After four years of living here in Bulgaria (yes, FOUR!), I’ve finally decided to take Bulgarian language lessons. In my defence, we really only live here around half the year and travel the rest…so I’ve been here more like 2 years 😉
But in all seriousness, there’s no excuse. I’ve been the typical lazy English speaker!
Stumbling over the few Bulgarian words I know, while relying on English the rest of the time – in a country where only around 30% of people speak it – doesn’t really cut it.
It’s time to dive into the (somewhat) intimidating world of the Bulgarian Cyrillic alphabet and be a better resident of the country we now call home. обичаме България! (translate: we love Bulgaria!)
The Importance of Learning a Language
When living abroad, it’s so important to be able to immerse yourself into the community. And what better way than by actually speaking their language!
Not only do the locals appreciate the effort, but if you’re living somewhere (whether temporary or permanent), it’s a bit ignorant not to.
You’ll have a stronger connection with the people, and you can easily navigate the important daily tasks (supermarkets, doctors, transport…), not to mention, you can avoid paying “tourist pricing” in many cases!
I really value being able to speak the local language and am looking forward to being able to speak some Bulgarian.
Why I Chose Preply Over Other Language Learning Options
I’ve tried the app route in the past, I used one when we were living in China and it was fine for picking up a handful of words. And, I took in-person Spanish lessons in Mexico for a couple of months while we were living in San Pancho.
But, since we travel a lot, having virtual lessons is really handy. And for me, I like having the human element rather than learning just from an app.
We’ve been partners with Preply for years now – promoting becoming a Tutor as a great way to make money online for travellers and aspiring digital nomads.
They’re a highly-rated company on TrustPilot and the reviews on Reddit and other blogs and YouTube channels are good as well.
So, when they reached out asking if we wanted to try it on the student side of things, I jumped at the opportunity! I’m excited to share my honest opinion of the lessons I took online with my Preply Tutor, Tanya.
How Preply Works: Finding Your Perfect Tutor
Getting started on Preply is pretty straightforward.
First, you choose the language you want to learn (Bulgarian in my case), then you list what your goals are (I chose culture, travel & hobby), then you choose by when you want to achieve that goal, and add in what style of learning you prefer.
You can also choose if you prefer your tutor to be a native speaker (I do), and then you add your budget per lesson. It’s all multiple choice and super easy to fill out.
From there, I just created a profile with my email, name and the timezone that I’m currently in and uploaded a photo of myself – I didn’t need to add my phone number which was good.
Finally, it was time to choose my tutor! This part took me longer than expected because I wanted to make sure I chose a tutor that had good reviews an that “felt” like the right fit for me.
Luckily for me, Bulgarian isn’t a super popular language so there weren’t too many tutors to filter through!
You can filter by price, teaching style, native vs. non-native speaker, and more. I spent awhile watching introduction videos before landing on Tanya, and I’m really glad I did.
For a language as niche as Bulgarian, I wasn’t sure how many tutors there’d be and I was happy with my choice.
One thing I appreciated: Preply offers a trial lesson at a reduced rate so you can test the connection with the tutor before committing. And, if you don’t jive with them, you get to try another tutor for free.
What to Expect from Your First Lesson
My first lesson with Tanya was a video call through the Preply platform – there was no need to download any software.
She started by asking me a few questions about my life here in Bulgaria: where I live, why I want to learn. It immediately felt like a real conversation rather than a classroom.
She quickly assessed my level (basically zero, let’s be honest) and mapped out a rough plan for where we’d start and where she hoped to get me. We dove into reading the alphabet right away – which being the Cyrillic alphabet is quite challenging!
What I loved is that she has her own learning materials – PDFs and documents that she screen-shared with me throughout the lessons. It’s nice to have a visual when learning for sure. And, she sent those over to me after the lesson for me to keep.
Even though I struggled a bit, Tanya gave me good feedback and I left that first lesson feeling excited to learn more.
Tackling Bulgarian…Harder Than I Expected
Bulgarian is not an easy language for English speakers. It’s a South Slavic language, which means the grammar structure, the sounds, and – most intimidatingly – the alphabet are all completely different from English.
Not to mention, some words have so many consonants in them! My mouth struggles to move that way.
Bulgarian has cases (meaning the endings of words change depending on how they’re used in a sentence), verb conjugations that vary by gender and number, and sounds that simply don’t exist in English.
When we were travelling through Russia and Central Asia, I was able to read a lot of the Russian words – which has 27 of the same letters as the Bulgarian alphabet.
