Sofia - Post Report Question and Answers
How much of the local language do you need for daily living? Are local language classes/tutors available and affordable?
Limited. In Sofia, most younger people speak English. You can very easily get by with only speaking English, if you speak Spanish that might also be helpful because many Bulgarians speak Spanish. Outside Sofia and the bigger cities I have encountered that you need more Bulgarian but that being said I know many people who do not know Bulgarian and are totally fine here. - Jun 2023
Local language, both speaking and reading, is nearly essential in Sofia. While the educated Bulgarians will usually be able to hold a conversation in English, the uneducated will not. This in my experience hindered shopping, ordering at restaurants, and getting directions. When coming to Sofia you should know the basics of Bulgarian (hello, good bye, thank you, How much, etc.), but more importantly you must know the Cyrillic alphabet. Even if a word is pronounced in English, it will be written in Cyrillic. We learned this the hard way by going to McDonald's and trying to order, off the menu, a “??? Mak” which literally pronounced "big mac." We never sought after classes or tutors so we can’t speak on the subject. - Mar 2019
Depends on how you live. Many people, especially younger people, speak at least some English. - May 2016
You can get by with just English but a little bit of Bulgarian helps a lot. - Dec 2014
None. - Nov 2014
New generation is really good in English. Elderlies don't even speak a word of it. - Aug 2014
Plenty. Most people over 40 don't speak a word of English. Younger people speak more, but in general English language skills are very low here. - Jun 2011
Not a whole lot. Many people survive not speaking any. Quite a few Bulgarians speak English. They sure do appreciate it and encourage it when you do try to make the effort to speak though. I've had some experiences in stores where we can't understand one another, so we use a lot of hand gesturing. Being able to read Cyrillic would be very helpul to read food labels and street signs etc. - Oct 2009
Many younger Bulgarians speak English or other major European languages. Older people tend to speak only Bulgarian. Learning Bulgarian is definitely necessary if you wish to know the culture better and participate in business. - Feb 2008
