Arguments

Sender, Theme, Recipient or Goal · Bulgarian cloth · working claim, revisable

Voice[Sender] + dative clitic or на of a person + complement of the root (Theme) + a place phrase that is not that person

пращам / изпращам · Theme the bare direct object · government Какво or Кого · a full noun shows no case ending

Recipient · short dative му, ми, им, ти · or на+NP · not a bare second noun · accusative я, го, ни, ги, ма is the person sent

Place · до, към, на, в, зад · за is the errand thing · a да-clause stands where English has a to-infinitive · see-off is a separate line

A sending, on this reading, has a Sender, a Theme, and a third participant that is not one marker. Voice adds the Sender. The root’s complement is the Theme: the letter, the money, the parcel, or the person who is sent. A full noun phrase shows no case ending. The definite article is the article. It is not an accusative ending. A clitic is a clitic, not a case ending on a noun. The third slot splits. A short dative, or на plus a person, is drawn as the Recipient, inside the verb’s domain. A place phrase is drawn as a Goal. The drawing is working. It is revisable. Which phrase is the structural object is the note Causative templates and argument selection. Пат and Крис continue the named-participant series on заемам and крада.

What the one-volume dictionary prints for изпращам. The headword is imperfective and perfective изпратя, type 186ti. The изпратя page is the cross-reference вж. изпращам. Its header prints изпратиш, aorist изпратих, participle изпратил. Sense 1 is Кого. Карам да отиде някъде. The example is Изпратих я да купи хляб. я is the accusative clitic. The person is the one sent. да купи хляб is a finite clause. Sense 2 is Кого, accompanying someone part of the way: Изпращам съседката половин час. Изпращам я на гарата. The neighbor and я are the person who is seen off. на гарата is the station. Sense 3 is Кого, the funeral line Вчера изпратихме баба. Sense 4 is Какво. Отправям за някъде по пощата, по човек и др. No example fills that Какво.

What РБЕ prints for изпращам. The header is ИЗПРА̀ЩАМ, -аш, несв.; изпрàтя, -иш, мин. св. -их, св., прех. Sense 1 dispatches a person. Йовков prints го изпращаха. Михайлов prints ни изпращаше за сол и пипер до бакалницата. ни is the accusative of the people sent. за сол и пипер is the errand goods. до бакалницата is the shop. Дичев prints ги изпращаше към дунавската граница. ги is the people sent. към is the border. Sense 2 is see-off, the opposite of посрещам: Йовков изпраща ги донейде, Вазов никой не изпраща, Петканов изпраща и посреща гостите. гостите is the object. донейде is some distance. Sense 5 transfers a thing. Гуляшки prints по десет вагона жито зад граница. Грубешлиева prints да му изпраща от село по стотина-двеста лева на месец. The money is the Theme. му is the dative clitic. от село is the source. на месец is time. Вазов prints да му изпращат of the editorial offices. Sense 9 is greetings. Йовков prints те изпращали на богатия чорбаджия своето „много здраве“. The dictionary’s own line is Изпращам много поздрави на всички приятели! Белев prints им изпращаше целувки. A further line is изпращаше на всички мила усмивка. The passive lines promote the Theme: се изпраща вкъщи, се изпращат героите, се изпращат сума материали. вкъщи is the place. A dialect form изпрàтам is named. The verbal noun изпращане prints Изпращане на писма и телеграми. That на is the thing sent.

