Breakdown of Vratio sam dug prijatelju.
biti
to be (sam, si, je)
prijatelj
friend
vratiti
to return
dug
debt
Questions & Answers about Vratio sam dug prijatelju.
Wait, isn't dug also the adjective for "long"?
Yes, it is! The noun dug (debt) and the masculine adjective dug (long) are identical in their base nominative forms. You have to rely on the context of the sentence to tell them apart. Here, it clearly functions as the noun acting as the direct object of the verb.
Why is prijatelju in the dative case here?
The verb vratiti (to return) takes an indirect object for the person receiving the item, which requires the dative case. The thing being returned (dug) is the direct object in the accusative case. Think of the dative as answering "to whom" the debt was returned.
Is vratiti a specific financial verb used only for paying back money?
No, vratiti is the general perfective verb for returning a physical object or an abstract concept. You would use the exact same verb if you were returning a borrowed book, putting a tool back in its place, or returning a favor.
How would a female speaker say this sentence?
A woman would say Vratila sam dug prijatelju. The past tense verb form vratio is masculine, which tells us immediately that the speaker in this specific sentence is male.