17.1) Relative Pronouns
In English, the same word "who" is used in those 2 sentences:
Who lives here?β¨The man who lives here is very old.
However, in the 1stΒ sentence, "who" is an interrogative pronoun, used to ask a question, and in the 2ndΒ sentence, it is a relative pronoun, referring to the man.
In Bulgarian, those are translated by 2 different words:
"ΠΠΎΠΉΒ ΠΆΠΈΠ²Π΅Π΅ ΡΡΠΊ?" - Who lives here?β¨"ΠΡΠΆΡΡ,Β ΠΊΠΎΠΉΡΠΎΒ ΠΆΠΈΠ²Π΅Π΅ ΡΡΠΊ, Π΅ ΠΌΠ½ΠΎΠ³ΠΎ ΡΡΠ°Ρ" - The man who lives here is very old
As you can see, the relative pronoun is formed by adding -ΡΠΎ to the interrogative pronoun. And like interrogative pronouns, relative pronouns have to agree in gender and number with the noun they refer to:
| Sing. Masc. | Sing. Fem. | Sing. Neu. | Plural |
|---|
| who/which | ΠΊΠΎΠΉΡΠΎ | ΠΊΠΎΡΡΠΎ | ΠΊΠΎΠ΅ΡΠΎ | ΠΊΠΎΠΈΡΠΎ |
| whom | ΠΊΠΎΠ³ΠΎΡΠΎ | ΠΊΠΎΡΡΠΎ | ΠΊΠΎΠ΅ΡΠΎ | ΠΊΠΎΠΈΡΠΎ |
Examples
"Π§ΠΎΠ²Π΅ΠΊΡΡ, ΡΠΈΠ΅ΡΠΎ ΠΊΡΡΠ΅ ΡΠΈ Π²ΠΈΠ΄Ρ" - The person whose dog you sawβ¨"ΠΡΠ°Π΄ΡΡ, ΠΊΠ°ΠΊΡΠ²ΡΠΎ Π°Π· Π³ΠΎ Π·Π½Π°Π΅Ρ
" - The city as I knew it
Note that the accusative of "who" ("whom") changes for the masculine gender only:
"Π’ΠΎΠΉ Π΅ ΠΌΡΠΆΡΡ, ΠΊΠΎΠ³ΠΎΡΠΎ ΠΎΠ±ΠΈΡΠ°ΠΌ" - He is the man (whom) I loveβ¨"Π’Ρ Π΅ ΠΆΠ΅Π½Π°ΡΠ°, ΠΊΠΎΡΡΠΎ ΠΎΠ±ΠΈΡΠ°ΠΌ" - She is the woman (whom) I love
Adverbs
Although this is a lesson about the relative pronouns, we will also include a few adverbs that are similarly formed from interrogative adverbs:
"ΠΡΠ΄Π΅Β ΠΆΠΈΠ²Π΅Π΅Ρ?" - Where do you live?β¨"Π’ΠΎΠ²Π° Π΅Β ΠΊΡΠ΄Π΅ΡΠΎΒ ΠΆΠΈΠ²Π΅Ρ" - This is where I live
| ΠΊΡΠ΄Π΅ (where?) | ΠΊΡΠ΄Π΅ΡΠΎ (where) |
|---|---|
| ΠΊΠΎΠ³Π° (when?) | ΠΊΠΎΠ³Π°ΡΠΎ (when) |
| Π·Π°ΡΠΎ (why?) | Π·Π°ΡΠΎΡΠΎ (because) |
| ΠΊΠ°ΠΊ (how?) | ΠΊΠ°ΠΊΡΠΎ (how/as) |
| ΠΎΡΠΊΡΠ΄Π΅ (where from?) | ΠΎΡΠΊΡΠ΄Π΅ΡΠΎ (from where) |
| Π½Π°ΠΊΡΠ΄Π΅ (where to?) | Π½Π°ΠΊΡΠ΄Π΅ΡΠΎ (to where) |
| ΠΊΠΎΠ»ΠΊΠΎ (how much/many?) | ΠΊΠΎΠ»ΠΊΠΎΡΠΎ (as much/many as) |
Examples
"Π©Π΅ ΡΠΈ ΠΊΠ°ΠΆΠ°, ΠΊΠΎΠ³Π°ΡΠΎ ΡΠ΅ Π²ΠΈΠ΄Ρ" - I will tell you when I see youβ¨"ΠΠ°ΠΊΡΠΎ Π²ΠΈΠΆΠ΄Π°Ρ, ΡΡΠΊ ΡΡΠΌ!" - As you see, I'm here!β¨"Π Π³ΡΠ°Π΄ΠΈΠ½Π°ΡΠ° ΡΡΠΌ, ΠΎΡΠΊΡΠ΄Π΅ΡΠΎ ΠΌΠΎΠ³Π° Π΄Π° Π²ΠΈΠ΄Ρ ΠΊΡΡΠ°ΡΠ°" - I'm in the garden, from where I can see the houseβ¨"Π©Π΅ ΠΎΡΠΈΠ΄Π° Π½Π°ΠΊΡΠ΄Π΅ΡΠΎ ΠΌΠΈ ΠΊΠ°ΠΆΠ΅Ρ" - I'll go where you tell me