What the one-volume dictionary and РБЕ print for пращам. The one-volume headword is imperfective and perfective пратя. The пратя page is вж. пращам. Sense 1 is Кого. Пращам детето за хляб. The child is the object. за хляб is the thing to be fetched. Sense 2 is Какво. Пращам писмо. Пращам колет. Пращам пари. Пращам поздрави. The letter, the parcel, the money, and the greetings are bare objects. No person and no place are in those four lines. Sense 3, marked colloquial, is throwing: Пращам камък по птицата. РБЕ’s header names perfective пратя, aorist -их. Sense 1: Йовков я прати … да иде чак на Бакаджиците, and никого не пращам. Страшимиров да им пращаме учител. The teacher is the Theme. им is the dative of the people the teacher is sent to. A further line is пратили … един човек, да им каже, and та ма праща на Дунав за вода. ма is the person sent. на Дунав is the place. за вода is the errand thing. Sense 2: Елин Пелин му пращаше храна по момчето. The food is the Theme. му is the Recipient. по момчето is the intermediary. Каменова е пратила писмото leaves the Recipient unfilled. Загорчинов да ми праща … ту пари, ту накити. A further line is им пращат писма … за да им пратят пари. Sense 3, throwing or directing, prints в лицето and ще я пратя чак в дерето. Sense 5, news: ни вест пращаше, Славейков прати известие и на мене, и на по-влиятелните граждани, and Бай Веселин ти праща хабер. на мене and ти are the Recipient. ти is the second-person short dative. Sense 6, greetings: Много здраве ти пращат, да му праща псувни, На мама здраве да пратя, не пращай поздрави. Sense 7, dialect see-off: леля го е пратила до синьо тевно йезеро. го is the person accompanied. до is the lake. The passive не може да се прати гладно на училище names the school. ще се пратят на момата names the girl with на. In писмата ми ся пращат the ми follows the noun. It is not the dative of the verb.

A letter’s до is printed on адресирам, not on these citations. РБЕ адресирам sense 1 is putting an address on a letter or a parcel до някого, and a subsense is sending a letter or a parcel to a stated address. Димов prints писма, които адресираше до майка си. A further line is Писмата си адресирай на същия адрес. On изпращам and пращам the printed до is a place: the shop, some distance, the lake. It is not the addressee of a letter.

What the grammar prints, and what is different from the English gloss. Влахова-Руйкова, morf1, says the seven-case noun system is lost. Relations are prepositions and word order. Pronouns kept case. The short-dative table in morf16 is ми, ти, му, й, ни, ви, им. The feminine cell is й. Full datives such as нему and ней are obsolete. A clitic cannot stand first: the grammar stars *Им изпратиха покани. synt7 says the short dative is always an indirect object, and a full non-nominative pronoun takes a preposition, на мене. Doubling is characteristic of the direct object and of the indirect object. The printed line with this verb is На тях им изпратиха покани по пощата. по пощата is the means. morf32 says the infinitive is lost. The dictionary citation form is the first person singular of the present. A shortened infinitive remains only in недей ходи and недей плака. Cambridge prints the person of send as a double object, labeled [+ two objects], in I'll send her a letter/email/parcel/postcard next week. Bulgarian does not print a bare second noun. *Пат праща Крис писмо is constructed on that English frame and is not a dictionary line. The Recipient is the dative clitic or на plus a noun phrase. English to is one marker for the person and for the place. Bulgarian на is printed for a person and for some places. Other places are до, към, в, or зад. English for of an errand is за plus the thing, за хляб. A city after за is unprinted. English We're sending the kids to stay with my parents is a to-infinitive. The Bulgarian line is да plus a finite verb. The see-off line, Изпращам я на гарата, is a separate sense. English send does not cover it.

Places · who wears which marking

The lines do not stack every marking in one clause. Пращам писмо prints the Theme and prints no Recipient. им пращат писма prints the dative clitic and prints no на. прати известие и на мене prints на and prints no clitic. The grammar’s На тях им изпратиха покани is the line that stacks them. Изпратих я да купи хляб prints the person sent and a да-clause. Изпращам я на гарата is see-off.

Printed Theme · bare direct object

✓ Пращам писмо. Пращам колет. Пращам пари. Пращам поздрави. one-volume · пращам · sense 2 · Какво · no Recipient

the letter, the parcel, the money, and the greetings are the Theme · a full noun has no case ending

Printed Recipient · dative clitic

✓ им пращат писма · му пращаше храна по момчето · да му изпраща … лева · ти праща хабер РБЕ · пращам · изпращам · short dative · no на in these clauses

им, му, and ти are the Recipient · the letter, the food, the money, and the news are the Theme · по момчето is the intermediary

Printed Recipient · на+NP · and the grammar’s doubling

✓ прати известие и на мене, и на по-влиятелните граждани · Изпращам много поздрави на всички приятели! РБЕ · на · no clitic in these clauses

✓ На тях им изпратиха покани по пощата. Влахова-Руйкова · synt7 · clitic and на · по пощата is the means

the news and the greetings are the Theme · на мене and на всички приятели are the Recipient · the grammar stacks на тях with им · the РБЕ citations opened here do not

Printed see-off · the person is the moved figure

✓ Изпращам я на гарата. · изпраща и посреща гостите · изпраща ги донейде one-volume · sense 2 · РБЕ · sense 2 · not the letter

я and гостите are the person accompanied · на гарата and донейде are the place · no letter is the Theme

Places of Bulgarian send: introducer, marking, status, and the English marking
PlaceIntroduced by (working)Bulgarian markingStatus in the sourcesEnglish
SenderSpec,Voicesubject · a full noun shows no caseБай Веселин ти праща · редакциите … да му изпращат · a се line leaves the Sender unfilledsubject of send
Themecomplement of the rootbare direct object · government Какво or Кого · no case endingписмо · колет · пари · поздрави · храна · лева · учител · детето · accusative я / го / ни / ги / ма when the person is the one sentobject of send · or the person of send someone
Recipient · dative cliticlow Appl · indirect object · revisableshort dative му · ми · им · ти · not a case ending · feminine й is in the paradigm and is unprinted on these citationsРБЕ му пращаше храна · им пращат писма · му изпраща … лева · ти праща хабер · им изпращаше целувки · a clitic cannot be firstfirst object of Cambridge’s [+ two objects] · or to + person
Recipient · на+NPsame Recipient · preposition · revisableна+person · на мене · на всички приятели · на мама · на момата · на богатия чорбаджияРБЕ · no clitic in these clauses · the grammar stacks на тях имto + person
Doublingclitic plus на · the grammar’s indirect objectНа тях им изпратиха поканиsynt7 · this verb · the РБЕ citations do not print the stack · a line with Крис is constructedEnglish send her a letter has no doubling clitic
Bare second objectnot a printed frameno bare noun in the Recipient slotunprinted · *Пат праща Крис писмо is constructed · a full noun has no dative endingCambridge I'll send her a letter
Goal · placePP inside the verb’s domain · not the Recipientдо бакалницата · донейде · към дунавската граница · на гарата · на Дунав · зад граница · вкъщи · в дерето · dialect до … езероРБЕ · one-volume · за София is unprinted · до вратата is unprinted · letter-addressee до is адресирамEnglish to + place · the same to as the person
за · errand thingnot the Goal of a cityза хляб · за сол и пипер · за водаone-volume Пращам детето за хляб · РБЕ Михайлов · на Дунав за водаsend someone for bread
да-clausefinite clause · the infinitive is lostда купи хляб · да иде … · да им кажеone-volume Изпратих я да купи хляб · РБЕ Йовков · morf32Cambridge [+ to infinitive]
See-offthe person who is accompanied · not a Recipient of a thingИзпращам я на гарата · изпраща гостите · изпраща ги донейде · dialect го е пратила до … езероone-volume sense 2 · РБЕ sense 2 · РБЕ пращам sense 7 · до вратата unprintedEnglish send does not cover see-off
поnot one roleintermediary по момчето · means по пощата · throw-target по птицатаРБЕ Елин Пелин · synt7 · one-volume sense 3 · not a fourth argument of the letterby of by post matches the means line only

Marking map. Read the bare Theme, then the dative clitic, then на, then the place, then за, then да.

EN ⇄ BG valency strip

Each row lines up one English slot with a Bulgarian slot. The alignment type says what happens to the slot: = (same object status), or shift (a bare second object beside a dative clitic or на, or one English to beside more than one Bulgarian marker). Printed dictionary lines come first. Every other Bulgarian sentence is constructed, modelled on a printed line.

