Is the word friends a noun

друг, подруга, приятель, знакомый, товарищ, быть другом, помогать

существительное ↓

глагол ↓

Словосочетания

Примеры с переводом

Примеры, ожидающие перевода

Возможные однокоренные слова

friendless  — одинокий, не имеющий друзей
friendly  — дружественный, дружественно, дружелюбно, товарищеская встреча
friendship  — дружба, дружелюбие
unfriendly  — недружественный, недружелюбный, неприветливый, неблагоприятный
friendlike  — дружеский, подобный другу, подобный подруге

Формы слова

verb
I/you/we/they: friend
he/she/it: friends
ing ф. (present participle): friending
2-я ф. (past tense): friended
3-я ф. (past participle): friended

noun
ед. ч.(singular): friend
мн. ч.(plural): friends

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English frend, freend, from Old English frēond (“friend”, literally “loving[-one], lover”), from Proto-West Germanic *friund, from Proto-Germanic *frijōndz (“lover, friend”), from Proto-Indo-European *preyH- (“to like, love”), equivalent to free +‎ -nd.

Cognate with Saterland Frisian Fjund, Früünd (“friend”), West Frisian freon, froen, freondinne (“friend”), Dutch vriend (“friend”), Low German Frund, Fründ (“friend, relative”), Luxembourgish Frënd (“friend”), German Freund (“friend”), Danish frænde (“kinsman”), Swedish frände (“kinsman, relative”), Icelandic frændi (“kinsman”), Gothic 𐍆𐍂𐌹𐌾𐍉𐌽𐌳𐍃 (frijōnds, “friend”). More at free.

Other cognates include Russian приятель (prijatelʹ, “friend”) and Sanskrit प्रिय (priyá-, “beloved”).

Pronunciation[edit]

• (Received Pronunciation, General American) enPR: frĕnd, IPA^(key): /fɹɛnd/, [fɹ̥end̥]
• (now dialectal) IPA^(key): /frɪnd/^[1]
• Rhymes: -ɛnd

Noun[edit]

friend (plural friends)

1. A person, typically someone other than a family member, spouse or lover, whose company one enjoys and towards whom one feels affection.
   • 1841, Ralph Waldo Emerson, «Friendship», Essays, Vol. I:

     The only reward of virtue is virtue; the only way to have a friend is to be one.

   • 1917, Richard M. Gummere translating Seneca as Ad Lucilium Epistulae Morales, Loeb Classical Library, Vol. I, No. 3:

     …if you consider any man a friend whom you do not trust as you trust yourself, you are mightily mistaken and you do not sufficiently understand what true friendship means.

   • 1923, William Armistead Falconer translating Cicero as De Amicitia, Loeb Classical Library, Vol. XX, p. 34:

     …he who looks upon a true friend, looks, as it were, upon a sort of image of himself. Wherefore friends, though absent, are at hand; though in need, yet abound; though weak, are strong; and—harder saying still—though dead, are yet alive; so great is the esteem on the part of their friends, the tender recollection and the deep longing that still attends them.

   • 1927 Mar. 31, Ernest Hemingway, letter to F. Scott Fitzgerald:

     …you are my devoted friend too. You do more and work harder and oh shit I’d get maudlin about how damned swell you are. My god I’d like to see you… You’re a hell of a good guy.

   • 1933 Dec. 12, Walter Winchell, «On Broadway», Scranton Republican, p. 5:

     Definition of a friend: One who walks in—when the rest of the world walks out.

   John and I have been friends ever since we were roommates at college.   Trust is important between friends.   I used to find it hard to make friends when I was shy.

   We became friends in the war and remain friends to this day.    We were friends with some girls from the other school and stayed friends with them.

2. An associate who provides assistance.

   The Automobile Association is every motorist’s friend.   The police is every law-abiding citizen’s friend.

3. A person with whom one is vaguely or indirectly acquainted.

   • 2013 June 21, Oliver Burkeman, “The tao of tech”, in The Guardian Weekly, volume 189, number 2, page 27:

     The dirty secret of the internet is that all this distraction and interruption is immensely profitable. Web companies like to boast about […], or offering services that let you «stay up to date with what your friends are doing», […] and so on. But the real way to build a successful online business is to be better than your rivals at undermining people’s control of their own attention.

   a friend of a friend;  I added him as a friend on Facebook, but I hardly know him.

