Partneri

Partneri is a noun used in several South Slavic languages to mean "partners." It functions as the plural form of the word partner in Croatian, Bosnian, and Serbian, while the singular form is partner. The term is common in formal and everyday contexts where collaboration or association is involved.

In those languages, partneri denotes people or entities that participate together in a venture, relationship, or activity. In business settings, it refers to business partners or collaborators; in social or personal contexts it can appear in expressions that indicate a close accomplice or associate. Contemporary usage often relies on context to distinguish between a business partner and a life partner, with phrases such as life partner or partner up front in everyday speech.

Etymology and orthography-wise, partneri is a direct loanword from the English word partner (via French and other European loanword pathways in many cases). It is adapted to the morphological rules of the language, with -i added to form the masculine plural in these languages. This plural form is part of a broader pattern of loanword adaptation, where international terms are integrated into local grammar. While partneri is common in Croatian, Bosnian, and Serbian, other languages in the region may use different pluralizations or entirely different words for equivalent concepts.