English–Bulgarian valency alignment for send, one row per argument
SlotEN formBG formAlignEN exampleBG example
SenderSUBJ of sendsubject=I'll send her a letter/email/parcel/postcard next week Cambridge · [+ two objects]Бай Веселин ти праща хабер РБЕ · the subject is the Sender
Themeobject of sendbare direct object=I'll send her a letter CambridgeПращам писмо one-volume · Какво
Recipient · cliticfirst object of [+ two objects]short dativeshift · no bare second noun · the clitic is not a case endingI'll send her a letter Cambridgeим пращат писма РБЕ
Recipient · наto + personна+NPshift · English to is also the place marker · this на is the personI'll send her a letter Cambridgeизвестие … на мене РБЕ · Славейков
Doublingno clitic beside to herна + short dativeshift · printed in the grammar · unprinted as a stack in the РБЕ citationsI'll send her a letter CambridgeНа тях им изпратиха покани по пощата synt7
Goal · placeto + placeдо · към · на · в · задshift · English uses one to · Bulgarian does not use one prepositionsend them to the phone recycling company Cambridge Business · send sth to sthдо бакалницата · зад граница РБЕ
заfor + the thing fetchedза+thingshift · not a citysend someone for bread English gloss · not a Cambridge send lineПращам детето за хляб one-volume
даto-infinitiveда + finite verbshift · the infinitive is lostWe're sending the kids to stay with my parents Cambridge · [+ to infinitive]Изпратих я да купи хляб one-volume
See-offoutside sendperson = moved figure · place на or доshift · the person is not a Recipient of a thingsee somebody to the station English gloss · not a Cambridge send lineИзпращам я на гарата one-volume · sense 2
Bare second objectsend her a letterbare noun + bare noununprintedI'll send her a letter Cambridge* Пат праща Крис писмо constructed · not a dictionary line

The strip below is a set of small multiples. Each card holds one frame, with English on top and Bulgarian under it. A card that quotes a dictionary line has no added name.

EN · BG · Theme

bare direct object

I'll send her a letter/email/parcel/postcard next week

Пращам писмо. Пращам колет. Пращам пари.

BG · one-volume · Какво · no Recipient filled

RolesHide roles Theme
Theme a letter · писмо

Move the thing is the object · a full noun has no case ending

EN · BG · clitic

short dative

I'll send her a letter

им пращат писма

BG · РБЕ · им · no на in this clause

RolesHide roles RecipientTheme
Recipient им Theme писма

Move the Recipient is the clitic · English puts the person in a bare object

EN · BG · на

на+person

I'll send her a letter

Изпращам много поздрави на всички приятели!

BG · РБЕ · на · no clitic in this clause

RolesHide roles ThemeRecipient
Theme много поздрави Recipient на всички приятели

Move на is the person in this line · the same preposition is also a place

EN · BG · да

да + finite verb

We're sending the kids to stay with my parents

Изпратих я да купи хляб.

BG · one-volume · accusative я · no infinitive

RolesHide roles PersonClause
Person я Clause да купи хляб

Move я is the person sent · да is finite · English uses a to-infinitive

EN · BG · place

до · към · зад

send them to the phone recycling company

до бакалницата · към дунавската граница · зад граница

BG · РБЕ · place · not the dative clitic

RolesHide roles ThemeGoal
Theme the people · жито Goal до · към · зад

Move the place is not the Recipient clitic · за is the errand thing

EN · BG · see-off

moved figure · на гарата

see her to the station

Изпращам я на гарата.

BG · one-volume · sense 2 · the person is not a Recipient · the English line is a gloss

RolesHide roles Moved figureGoal
Moved figure я Goal на гарата

Move the person is the one who is accompanied · English send does not cover this line

Examples

Argument difference. English send her a letter puts the person in a bare object beside the thing. Bulgarian has no bare second object. A full noun has no dative ending. The Recipient is a short dative, му, ми, им, or ти, or на plus a noun phrase. The grammar prints both together. The dictionary citations print them apart. English to is one marker. A Bulgarian place is до, към, на, в, or зад, and на is also the person. за is the errand thing. A да-clause replaces the to-infinitive. On the see-off line the person is the moved figure.