4. A person who backs or supports something.

   I’m not a friend of cheap wine.

5. (informal) An object or idea that can be used for good.

   Fruit is your friend.

6. (colloquial, ironic, used only in the vocative) Used as a form of address when warning someone.

   You’d better watch it, friend.

7. (object-oriented programming) A function or class granted special access to the private and protected members of another class.

   • 1991, Tom Swan, Learning C++:

     But don’t take the following sections as an endorsement of friends. Top C++ programmers avoid using friends unless absolutely necessary.

   • 2001, Stephen Prata, C++ primer plus:

     In that case, the function needn’t (and shouldn’t) be a friend.

   • 2008, D S Malik, C++ Programming: From Problem Analysis to Program Design:

     To make a function be a friend to a class, the reserved word friend precedes the function prototype […]

8. (climbing) A spring-loaded camming device.
   • 1995, Rock Climbing Basics

     Since they were introduced in the 1970s, friends have revolutionized climbing, making protection possible in previously impossible places […]

9. (euphemistic) A lover; a boyfriend or girlfriend.

   • c. 1595–1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “Loues Labour’s Lost”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene ii]:

     Nor to the motion of a schoolboy’s tongue ; Nor never come in visard to my friend

   • 1813, Samuel Foote, The Commissary, Etc., page 17:

     Time has been, when a gentleman wanted a friend, I could supply him with choice in an hour; but the market is spoiled, and a body might as soon produce a hare or a partridge […]

   • 1975, Janis Ian, «In the Winter»:

     I met your friend. She’s very nice, what can I say?

10. (Scotland, obsolete) A relative, a relation by blood or marriage.

    Friends agree best at a distance.

    Make friends of framet folk.

    • 1895, Crockett, Bog-Myrtle, 232:

      He was not a drop’s blood to me, though him and my wife were far-out friends.

11. (in the plural, usually preceded by «and») Used to refer collectively to a group of associated individuals, especially those comprising a cast, company, or crew

    Synonyms: and company, et al.

    Meanwhile on The View, Whoopi Goldberg and friends continue to issue forced apologies for their assumptive comments regarding non-profit organisation Turning Point USA…

Usage notes[edit]

• friends is found as an invariable plural in the phrases make friends with and be friends with: I am friends with her; He made friends with his co-worker.
• We usually make a friend, or make friends with someone. See Appendix:Collocations of do, have, make, and take
• In older texts and certain dialects, the prepositional phrase to friend means «as a friend or an ally», for exampleː «with God to frend (Spenser)». The antonym to the phrase to friend is to fiend.

Synonyms[edit]

• (person whose company one enjoys): See Thesaurus:friend
• (boyfriend or girlfriend): See Thesaurus:lover
• (person with whom you are acquainted): acquaintance, contact
• (person who provides assistance): ally
• (person who backs something): admirer, booster, champion, protagonist, supporter
• (form of address used in warning someone): buster, mate (British), pal, buddy, sonny

Antonyms[edit]

• (person whose company one enjoys): See Thesaurus:enemy
• (person with whom you are acquainted): stranger
• (person who provides assistance): enemy, foe

Derived terms[edit]

Descendants[edit]

• → Cantonese: friend (fen¹)
• → Finnish: frendi
• → Serbo-Croatian:
  • Latin script: frȅnd
  • Cyrillic script: фре̏нд

Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

friend (third-person singular simple present friends, present participle friending, simple past and past participle friended)

1. (transitive, obsolete) To act as a friend to, to befriend; to be friendly to, to help.
   • 1596, Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene, IV.ii:

     Lo sluggish Knight the victors happie pray: / So fortune friends the bold […].

   • 1896, Alfred Edward Housman, A Shropshire Lad, LXII:

     ’Tis true, the stuff I bring for sale
     Is not so brisk a brew as ale:
     Out of a stem that scored the hand
     I wrung it in a weary land.
     But take it: if the smack is sour,
     The better for the embittered hour;
     It should do good to heart and head
     When your soul is in my soul’s stead;
     And I will friend you, if I may,
     In the dark and cloudy day.

