radnike

Radnike is the plural accusative form of the noun radnik in Croatian, Serbian, and Bosnian. The base word radnik means a worker or laborer. Radnike denotes multiple workers when they are the direct object of a sentence. For example: Vidim radnike (I see the workers); Radnike treba platiti na vrijeme (The workers must be paid on time). The nominative plural is radnici, while other cases such as the dative or genitive plural use different endings (for example radnicima, radnika).

Radnik is formed from the root related to work, with the agent suffix -nik, a common pattern for indicating a person associated with an activity. The word is cognate with other Slavic terms for worker, such as Russian rabotnik and Polish robotnik, which share a similar meaning and origin.

Radnike appears in everyday language as a generic term for workers; in journalism and public discourse it is used to describe labor groups, workers’ rights, or collective bargaining. The adjectival form radnički, derived from the same root, means “of workers” and is used in phrases like radnički pokret (the workers’ movement) or radnička prava (worker rights).

Related terms include radnik (singular male worker) and radnica (female worker), as well as the adjective radnički. The form and usage are specific to South Slavic languages that distinguish case endings, with radnike serving as the direct-object plural.