Zbogom, prijateljice.

Because prijateljice is the vocative form, used when you are directly addressing someone.

• prijateljica = female friend in the basic dictionary form
• prijateljice = O female friend! / friend! when speaking to her directly

In this sentence, the speaker is saying goodbye to the friend, so Serbian uses the vocative.

It is the vocative singular of prijateljica.

The vocative is used for direct address, similar to calling someone by name:

• Marija → Marijo!
• prijateljica → prijateljice!

English does not really have a special case for this anymore, so it can feel unfamiliar to learners.

Yes. Prijateljica means female friend, so prijateljice shows that the person being addressed is female.

If you were speaking to a male friend, you would say:

• Zbogom, prijatelju.

Here:

• prijatelj = male friend
• prijatelju = vocative singular

Zbogom means goodbye, but it often sounds more serious, final, or emotional than casual English bye.

In everyday Serbian, people more often say things like:

• Ćao = hi/bye, informal
• Doviđenja = goodbye, standard/polite
• Vidimo se = see you
• Pozdrav = regards/bye in some contexts

So Zbogom, prijateljice. can sound literary, heartfelt, or like a more final farewell.

It can sound a bit literary, dramatic, or final, depending on context. It is a real and correct word, but in ordinary conversation it is less common than ćao or doviđenja.

A native speaker might use zbogom:

• in emotional goodbyes
• in writing, songs, or literature
• when the farewell feels permanent or very serious

So yes, many learners notice that it is not the most neutral everyday goodbye.

Yes. The comma is used because prijateljice is a form of direct address.

This is similar to English:

• Goodbye, my friend.
• Come here, John.

In Serbian, when you directly address someone, a comma is normally used.

Yes, you can, although the tone may change slightly.

For example:

• Zbogom, prijateljice.
• Prijateljice, zbogom.

Both are understandable. The second version can sound more marked, emotional, or literary. The first is the more straightforward order.

A rough pronunciation for an English speaker is:

• Zbogom ≈ ZBOH-gom
• prijateljice ≈ priya-TELYi-tseh

A few useful notes:

• j is pronounced like English y
• lj is a soft sound, roughly like ly blended together
• c is pronounced ts

So prijateljice has a sound something like priya-telyi-tse.

Here it is singular: you are speaking to one female friend.

The form happens to look similar to some plural endings, which can confuse learners, but in this sentence it is the vocative singular of prijateljica.

Context helps a lot:

• Zbogom, prijateljice. = Goodbye, female friend.
• If you were addressing multiple female friends, you would need a different structure.

Yes, definitely. Because of zbogom and the clear vocative prijateljice, the sentence can sound a little elevated, emotional, or literary.

In a novel, film, letter, or song, it would feel very natural. In casual speech between friends, many speakers would choose a less dramatic goodbye.