [inforˈmat͡sijɐ]ru [ɪnfɐrˈmat͡sɨjə] | information | #497 | #1,562 |
| вчераbg [ˈft͡ʃɛrɐ]ru [ft͡ɕɪˈra] | yesterday | #536 | #426 |
| едваbg [ɛdˈva]ru [(j)ɪdˈva] | hardly, barely | #538 | #1,533 |
| вместоbg [ˈvmɛsto]ru [ˈvmʲestə] | instead of | #545 | #825 |
| план[pɫan] | plan, scheme | #554 | #600 |
| личноbg [ˈlit͡ʃno]ru [ˈlʲit͡ɕnə] | personally, in person | #598 | #1,171 |
| вашеbg [ˈvaʃɛ]ru [ˈvaʂɨ] | your, yours | #603 | #368 |
| убийствоbg [oˈbijstvo]ru [ʊˈbʲijstvə] | murder, homicide | #615 | #781 |
| бизнесbg [ˈbiznɛs]ru [ˈbʲiznɨs] | business | #631 | #1,366 |
| вниманиеbg [vniˈmaniɛ]ru [vnʲɪˈmanʲɪje] | attention | #638 | #632 |
| идиотbg [idiˈɔt]ru [ɪdʲɪˈot] | idiot | #698 | #1,127 |
| вашаbg [ˈvaʃɐ]ru [ˈvaʂə] | your, yours | #704 | #310 |
| раноbg [ˈrano]ru [ˈranə] | early | #714 | #946 |
| детективbg [dɛtɛkˈtif]ru [dɨtɨkˈtʲif] | detective | #723 | #830 |
| абсолютноbg [ɐpsoˈlʲu̟tno]ru [ɐpsɐˈlʲutnə] | absolutely | #773 | #886 |
| дайтеbg [ˈdajtɛ]ru [ˈdajtʲe] | to give | #775 | #718 |
| системаbg [siˈstɛmɐ]ru [sʲɪˈsʲtʲemə] | system | #795 | #1,731 |
| книгаbg [ˈkniɡɐ]ru [ˈknʲiɡə] | book | #821 | #1,709 |
| телефонbg [tɛlɛˈfɔn]ru [tʲɪlʲɪˈfon] | telephone | #874 | #595 |
| президентbg [prɛziˈdɛnt]ru [prʲɪzʲɪˈdʲent] | president | #891 | #920 |
| шоуbg [ˈʃɔw]ru [ˈʂoʊ] | show | #910 | #745 |
| славаbg [ˈsɫavɐ]ru [ˈsɫavə] | glory | #926 | #1,128 |
| чайbg [t͡ʃa̟j]ru [t͡ɕæj] | tea | #941 | #1,742 |
| разговорbg [ˈrazɡovor]ru [rəzɡɐˈvor] | talk, conversation | #942 | #1,186 |
| пистолетbg [pistoˈlɛt]ru [pʲɪstɐˈlʲet] | pistol, handgun | #951 | #932 |
| операцияbg [opɛˈrat͡sijɐ]ru [ɐpʲɪˈrat͡sɨjə] | operation | #1,031 | #1,948 |
| дал[daɫ] | to give | #1,039 | #639 |
| моиbg [ˈmɔi]ru [mɐˈi] | my, mine | #1,062 | #193 |
| сезонbg [sɛˈzɔn]ru [sʲɪˈzon] | season | #1,063 | #1,348 |
| полковникbg [poɫˈkɔvnik]ru [pɐɫˈkovnʲɪk] | colonel | #1,068 | #1,711 |
| мирbg [mir]ru [mʲir] | peace | #1,095 | #413 |
| донbg [dɔn]ru [don] | don | #1,122 | #1,571 |
| нашbg [naʃ]ru [naʂ] | our, ours | #1,146 | #280 |
| директорbg [diˈrɛktor]ru [dʲɪˈrʲektər] | manager, director, principal, headmaster | #1,185 | #1,513 |
| ситуацияbg [sitoˈat͡sijɐ]ru [sʲɪtʊˈat͡sɨjə] | situation | #1,209 | #1,632 |
| нашаbg [ˈnaʃɐ]ru [ˈnaʂə] | our, ours | #1,275 | #501 |
| генералbg [ɡɛnɛˈraɫ]ru [ɡʲɪnʲɪˈraɫ] | general | #1,276 | #1,635 |
| офицерbg [ofiˈt͡sɛr]ru [ɐfʲɪˈt͡sɛr] | officer | #1,285 | #1,388 |
| костюмbg [koˈstʲu̟m]ru [kɐˈsʲtʲum] | suit | #1,299 | #1,622 |
| таксиbg [tɐkˈsi]ru [tɐkˈsʲi] | taxi; cab | #1,327 | #1,497 |
| ножbg [nɔʃ]ru [noʂ] | knife | #1,336 | #1,739 |
| брак[brak] | marriage, matrimony | #1,337 | #1,745 |
| тест[tɛst] | test | #1,346 | #1,853 |
| вашbg [vaʃ]ru [vaʂ] | your, yours | #1,351 | #269 |
| офисbg [ˈɔfis]ru [ˈofʲɪs] | office | #1,450 | #1,266 |
| ключbg [klʲu̟t͡ʃ]ru [klʲʉt͡ɕ] | key | #1,483 | #1,169 |
| видеоbg [ˈvidɛo]ru [ˈvʲidʲɪo] | video | #1,527 | #1,322 |
| стоbg [stɔ]ru [sto] | hundred | #1,566 | #1,514 |
| плюсbg [plʲu̟s]ru [plʲus] | plus sign | #1,590 | #1,814 |
| адресbg [ɐˈdrɛs]ru [ˈadrʲɪs] | address | #1,626 | #1,294 |
| нашиbg [ˈnaʃi]ru [ˈnaʂɨ] | our, ours | #1,631 | #343 |
| урокbg [oˈrɔk]ru [ʊˈrok] | lesson | #1,653 | #1,969 |
| отношениеbg [otnoˈʃɛniɛ]ru [ɐtnɐˈʂɛnʲɪje] | attitude | #1,684 | #1,947 |
| звук[zvuk] | sound | #1,755 | #1,752 |
| внезапноbg [vnɛˈzapno]ru [vnʲɪˈzapnə] | suddenly, all of a sudden | #1,832 | #1,953 |
| законbg [zɐˈkɔn]ru [zɐˈkon] | law | #1,835 | #1,489 |
| отецbg [oˈtɛt͡s]ru [ɐˈtʲet͡s] | father | #1,931 | #191 |
The speaker plays the voice the LangX app uses for that language — synthesised, not a native speaker, so treat it as a guide.
The overlap is the easy part.
The rest comes from using it with someone who speaks it.