2. (transitive) To add (a person) to a list of friends on a social networking site; to officially designate (someone) as a friend.
   • 2006, David Fono and Kate Raynes-Goldie, «Hyperfriendship and Beyond: Friends and Social Norms on LiveJournal» (PDF version), Internet Research Annual Volume 4, Peter Lang, →ISBN, page 99,

     The difference between responses to the statement, «If someone friends me, I will friend them,» and «If I friend someone, I expect them to friend me back,» is telling.

   • 2006, Kevin Farnham; Dale G. Farnham, Myspace Safety: 51 Tips for Teens And Parents‎^[2], How-To Primers, →ISBN, page 69:

     One of the most used features of MySpace is the practice that is nicknamed «friending.» If you «friend» someone, then that person is added to your MySpace friends list, and you are added to their friends list.

Synonyms[edit]

• (to act as the friend of): befriend

Antonyms[edit]

• (social networking): defriend, unfriend

Translations[edit]

References[edit]

Further reading[edit]

• friend at OneLook Dictionary Search

Anagrams[edit]

• Friden, finder, frined, redfin, refin’d, refind

Chinese[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from English friend.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

friend

1. (Cantonese) friend (Classifier: 個／个 c)

   佢係我個friend嚟㗎。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   佢系我个friend嚟㗎。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   keoi⁵ hai⁶ ngo⁵ go³ fen¹ lai⁴ gaa³. [Jyutping]

   He’s my friend.

   • 我個friend話：「唔會衰嘅，邊有咁容易吖，世界咁多人死又唔見你去死。」 [Cantonese, trad.]
     我个friend话：“唔会衰嘅，边有咁容易吖，世界咁多人死又唔见你去死。” [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2008, 李紫媚 (Jessica Li), 《盜與罪：青少年犯罪預防理論與對策》 (Theft and delinquency: juvenile crime prevention theories and practice), page 180

     ngo⁵ go³ fen¹ waa⁶: “M⁴ wui⁵ seoi¹ ge³, bin¹ jau⁵ gam³ jung⁴ ji⁶ aa¹, sai³ gaai³ gam³ do¹ jan⁴ sei² jau⁶ m⁴ gin³ nei⁵ heoi³ sei².” [Jyutping]

     My friend said, «It’s not gonna go wrong. It’s not that easy [to go wrong]. There are so many people in the world, and I don’t see you dying.»

   • 喂，乜你班friend咁踢波嘅，係咪有啲唔對路？ [Cantonese, trad.]
     喂，乜你班friend咁踢波嘅，系咪有啲唔对路？ [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2015, Playboy 文 (pseudonym), 《港股策略王》, issue 18, page 69

     wai², mat¹ nei⁵ baan¹ fen¹ gam² tek³ bo¹ ge², hai⁶ mai⁶ jau⁵ di¹ m⁴ deoi³ lou⁶? [Jyutping]

     Hey, how come your friends play soccer like this. Is there some problem?

   • 我個friend叫我去佢屋企坐吓，但又唔話我知佢女友喺度，搞到我變咗做電燈膽。 [Cantonese, trad.]
     我个friend叫我去佢屋企坐吓，但又唔话我知佢女友喺度，搞到我变咗做电灯胆。 [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2016, 董德偉, 《英語講呢D》, page 101

     ngo⁵ go³ fen¹ giu³ ngo⁵ heoi³ keoi⁵ uk¹ kei^5-2 co⁵ haa⁵, daan⁶ jau⁶ m⁴ waa⁶ ngo⁵ zi¹ keoi⁵ neoi⁵ jau⁵ hai² dou⁶, gaau² dou³ ngo⁵ bin³ zo² zou⁶ din⁶ dang¹ daam². [Jyutping]

     When my friend invited me to hang out at his house but he didn’t tell me that his girlfriend would be there too, he made me a third wheel.

2. (Cantonese, always with the classifier) the likes of; something similar to (Classifier: 啲 c)

   • 警方昨向黃發信，指漫畫提到假新聞是從「少年警訊啲friend傳出嚟㗎」，對漫畫的無理指控表達強烈不滿和關注，要求澄清。 [Cantonese, trad.]
     警方昨向黄发信，指漫画提到假新闻是从“少年警讯啲friend传出嚟㗎”，对漫画的无理指控表达强烈不满和关注，要求澄清。 [Cantonese, simp.]

