"Mam dobrych przyjaciół."
Translation:I have good friends.
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I was confused by this until I realised the root word is the word for female friend "przyjaciółka".
Now it makes sense. To get the genitive plural drop the ending. Losing the "k" as well as the "a" is a slight irregularity I guess...
I do not think so. I think it is przyjać-el, -ółka, but the whole thing is messy. I found essay about how we do not really know why plural forms of przyjaciel look now . That essay points out that declination of plural is based on Genitive "przyjaciół", but nominative "przyjaciele" stayed, instead of other form, more in line with "przyjaciół". They do not know why "przyjaciół" became genitive form of "przyjaciel"
Of course your way of seeing it is helpful to remember.
It's a common word. I'll just have to learn the forms through usage and through forgiving friends lol (przez dobrych wyrozumiałych przyjaciół !)
I have to add, for a basic and common word, it is one hell of a mutha' to spell and pronounce. This and the awkward declension is probably why duo only introduces it so late in the course.
It is woth noting that word "przyjaciel" is stronger than English "friend". We have "collegues'=kolegów at school and playground, and "acquaintances" - znajomi on facebook and in pubs.
It's not irregular: "przyjaciele" - "przyjaciół" in Genitive (can be also used for a mixed group); "przyjaciółki" - "przyjaciółek" in Genitive (about female friends).
not irregular? Please tell me one other noun that has declination like that ? http://obcyjezykpolski.pl/dlaczego-przyjaciele-aleprzyjaciolom/
Surely, not such like he wrote - there is no dropping "ka" from "przyjaciółka".
Let's agree that Przyjaciele/przyjaciół is highly irregular, but does not come from przyjaciółka.
Sorry, my mistake! I thought the sentence must have been about female friends.
But then the "object" would not go into the genitive. It must be about male friends (since its a transitive sentence but we have genitive adjective type)
In which case my first instinct was right. Its totally cofusing and irregular hehehe. I should have checked the declension tables.
It's accusative. Przyjaciele is a virile (masculine personal) noun, that's why accusative has the same form as genitive.