Dictionary frames and lines · quoted as printed

Пращам писмо. Пращам колет. Пращам пари. Пращам поздрави. one-volume · пращам · sense 2

Пращам детето за хляб. · Изпратих я да купи хляб. one-volume · Кого · за · да

Изпращам я на гарата. · Изпращам съседката половин час. · Вчера изпратихме баба. one-volume · изпращам · senses 2 and 3

им пращат писма · му пращаше храна по момчето · да ми праща … ту пари, ту накити · ти праща хабер · да му изпраща … лева · им изпращаше целувки РБЕ · dative clitic

прати известие и на мене, и на по-влиятелните граждани · Изпращам много поздрави на всички приятели! · На мама здраве да пратя · ще се пратят на момата РБЕ · на

На тях им изпратиха покани по пощата. · *Им изпратиха покани. synt7 · morf16 · doubling · clitic not first

ни изпращаше за сол и пипер до бакалницата · ги изпращаше към дунавската граница · по десет вагона жито зад граница · та ма праща на Дунав за вода · се изпраща вкъщи РБЕ · place · за is the thing

изпраща ги донейде · изпраща и посреща гостите · леля го е пратила до синьо тевно йезеро РБЕ · see-off

я прати … да иде чак на Бакаджиците · да им пращаме учител · писма, които адресираше до майка си РБЕ · да · адресирам

I'll send her a letter/email/parcel/postcard next week. · send them to the phone recycling company. · We're sending the kids to stay with my parents. Cambridge · send

Strings below are constructed, modelled on the printed lines. They are not dictionary lines. Пат and Крис continue the named-participant series. A name does not spell a case.

✓ Пат праща писмо. Пат му праща писмо.

RolesHide roles SenderRecipientTheme
Sender Пат Recipient му Theme писмо

constructed · Пращам писмо is the printed bare Theme · им пращат писма and му пращаше храна are the printed dative · the clitic is not first

✓ Пат праща известие на Крис.

RolesHide roles SenderThemeRecipient
Sender Пат Theme известие Recipient на Крис

constructed · прати известие и на мене is the printed на · no clitic in that citation

✓ На Крис му изпратиха покани.

RolesHide roles RecipientTheme
Recipient На Крис му Theme покани

constructed · На тях им изпратиха покани по пощата is the printed stack · the РБЕ citations do not print a clitic and на together

✓ Пат я изпрати да купи хляб. Пат праща Крис за хляб.

RolesHide roles PersonErrand
Person я · Крис Errand да купи хляб · за хляб

constructed · Изпратих я да купи хляб and Пращам детето за хляб are the printed lines · я is accusative · за is the thing

✓ Пат изпраща Крис на гарата.

RolesHide roles Moved figureGoal
Moved figure Крис Goal на гарата

constructed · see-off · Изпращам я на гарата is the printed line · not a letter · not a Recipient

* Пат праща Крис писмо. *Им изпратиха покани.

RolesHide roles Bare second objectTheme
Person Крис · first-position Им Theme писмо

the bare second object is constructed · English send her a letter · not a Bulgarian dictionary line · the starred clitic-first line is the grammar’s own star

  1. ✓ Пращам писмо · колет · пари one-volume · bare Theme
  2. ✓ им пращат писма · му пращаше храна РБЕ · dative clitic · no на
  3. ✓ известие … на мене · поздрави на всички приятели РБЕ · на · no clitic
  4. ✓ На тях им изпратиха покани по пощата synt7 · doubling · the dictionary citations do not stack them
  5. ✓ до бакалницата · към дунавската граница · зад граница · за хляб РБЕ · one-volume · place · errand thing
  6. ✓ Изпратих я да купи хляб one-volume · да · accusative я · no infinitive
  7. ✓ Изпращам я на гарата · изпраща гостите one-volume · РБЕ · see-off · the person is the moved figure

What the clitic, на, and да show

The markers are operations on places the articles already name. They do not add a participant the dictionaries have not named. му and на мене are the Recipient of a thing. я and го are the person sent, or, on the see-off line, the person accompanied. до, към, в, and зад are places. на гарата is a place. на приятели is a person. The preposition does not decide the role by itself.

There is no nominal case to spell the Recipient. morf1 says the noun has lost its case endings. The short dative is a pronoun. It is not an ending on писмо or on Крис. A full pronoun takes на, as in на мене. The obsolete full datives are not the frame of these citations. On заемам the same clitic and the same на are the Recipient of a loan. On уча a да-clause is already the finite substitute for an infinitive.

се promotes the Theme. се изпраща вкъщи, се изпращат сума материали, ще се пратят на момата, and не може да се прати гладно на училище leave the Sender unfilled. на момата stays. Nothing further is constructed. The prefix из- on изпращам, and its absence on пращам, are the shape of the lemma. They are not a fourth argument. The labels imperfective and perfective are the aspect the headers print. изпратих is the aorist the изпратя header prints. The label is not an Aktionsart claim.

The see-off person is not the Recipient of a letter. Изпращам я на гарата, изпраща гостите, and изпраща ги донейде move a person. Пращам писмо moves a thing. The two lines are not one frame. адресирам до майка си is the addressee of a letter, on a different verb.

Derivations · working sketches, revisable

Each sketch is a working drawing, not a locked analysis. The drawing gives the Sender to Voice, the dative clitic or на of a person to a phrase inside the verb’s domain, a place phrase to a Goal in that domain, and the Theme to the root. The dictionaries print the markings. They do not print that head. Open one sketch at a time. Which theta role is the object is the revisable note Causative templates and argument selection.

Voice · the Sender is the external argument

Constructed · one external argument

[CP Пат_1
  [C' праща
    [TP t_1
      [VoiceP t_1 Voice                     ← Sender = Spec,Voice
        … праща … ]
      T ]]]

✓ Пат праща писмо. constructed

The external argument is the Sender. English keeps that one subject on send. The printed subject is Бай Веселин and the editorial offices. се изпраща вкъщи leaves the Sender unfilled. Nothing further is constructed.

Clitic or на · the Recipient · the root takes the Theme · a place is not that clitic

Short dative · на+NP · doubling · place · да · see-off · working, revisable

[VoiceP Пат Voice
  [ApplP му Appl                            ← Recipient · short dative
    [VP √праща
       [Theme писмо ]]]]

[VoiceP Пат Voice
  [VP √праща
     [Theme известие ]
     [PP на [ Крис ]]]]                     ← same Recipient · на · no clitic

[VoiceP Voice
  [ApplP на Крис им Appl                    ← grammar’s doubling · constructed on На тях им
    [VP √изпратя
       [Theme покани ]]]]

[VoiceP Пат Voice
  [VP √изпратя
     [Theme я ]                             ← accusative · the person sent
     [CP да купи хляб ]]]                   ← finite · no infinitive

[VoiceP Пат Voice
  [VP √изпращам
     [Theme жито ]
     [PP зад [ граница ]]]]                 ← place · not the Recipient

[VoiceP Пат Voice
  [VP √изпращам
     [Person Крис ]                         ← see-off · moved figure
     [PP на [ гарата ]]]]

A bare second noun is not given a head. The dictionaries do not print it. English does.

✓ им пращат писма РБЕ · clitic

✓ на мене РБЕ · на

✓ На тях им изпратиха покани synt7 · doubling

✓ Изпратих я да купи хляб one-volume · да

✓ зад граница РБЕ · place

✓ Изпращам я на гарата one-volume · see-off

* Пат праща Крис писмо. constructed · no bare second object

English counterpart · double object and one to · Bulgarian clitic or на

Working · no English send page is opened · Russian is послать · French is envoyer

[VoiceP Pat Voice                              ← Sender
  [ApplP_LOW her Appl                           ← Recipient · bare object
    [VP √SEND
       [Theme a letter ]]]]                    ← I'll send her a letter
                                                · Cambridge [+ two objects]
                                                · Bulgarian does not print this bare person

[VoiceP Pat Voice
  [VP √SEND
     [Theme a letter ]
     [PP to [ her ]]]]                         ← send a letter to her
                                                · OR to a place
                                                · one preposition
                                                · Bulgarian на is the person
                                                · a place is до, към, на, в, зад

Cambridge’s [+ two objects] line puts a person in the first object. The to line puts a person or a place in one PP. Bulgarian му and на Крис are the person. Bulgarian до бакалницата and зад граница are places. Russian послать spells a dative ending on a full noun. Bulgarian has no such ending. French envoyer spells à or dative lui. The printed French line does not double lui with à. The Bulgarian grammar does print that stack, on изпратиха.

Layer-by-layer parallel: English send and Bulgarian изпращам / пращам
Layersend (EN) · no pageизпращам / пращампослать · envoyer · live
Spec,VoiceSenderSender · subjectSender
Recipientbare first object, or to+personshort dative, or на+NP · doubling in the grammar · no bare second nounRussian bare dative on the noun · French à or lui, not doubled on the printed line
Themeobjectbare direct object · no case endingRussian accusative · French direct object
Person versus placeto · one prepositionperson clitic or на · place до / към / на / в / зад · за is the errand thingRussian dative versus в / на · French à for both, with lui only for the person
Person on a taskto-infinitiveда + finite verb · accusative of the personRussian bare infinitive · French bare infinitive
See-offoutside sendperson = moved figure · на гарата · донейдеnot the Russian or French letter frame

On пращам the thing is a bare object and the person who receives it is a clitic or на. The analogy with the dative on послать is a recipient beside the Theme. It is not a claim that Bulgarian spells a dative ending on the noun.

Notes

Working paper · October 2026 · Bulgarian micro-entry · Beyond Index 2

Sending in Bulgarian is not a bare second object and not one preposition of the third slot. Sender (Voice, subject), Theme (bare direct object), Recipient (short dative, or на+NP, doubled in the grammar). A place is до, към, на, в, or зад. за is the errand thing. A да-clause replaces the infinitive. On the see-off reading the person is the moved figure. English send her a letter is a double object. English send X to Y uses one marker for the person and the place. Bulgarian does not.

BG micro-entry live Beyond Index 2 bare second object DE schicken live FR envoyer live ES enviar live IT mandare live PT enviar live PL wysłać live JA 送る live RU послать live HU küld live NL sturen live NO sende live ZH 寄 / 送 live

Sense × language: send · Bulgarian (изпращам / изпратя; пращам / пратя). The transfer sense is the page. The see-off reading stays on the page because that is where that frame sits. No English send hub. Geometry neighbor: lend · заемам, for the dative clitic and for на on another Bulgarian verb. Index 2 Bulgarian Transfer is not this lemma.

Working paper. Bulgarian micro-entry, thirteenth language of send. Dictionary frames were read on the Речник на българския език of the Institute for Bulgarian Language, as served at ibl.bas.bg/rbe, on the one-volume articles as served at rechnik.chitanka.info, and on Радка Влахова-Руйкова, Практическа граматика. Български език, as served at slav.uni-sofia.bg/grammar, with Cambridge for the English double object, for to, and for the to-infinitive.
Constructed examples. Dictionary lines are marked as printed. Every other full clause is marked constructed. Пат праща писмо, Пат му праща писмо, Пат праща известие на Крис, На Крис му изпратиха покани, Пат я изпрати да купи хляб, Пат праща Крис за хляб, and Пат изпраща Крис на гарата are constructed on printed frames. Пат праща Крис писмо is constructed and rejected.
Arity. Index 2 does not list this lemma. Surface count can name a sender, a person, a thing, and a place. The lexicon does not list four co-arguments of one flat V. Voice adds the Sender. A phrase adds the dative clitic or на, or a place preposition, inside the verb’s domain. The root takes the Theme. за names the errand thing. по names an intermediary or a means. Neither is a fourth argument.
What this page does not do. It does not open a separate page for адресирам, изпратя, or пратя. It does not open an English page of send. The funeral, throw, and idiom senses stop at the citation.