     ging² fong¹ zok³ hoeng³ wong⁴ faat³ seon³, zi² maan⁶ waa² tai⁴ dou³ gaa² san¹ man⁴ si⁶ cung⁴ “siu³ nin⁴ ging² seon³ di¹ fen¹ cyun⁴ ceot¹ lai⁴ gaa³”, deoi³ maan⁶ waa² dik¹ mou⁴ lei⁵ zi² hung³ biu² daat⁶ koeng⁴ lit⁶ bat¹ mun⁵ wo⁴ gwaan¹ zyu³, jiu¹ kau⁴ cing⁴ cing¹. [Jyutping]

     (please add an English translation of this example)

Synonyms[edit]

• (friend): 朋友 (péngyou)

Adjective[edit]

friend

1. (Cantonese) in a close or friendly relationship

   我哋好friend㗎。 [Cantonese]  ―  ngo⁵ dei⁶ hou² fen¹ gaa³. [Jyutping]  ―  We are really close.

   • 實行用㗎文跟佢friend吓 [Cantonese, trad.]
     实行用㗎文跟佢friend吓 [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 1985, 許冠傑, 《日本娃娃》

     sat⁶ hang⁴ jung⁶ gaa³ man^4-2 gan¹ keoi⁵ fen¹ haa² [Jyutping]

     Used a bit of Japanese to try and make friends with her

   • 「因為你哋五個好似好friend好開心噉喎。」 [Cantonese, trad.]
     “因为你哋五个好似好friend好开心噉㖞。” [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2011, TVB-J2, K-ON！！輕音少女 (K-On!!), season 2, episode 1

     “jan¹ wai⁴ nei⁵ dei⁶ ng⁵ go³ hou² ci⁵ hou² fen¹ hou² hoi¹ sam¹ gam² wo³.” [Jyutping]

     “It’s because you five seem so close and happy.”

   • 我叫奧古，和她識了很多年，算係好friend下。 [Cantonese, trad.]
     我叫奥古，和她识了很多年，算系好friend下。 [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2013, 董啟章 (Dung Kai-cheung), 《體育時期（劇場版）【上學期】》, page 124

     ngo⁵ giu³ ou³ gu², wo⁴ taa¹ sik¹ liu⁵ han² do¹ nin⁴, syun³ hai⁶ hou² fen¹ haa⁵. [Jyutping]

     My name is Ou Gu. I knew her for many years, so we are pretty close.

   • 我唔想我哋只係喺呢段時間Friend返，我想我哋變返以前咁，Friend到乜都傾，平時大家有啲咩都會搵大家講。 [Cantonese, trad.]
     我唔想我哋只系喺呢段时间Friend返，我想我哋变返以前咁，Friend到乜都倾，平时大家有啲咩都会揾大家讲。 [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2015, 少少肥 (pseudonym), 《自修室‧學界嘅蘭桂坊》, page 243

     ngo⁵ m⁴ soeng² ngo⁵ dei⁶ zi² hai⁶ hai² ni¹ dyun⁶ si⁴ gaan³ fen¹ faan¹, ngo⁵ soeng² ngo⁵ dei⁶ bin³ faan¹ ji⁵ cin⁴ gam², fen¹ dou³ mat¹ dou¹ king¹, ping⁴ si⁴ daai⁶ gaa¹ jau⁵ di¹ me¹ dou¹ wui⁵ wan² daai⁶ gaa¹ gong². [Jyutping]

     I don’t want us to just be close for this while. I want us to turn back into how we were before, when we were so close that we would chat about anything, when we would normally look for each other to talk if anything happens.

   • 不過始終大家都係細路，好快就friend咗，我個人好易相處，同香港人、印度人都相處到，所以其實讀咩學校都冇問題。 [Cantonese, trad.]
     不过始终大家都系细路，好快就friend咗，我个人好易相处，同香港人、印度人都相处到，所以其实读咩学校都冇问题。 [Cantonese, simp.]

     From: 2016, 喬寶寶, (Q Bobo), 《香港製造》, page 32

     bat¹ gwo³ ci² zung¹ daai⁶ gaa¹ dou¹ hai⁶ sai³ lou⁶, hou² faai³ zau⁶ fen¹ zo², ngo⁵ go³ jan⁴ hou² ji⁶ soeng¹ cyu², tung⁴ hoeng¹ gong² jan⁴, jan³ dou⁶ jan⁴ dou¹ soeng¹ cyu² dou^3-2, so² ji⁵ kei⁴ sat⁶ duk⁶ me¹ hok⁶ haau⁶ dou¹ mou⁵ man⁶ tai⁴. [Jyutping]

     But since everyone is a kid, we quickly became close. I easily get along with others, no matter if it’s with Hong Kongers or Indians, so it doesn’t matter which school I go to.

