Pričam sa prijateljem.

I am talking with a friend.

Breakdown of Pričam sa prijateljem.

• prijatelj: friend
• sa: with
• pričati: to talk or tell stories

Questions & Answers about Pričam sa prijateljem.

Why is there no word for I in 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.

What exactly is pričam?

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.

Why is it sa prijateljem and not sa prijatelj?

Because the preposition sa requires the instrumental case.

The basic noun is:

• prijatelj = friend

But after sa it changes to the instrumental singular: