Phonetics, Orthography and Punctuation
What the task demands
This domain tests sound-letter correspondence, the rules of Bulgarian spelling, and punctuation. You must be able to count syllables and sounds, identify stressed vowels, apply the rules for ъ/а, о/у, е/и in unstressed position, and use the soft sign ь and the letters я, ю, щ correctly.
Concepts to master
Know that Bulgarian spelling is largely phonological but with morphological checks: when in doubt, change the word form (вода – води, град – градове) or find a related word. Master the rules for writing prefixes ending in з/с (раз-, без-, из-, въз- before voiced and voiceless consonants), the use of ь for softness only before о (актьор), and the spelling of double consonants at morpheme boundaries.
Punctuation: the comma before да, че, за да, който/която/което clauses, before contrastive а and но, and in addresses and interjections. Learn when a comma is not used (before и in a simple enumeration, before че in some fixed patterns).
Traps
- Counting letters instead of sounds (я, ю, щ can represent two sounds).
- Applying the ъ/а rule without checking stress.
- Inserting a comma before и in a simple list.
- Forgetting the comma before a subordinate clause introduced by който.
Rule of thumb
For any doubtful letter, test with a related word or changed form; for any doubtful comma, find the grammatical subject and predicate and ask whether the following part can stand alone.
Worked example
In "Той каза, че ще дойде", the comma is required before че because a subordinate clause follows. In "Той и тя дойдоха", no comma appears before и because it joins two homogeneous subjects.