References[edit]

• English Loanwords in Hong Kong Cantonese

Middle English[edit]

Noun[edit]

friend

1. Alternative form of frend

Old English[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /fri͜yːnd/

Noun[edit]

frīend

1. dative singular of frēond
2. nominative and accusative plural of frēond

Spanish[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From English friend.

Pronunciation[edit]

• IPA^(key): /ˈfɾend/ [ˈfɾẽn̪d̪]
• Rhymes: -end

Noun[edit]

friend m (plural friends)

1. (climbing) cam

Yola[edit]

Noun[edit]

friend

1. Alternative form of vriene

   • 1867, “VERSES IN ANSWER TO THE WEDDEEN O BALLYMORE”, in SONGS, ETC. IN THE DIALECT OF FORTH AND BARGY, number 3:

     Mye thee friend ne’re waant welcome, nor straayart comfoort.

     May thy friend ne’er want welcome, nor the stranger comfort.

References[edit]

• Jacob Poole (1867), William Barnes, editor, A Glossary, With some Pieces of Verse, of the old Dialect of the English Colony in the Baronies of Forth and Bargy, County of Wexford, Ireland, London: J. Russell Smith, page 100

friend

 (frĕnd)

n.

1. A person whom one knows, likes, and trusts.

2. A person whom one knows; an acquaintance.

3. A person with whom one is allied in a struggle or cause; a comrade.

4. One who supports, sympathizes with, or patronizes a group, cause, or movement: friends of the clean air movement.

5. Friend A member of the Society of Friends; a Quaker.

tr.v. friend·ed, friend·ing, friends

1. Informal To add (someone) as a friend on a social networking website.

2. Archaic To befriend.

Idiom:

be friends with

To be a friend of: I am friends with my neighbor.

---

---

friend′less adj.

friend′less·ness n.

Word History: The relationship between Latin amīcus, «friend,» and amō, «I love,» is clear, as is the relationship between Greek philos, «friend,» and phileō, «I love.» In English, though, we have to go back a millennium before we see the verb that we can easily connect to friend. Frēond, the Old English source of Modern English friend, is related to the Old English verb frēon, «to love, like, honor, set free (from slavery or confinement).» Specifically, frēond comes from the present participle of the Germanic ancestor of Old English frēon and thus originally meant «one who loves.» (The Old English verb frēon, «to love, set free,» by the way, survives today in Modern English as to free.) The Germanic root of frēond and frēon is *frī-, which meant «to like, love, be friendly to.» Closely linked to these concepts is that of «peace,» and in fact Germanic made a noun from this root, *frithu-, meaning exactly that. Ultimately descended from this noun are the personal names Frederick, «peaceful ruler,» and Siegfried, «victory peace.» The root also shows up in the name of the Germanic deity Frigg, the goddess of love, who lives on today in the word Friday, «day of Frigg,» from an ancient translation of Latin Veneris diēs, «day of Venus.»

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

friend

(frɛnd)

n

1. a person known well to another and regarded with liking, affection, and loyalty; an intimate

2. an acquaintance or associate

3. an ally in a fight or cause; supporter

4. a fellow member of a party, society, etc

5. a patron or supporter: a friend of the opera.

6. be friends to be friendly (with)

7. make friends to become friendly (with)

vb (tr)

8. (Communications & Information) to add (a person) to one’s list of contacts on a social networking website

[Old English frēond; related to Old Saxon friund, Old Norse frǣndi, Gothic frijōnds, Old High German friunt]

ˈfriendless adj

ˈfriendlessness n

ˈfriendship n

---

Friend

(frɛnd)

n

(Protestantism) a member of the Religious Society of Friends; Quaker

---

Friend

(frɛnd)

n

(Mountaineering) trademark mountaineering a device consisting of a shaft with double-headed spring-loaded cams that can be wedged in a crack to provide an anchor point

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

friend

(frɛnd)

n.

1. a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.

2. a person who gives assistance; patron; supporter: friends of the Boston Symphony.

3. a person who is on good terms with another; a person who is not hostile: Who goes there? Friend or foe?

