Pričam sa prijateljem.

Because Serbian often drops subject pronouns when they are not needed. The verb form pričam already tells you the subject is I.

• pričam = I talk / I am talking
• If you add ja, it becomes more emphatic: Ja pričam sa prijateljem = I am talking with a friend, with extra stress on I.

Pričam is the 1st person singular present tense form of the verb pričati.

So the pattern is:

• ja pričam = I talk
• ti pričaš = you talk
• on/ona priča = he/she talks
• mi pričamo = we talk
• vi pričate = you talk
• oni pričaju = they talk

In this sentence, pričam means I am talking or I talk, depending on context.

Because the preposition sa requires the instrumental case.

The basic noun is:

• prijatelj = friend

But after sa it changes to the instrumental singular:

• sa prijateljem = with a friend / with the friend

This is one of the most important things to remember in Serbian: prepositions often control a specific case.

It is the instrumental singular of prijatelj.

For many masculine nouns, the instrumental singular ends in -om or -em. Here it is:

• prijatelj → prijateljem

So:

• nominative: prijatelj
• instrumental: prijateljem

Sa means with in this sentence. It is used to show the person someone is together with while doing something.

So:

• pričam sa prijateljem = I am talking with a friend

A very common pattern in Serbian is:

• verb + sa + instrumental

Examples:

• Idem sa sestrom. = I’m going with my sister.
• Radim sa kolegom. = I’m working with a colleague.

Yes, s and sa are closely related, and both can mean with. However, sa is commonly used before certain consonant clusters and is very natural here.

So:

• sa prijateljem = completely normal
• s prijateljem = possible in some contexts/styles, but sa prijateljem is the safer choice for learners

In everyday Serbian, sa is very common.

It can mean both, depending on context.

The Serbian present tense often covers both:

• habitual meaning: I talk with a friend
• ongoing right now meaning: I am talking with a friend

Context tells you which one is meant.

For example:

• On the phone right now: Pričam sa prijateljem. = I’m talking with a friend.
• Describing a routine: Često pričam sa prijateljem. = I often talk with a friend.

Yes, govorim sa prijateljem is possible, but pričam sa prijateljem sounds more like having a conversation / chatting.

A simple way to think about it:

• pričati = to talk, chat, tell, speak in a conversational way
• govoriti = to speak, say

So in this sentence:

• Pričam sa prijateljem = I’m talking/chatting with a friend
• Govorim sa prijateljem = I’m speaking with a friend

Both can work, but pričam feels especially natural for a two-way conversation.

Yes. Serbian word order is flexible.

The neutral order here is:

• Pričam sa prijateljem.

But you may also hear:

• Sa prijateljem pričam.
• Ja pričam sa prijateljem.

The meaning stays basically the same, but the emphasis changes.

For example:

• Ja pričam sa prijateljem. emphasizes I
• Sa prijateljem pričam. emphasizes with a friend

For learners, the original order is the best one to start with.

Usually, yes. Prijatelj is grammatically masculine and normally refers to a male friend.

• prijatelj = male friend
• prijateljica = female friend

So sa prijateljem usually means with a male friend.

If the friend is female, you would say:

• Pričam sa prijateljicom.

The lj in prijateljem is a single Serbian sound, not a normal English l + y sequence. It is similar to the lli sound in some pronunciations of Italian famiglia, though not exactly the same.

A rough guide:

• Pričam ≈ PREE-cham
• sa ≈ sah
• prijateljem ≈ pree-yah-TEL-yem, but with lj pronounced as one soft sound

Also:

• č is like ch in church

So Pričam has that clear ch sound.

Yes, pričati is an imperfective verb.

That matters because imperfective verbs are used for:

• ongoing actions
• repeated actions
• general statements

So Pričam sa prijateljem naturally means:

• I am talking with a friend
• I talk with a friend

A perfective verb would not normally be used the same way for a simple present statement like this. For learners, the key point is: pričati is the normal verb for this kind of present-tense sentence.