Hierarchy

Not a flat grid of three sisters, and not one preposition copied from the English gloss. Voice adds the Sender. A short dative or на adds the Recipient. A place preposition adds a Goal. The root takes the Theme. The drawing is working and revisable.

What Bulgarian changes, against English send her a letter, is the second object: there is none. The person is a clitic or на. What Bulgarian changes, against English send X to Y, is the marker: the person is not spelled with the same preposition as every place, and на itself is printed for both a person and some places. What Bulgarian changes, against a to-infinitive, is да plus a finite verb. What Bulgarian adds, against English send, is the see-off reading, on which the person is the moved figure.

Geometry · send beside the clitic and на

  • English send. Person as the first object of [+ two objects]. Person and place in one to. Purpose in a to-infinitive. No English page is opened.
  • пращам / изпращам. Thing or person as the bare object. Recipient a short dative or на. Place до, към, на, в, зад. Errand за. Purpose a да-clause.
  • See-off. Изпращам я на гарата. The person is the moved figure. Not the letter frame.
  • адресирам. до майка си on a letter. Not a separate page. Not the до of до бакалницата.
  • заемам. The Bulgarian dative clitic and на on another verb. That page does not print this letter frame.
  • уча. A да-clause where English has an infinitive. The Learner there is a different object.
  • послать and envoyer. A recipient beside the Theme. Russian spells the dative on the noun. French spells à or lui. Bulgarian spells a clitic or на, and the grammar doubles them.

Open items

  • Whether a low phrase is the right head for the clitic and for на. The drawing puts the Recipient inside the verb’s domain. The articles print му and на мене apart. The grammar prints them together. They do not print that head.
  • A bare second object. Unprinted. Пат праща Крис писмо is constructed and marked. A full noun has no dative ending.
  • за plus a city, and до вратата. Unprinted. The printed за is за хляб, за сол и пипер, and за вода. The printed see-off places are на гарата and донейде. Not constructed.
  • Feminine й on these verbs. The morf16 table spells й. The citations opened here print му, ми, им, and ти. The feminine cell is unprinted on these verbs.
  • Letter-addressee до on изпращам or пращам. Unprinted. The printed до of those verbs is a place. до майка си is адресирам.
  • РБЕ пратя, and the one-volume sense 4 of изпращам. The separate РБЕ пратя article was not opened. Sense 4 names Какво and fills no example. No frame is taken from an unopened article.
  • Infolex, изпровождам, and експедирам. Not opened. No frame is quoted from them.
  • Aspect labels. The headers print imperfective and perfective. изпратих is the aorist the изпратя header prints. The labels are not an Aktionsart claim.

Corpus filenames and sources

Dictionary frames: Речник на българския език, Institute for Bulgarian Language, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, as served at ibl.bas.bg/rbe, for изпращам, пращам, адресирам, and изпращане. The one-volume articles of изпращам, изпратя, пращам, and пратя, as served at rechnik.chitanka.info. Grammar: Радка Влахова-Руйкова, Практическа граматика. Български език, Faculty of Slavic Studies, Sofia University, as served at slav.uni-sofia.bg/grammar, for the loss of nominal case, the short-dative table, clitic position, doubling, and the loss of the infinitive. English lines: Cambridge send. English Wiktionary and Bulgarian Wiktionary gloss изпращам and do not print an argument frame. Literary lines are quoted only as the dictionary articles print them. Constructed clauses put a printed marking on Пат and Крис. Index 2 does not list this lemma.

Records the bare Theme. Records the Recipient as a short dative or as на, and records doubling from the grammar rather than from a stacked dictionary citation. Records the place prepositions, за as the errand thing, the да-clause, and the see-off line on which the person is the moved figure. Does not open an English page.