4. a member of the same nation, party, etc.

5. (cap.) a member of the Society of Friends; Quaker.

v.t.

6. Archaic. to befriend.

Idioms:

make friends with, to enter into friendly relations with; become a friend to.

[before 900; Middle English friend, frend, Old English frēond friend, lover, relative (c. Old Saxon friund, Old High German friunt), orig. present participle of frēogan to love]

friend′less, adj.

friend′less•ness, n.

Random House Kernerman Webster’s College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.

friend

1. ‘friend’

Your friends are people you know well and like spending time with. You can refer to a friend who you know very well as a good friend or a close friend.

He’s a good friend of mine.

A close friend told me about it.

If someone has been your friend for a long time, you can refer to them as an old friend. He or she is not necessarily an old person.

I went back to my hometown and visited some old friends.

2. ‘be friends with’

If someone is your friend, you can say that you are friends with them.

You used to be good friends with him, didn’t you?

I also became friends with Melanie.

Collins COBUILD English Usage © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 2004, 2011, 2012

friend

Past participle: friended
Gerund: friending

Imperative
friend
friend

Present
I friend
you friend
he/she/it friends
we friend
you friend
they friend

Preterite
I friended
you friended
he/she/it friended
we friended
you friended
they friended

Present Continuous
I am friending
you are friending
he/she/it is friending
we are friending
you are friending
they are friending

Present Perfect
I have friended
you have friended
he/she/it has friended
we have friended
you have friended
they have friended

Past Continuous
I was friending
you were friending
he/she/it was friending
we were friending
you were friending
they were friending

Past Perfect
I had friended
you had friended
he/she/it had friended
we had friended
you had friended
they had friended

Future
I will friend
you will friend
he/she/it will friend
we will friend
you will friend
they will friend

Future Perfect
I will have friended
you will have friended
he/she/it will have friended
we will have friended
you will have friended
they will have friended

Future Continuous
I will be friending
you will be friending
he/she/it will be friending
we will be friending
you will be friending
they will be friending

Present Perfect Continuous
I have been friending
you have been friending
he/she/it has been friending
we have been friending
you have been friending
they have been friending

Future Perfect Continuous
I will have been friending
you will have been friending
he/she/it will have been friending
we will have been friending
you will have been friending
they will have been friending

Past Perfect Continuous
I had been friending
you had been friending
he/she/it had been friending
we had been friending
you had been friending
they had been friending

Conditional
I would friend
you would friend
he/she/it would friend
we would friend
you would friend
they would friend

Past Conditional
I would have friended
you would have friended
he/she/it would have friended
we would have friended
you would have friended
they would have friended

Collins English Verb Tables © HarperCollins Publishers 2011

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Translations

• #1

Hello,

An English friend of mine just corrected me as I was saying friend and told me it should be friends in the following sentence :

If she weren’t funny, what would be the point in being friend

s

with her ?

I don’t really understand this. Shouldn’t adjectives be invariable in English ? And as far as we’re just talking about one person, I don’t understand, if «friend» were a noun, why it wouldn’t be singular.

She gave me other examples :

I’m friends with you ==> Here again, there’s only one person (me) who is friend(s ?) with you
They are friends with each other ==> They are at least two, but once again it’s an adjective, isn’t it ?
You’re friends with him ==> Same as the first one

Could you please enlighten me here ? I acknowledge I’m totally lost at the moment…

• #2

Hello,

An English friend of mine just corrected me as I was saying friend and told me it should be friends in the following sentence :

If she weren’t funny, what would be the point in being friend

s

with her ?

I don’t really understand this. Shouldn’t adjectives be invariable in English ? And as far as we’re just talking about one person, I don’t understand, if «friend» were a noun, why it wouldn’t be singular.

She gave me other examples :

I’m friends with you ==> Here again, there’s only one person (me) who is friend(s ?) with you
They are friends with each other ==> They are at least two, but once again it’s an adjective, isn’t it ?
You’re friends with him ==> Same as the first one

Could you please enlighten me here ? I acknowledge I’m totally lost at the moment…

Interesting question. Your friend is right — it should be «friends» here. I analyse it as a noun rather than an adjective (which, as you say, are invariable). The easy answer is that it is a set-phrase — I’m trying to think of another example either where a plural or indeed a singular noun is used, but I can’t think of one (other than synonyms for «friend», ie «I had been mates with him for years») so perhaps that’s the best way.

