prijatelja

Prijatelja is a grammatical form of the South Slavic noun prijatelj, meaning "friend." It appears in several cases and numbers in languages such as Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian and Slovenian: most commonly as the genitive singular (e.g., "imam prijatelja" – "I have a friend"), as the accusative singular for animate reference ("vidim prijatelja" – "I see a friend"), and also as the genitive plural in some contexts ("nemam prijatelja" – "I have no friends"). The base word prijatelj denotes a person with whom one has a bond of mutual affection, distinct from family or formal acquaintance.

Etymologically, prijatelj derives from Proto-Slavic roots related to the adjective meaning "pleasant" or "agreeable," and it has cognates across Slavic languages. The feminine counterpart is prijateljica, and plural forms include prijatelji (nominative). Usage reflects cultural nuances: in South Slavic societies, the term can signal varying degrees of intimacy, loyalty and obligation; words like drug or kolega may convey different social meanings (comrade, colleague).

In modern usage, prijatelj also appears in digital contexts (social media "friends") and in idiomatic expressions relating to trust and support. As a morphologically flexible form, prijatelja illustrates the case system characteristic of Slavic grammar and the lexical centrality of friendship in social discourse.