Even so, I’ve forgotten a lot of that and during the lessons, it was challenging. Tanya started our very first lesson with the alphabet, and I’m so glad she did.
Within just a couple of lessons, I could sound out words and read much faster. That said, reading fluently is a long way off for me – I’m still trying to remember what the letter ‘Ж’ sounds like.
There were definitely moments in my lessons where my brain kind of felt full!
But, there’s something satisfying about slowly cracking the code of a language that once felt completely impossible. Every small win during my lessons felt HUGE.
How My Lessons Were Structured Week to Week
Each lesson with Tanya followed a loose but consistent structure.
First, there was a warm-up reviewing vocabulary or grammar from the previous session, new material for the day (grammar concept, alphabet, or vocabulary theme), practice through conversation or exercises, and a mini homework assignment to work on before next time.
There was a lot of conversation and speaking as well, so it wasn’t just learning the alphabet or grammar.
I loved how she’d ask me what I thought of that plan for the lesson, and if there was something else I would prefer to learn. She was really adaptable to my needs.
The “homework” was basically just for me to practice and study what we’d learned that week so I’d be familiar with it. And, to go and practice Bulgarian in the real world!
I’m doing two lessons per week, which is manageable alongside normal life and work. I’d recommend at least once per week, twice a week if your schedule and budget allows it – the consistency makes a real difference.
The Cost of Preply
Tutor rates on Preply vary quite a bit – you’ll find tutors ranging from around $10/hour all the way up to $80+/hour depending on their qualifications and experience.
Tanya’s rate was a bit high at $35 for a 50-minute lesson compared to many of the other Bulgarian teachers.
BUT, I still chose her based on her reviews, her qualifications, and her energy on the introduction video she made! Having been her student now, and given the quality of her lessons, and her patience with me as I was learning, the price was fair.
Choosing the right tutor for you is so important.
There’s also a Preply subscription option which helps you stay consistent with your language learning by automatically scheduling and renewing lessons with the same tutor each week. Obviously, this helps create accountability and momentum.
Taking lessons with Preply is more expensive than an app, sure. But it’s also infinitely more effective because you’re learning from a native speaker and practicing your conversational skills!
What Preply Does Well (and Where There’s Room to Improve)
The tutor marketplace that Preply has is impressive. The range of languages available (there are 90!), price points, tutors and teaching styles means there really is someone for everyone.
The platform itself is clean and easy to use, the built-in lesson space works well, and because there’s an option to switch tutors if you’re not satisfied, it removes a lot of the risk from getting started.
The tutors are vetted before they’re able to join the platform. They have to provide Government issued ID, their profiles are reviewed, and their credentials (if any) are verified.
Keep in mind that tutors aren’t required to have specific qualifications (if they do have them, they’ll be listed on their profile).
The best indicators of a professional tutor are typically a high number of completed lessons, excellent reviews, and a proven track record teaching the specific language or subject.
The one thing I didn’t love about Preply is there’s an emphasis on the subscription model – which I get because the more lessons you take consistently, the quicker you’ll learn. But, I was trying to just book a few lessons at a time and it wasn’t all that easy to do so.
Who I’d Recommend Preply For
If you’re going to be travelling or living abroad somewhere temporarily, or more permanently, I highly recommend learning some of the local language!
Preply is perfect for you if:
- You want flexible, one-on-one lessons that fit around your life
- You’re travelling or are a digital nomad who plans to spend a month or so in a destination
- You’re the kind of person who wants to be more immersed in the places you visit
- You want to make real conversational progress
It might not be the right fit if you’re looking for a fully self-guided solution – for that, apps or YouTube will serve you better. But if you’re serious about actually speaking a language, there’s no substitute for a great tutor.
Am I Actually Speaking Bulgarian Now?
Ha! Okay, “speaking Bulgarian” might be a stretch. But so far, after my lessons with Tanya, I can confidently read the alphabet, navigate a basic shop interaction, introduce myself, and I’ve increased my vocabulary a lot.
For someone who spent four years pointing and smiling, that feels like a massive win.
I’m continuing my lessons, this isn’t a one-and-done for me. Bulgaria is our home, and I want to honour that properly and I’m finally doing something about it.
If you’ve been putting off learning a language, whether it’s the local tongue where you live or plan to travel to, or a language you’ve always wanted to speak, I can’t recommend taking the leap enough. And if you want to try Preply, click here to find your perfect tutor!