Edit — colloquially I think you could say «I’ve been business partners with him for 5 years» so perhaps it’s a structure which can be used for relationships. As I say, this does sound a bit colloquial and something like «I’ve been lovers with him for 5 years» even more so, so perhaps this is a structure which only relates to «friends».

Also — an example of a clear adjective would be something like «I’ve been close to him for 5 years» (which is not plural).

• #3

It’s definitely a weird construction and I can only say that it’s simply idiomatic. We also say «make friends with» as in «I made friends with my former enemy».

• #4

I’m relieved my English friend is right and I was wrong !

Therefore, can we assume that «friend» refers to the noun and «friends» to the adjective ?

He’s a friend of mine ==> I’m friends with him

• #5

I’m relieved my English friend is right and I was wrong !

Therefore, can we assume that «friend» refers to the noun and «friends» to the adjective ?

He’s a friend of mine ==> I’m friends with him

However, I would classify both as nouns. The plural is just atypical.

• #6

The key word here is with. «Friends» is plural because it describes a relationship shared between both you and your friend.

It is possible to use this with any mutual relationship:

«We’re friends/enemies/acquaintances.»
«Bill and Jane are spouses.» («husband and wife» would work as well.)
«They wish (that) they were brothers.»

And, as Tazzler said, you can «make friends» or «become [friends, enemies, classmates, neighbors, etc.]» with someone.

Last edited: Dec 9, 2010

• #7

The key word here is with. «Friends» is plural because it describes a relationship shared between both you and your friend.

It is possible to use this with any mutual relationship:

«We’re friends/enemies/acquaintances.»
«Bill and Jane are spouses.» («husband and wife» would work as well.)
«They wish (that) they were brothers.»

And, as Tazzler said, you can «make friends» or «become [friends, enemies, classmates, neighbors, etc.]» with someone.

I don’t think it’s as simple as this. There is no problem with any permutation of «we are plural noun» because that’s a normal way to describe two people. The question becomes more difficult when it seems to have an adjectival value — and that can be shown by using «I am/have been» as Guill did above:

I have been friends with him for 5 years.

Of your examples none sound quite right to me in that format and some, such as «Bill has been spouses with Jane for 5 years» sound quite wrong.

I haven’t yet heard/thought of an example which sounds as natural in the plural as «friends» does in that sentence.

• #8

Evidence that it is a noun, not an adjective, if any more is needed: it is modified by adjectives, not by adverbs. It occurs as object of a preposition.

I am close friends with him.
I am very friends with him.
I am the best of friends with him.

• #9

With regards to other examples which take this form, you occasionally hear people say «I’ve been enemies with him/her for years».
Although it is admittedly a confusing grammatical structure for a sentence, I think that the key part is «with her». In this case, I believe that «friends» is an adjective —
«You and I are friends»
«I am friends with you»
«We are all friends»
I think that the confusion comes from the fact that of course the word «friends» is also used in similar circumstances as a noun and so it looks confusing that one can say «We are partners»/»I am partners with him», but you can’t say «We are firefighters»/»I am firefighters with him».
I think this adds further weight to the fact that «friends,partners,enemies» in these sentences are adjectival as a fixed word to describe the nature of a relationship. It’s just that someone many years ago decided that they would use the plural of the noun in order to form the adjective — and it stuck!

• #10

I don’t think it’s as simple as this. There is no problem with any permutation of «we are plural noun» because that’s a normal way to describe two people. The question becomes more difficult when it seems to have an adjectival value — and that can be shown by using «I am/have been» as Guill did above:

I have been friends with him for 5 years.

Of your examples none sound quite right to me in that format and some, such as «Bill has been spouses with Jane for 5 years» sound quite wrong.

I haven’t yet heard/thought of an example which sounds as natural in the plural as «friends» does in that sentence.

It didn’t even occur to me that all my examples were in the plural. I do stand by the concept, though.

«We’re friends/enemies/acquaintances.»

«I’m friends/enemies/acquaintances with her.»

«Bill and Jane are spouses.» («husband and wife» would work as well.)

«Bill is spouses with Jane.» This one does sound strange, but not really wrong to me. I do think it would sound better to say «Bill is Jane’s spouse/husband.»
«Bill is husband and wife with Jane.» This also sounds unusual but acceptable to me, by analogy with «He is siblings/brother and sister with her.»

