How Can You Learn The Cyrillic Alphabet For Bulgarian?

Get ready to visit Bulgaria in Europe. Map.

Problem
I can learn the Russian alphabet on Duolingo but not yet Bulgarian.

Answer
Use bulgaro.io

What I really like is the multiple choice questions which help you learn the alphabet from country names.

I was a bit nervous when I was asked to sign up. However, I really wanted to do the course. In five minutes I had reached session three.
https://www.bulgaro.io/session/y7THfDs7

Download the Bulgarian alphabet from Wikipedia.

Russian Alphabet, very similar.

One letter puzzled me. In the word Bulgaria the second letter is b but the B is V. But the b at the end of the alphabet with a backwards top, the shortened U sound like oo, was written like the letter b with a line at the top going backwards as if you are starting to cross a capital T. I devised a memory aid: OO - that doesn't look like a proper b. So the alphabet reads from the start A B V G D E .

The circle with the upright line is pronounced F. It looks like a plate of fast food with a piece of asparagus or spagetti. F and F for fast food. Or maybe a hot dog (sausage or sausage in a roll) on a plate. Finger food. F.

The fourth letter, pronounced G, looks like a flattened C but is pronounced hard, similar to the K in kick. ABVG - DE.

The backwards R which ends the Bulgarian+Russian alphabet is like one of the last three letters of the English alphabet, xyz, but pronounced like saying the letter R as 'ar' as in ah or yarn.

The E is pronounced as in debt. I picked a word which has the letters D followed by E as a reminder.

My memory aid for the first six letters is: ("Abe! Vee will get in debt!")

The 3 shape is Z like 3 Zebras in a Zoo.
The shape which looks like J+I is not J not K but L. I think of it as l as in look, a long upright like a pillar - pi-l-l-ar.

The C is an S, easy, like palace and police.

The Y shape is OO like the word you.
X shaped like a cross. You cross into Scotland and they pronounce Loch as in Loch Lomond like clearing your throat.

The letter which looks like capital i plus capital O as in IOU (I owe you) is yu.

To add Bulgarian to your keyboard go to thetypingcat.com for a Mac OSX. The Bulgarian alphabet website has links to pages for other devices.

The handy link has diagrams which show you how to install the keyboard. Red arrows show you where on the screen to find each next move on your screen with diagrams.

 In Apple MacBook, nine simple steps: Select (click on):
1 Apple symbol top left of your screen;
2 select System preferences which is fourth down,
3 select keyboard on the second line of symbols, fourth along to the right;
4 input source fourth on the centred headings,
5 bottom left corner click on plus sign;
6 up pops languages and you select and click on English which is top of the list;
7 next column click on Colemak which is second down,
8 then at the bottom right of the page click on add,
9 then finally click on Colemak again.

To remember what to do: apple, system preferences, keyboard, input source, plus, English, Colemak, add, Colemak.

To summarise and memorise:
apple system preferences,
keyboard input source,
plus English,
Colemak add Colemak.
Memory aid symbols: Apple, key, English, coal. While eating an apple turn your keyboard from English into a coal black Bulgarian text/language. Make the change. Now you can rmember how to do it and instruct somebody else.

Author
Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer. Teacher of English and other languages. One hour starter lesson, UK £75; Singapore S$130.