«They wish (that) they were brothers.»

«He wishes he was brothers with him.»

EDIT: Maybe the form is more productive in the US?

Last edited: Dec 9, 2010

• #11

It didn’t even occur to me that all my examples were in the plural. I do stand by the concept, though.

«We’re friends/enemies/acquaintances.»

«I’m friends/enemies/acquaintances with her.»

«Bill and Jane are spouses.» («husband and wife» would work as well.)

«Bill is spouses with Jane.» This one does sound strange, but not really wrong to me. I do think it would sound better to say «Bill is Jane’s spouse/husband.»
«Bill is husband and wife with Jane.» This also sounds unusual but acceptable to me, by analogy with «He is siblings/brother and sister with her.»

«They wish (that) they were brothers.»

«He wishes he was brothers with him.»

EDIT: Maybe the form is more productive in the US?

It may well be the case that this is more productive in the US, and as a Brit I can say that I have never heard any of your examples used.
I googled the following and here are the numbers of matches (for the style of sentence) on the entire internet —
«»wishes he was brothers with» — 0 results
«is husband and wife with» — 3 results (out of six, but the other three were not in this context)
«is spouses with» 0 results (out of 252, but none matched the context).

As I said before, I believe that the word «friends», «enemies» and «partners» can be used as adjectives as well as nouns. Although adjectives in English never agree with their noun (i.e. they are invariable) these ones use the plural form because it is impossible to use them in an adjectival form in a sentence which does not relate to two or more people. I.e. You can’t say «I am friends with» without adding an extra person (even if this «person» is «no-one»).
Hence, they have not broken the rule of invariable adjectives, since they

never

appear in the singular form as adjectives!

• #12

It may well be the case that this is more productive in the US, and as a Brit I can say that I have never heard any of your examples used.
I googled the following and here are the numbers of matches (for the style of sentence) on the entire internet —
«»wishes he was brothers with» — 0 results
«is husband and wife with» — 3 results (out of six, but the other three were not in this context)
«is spouses with» 0 results (out of 252, but none matched the context).

As I said before, I believe that the word «friends», «enemies» and «partners» can be used as adjectives as well as nouns. Although adjectives in English never agree with their noun (i.e. they are invariable) these ones use the plural form because it is impossible to use them in an adjectival form in a sentence which does not relate to two or more people. I.e. You can’t say «I am friends with» without adding an extra person (even if this «person» is «no-one»).
Hence, they have not broken the rule of invariable adjectives, since they

never

appear in the singular form as adjectives!

Maybe it’s just more productive for me, then.

Regarding the classification of «friends», «enemies», or «partners»: I do not believe they can be considered adjectives.

• #13

As entangled said, they take adjectives rather than adverbs as modifiers, and they can serve as the object of a preposition.

I’m sorry, but I am confused by what you have written.
Like I said, the usage of «friends» as an adjective can only be used in sentences in the plural because it is impossible to use it in the singular (since one cannot be «friends» on ones own).
You claim that because one cannot use «a friends man» it means that «friends» cannot be adjectival.
You can’t say «He is an annually man», so by your logic the word «annually» is not an adjective?????
You can’t use a word out of context in order to claim that it does not exist in a certain grammatical form.

And I wasn’t quite sure what you meant by —
«She got friends with him.» = «She obtained friends with him.»
I googled these and found that «She got friends with him» had zero hits» and «She obtained friends with him» had two (from Bebo!). I am not claiming that google is the be all and end all, but if such simple words have never been used in this form in the history of the world wide web then it suggests that there is a problem with these examples.

Unless I have misunderstood what you mean?

• #14

I’m sorry, but I am confused by what you have written.
Like I said, the usage of «friends» as an adjective can only be used in sentences in the plural because it is impossible to use it in the singular (since one cannot be «friends» on ones own).
You claim that because one cannot use «a friends man» it means that «friends» cannot be adjectival.
You can’t say «He is an annually man», so by your logic the word «annually» is not an adjective?????
You can’t use a word out of context in order to claim that it does not exist in a certain grammatical form.

And I wasn’t quite sure what you meant by —
«She got friends with him.» = «She obtained friends with him.»
I googled these and found that «She got friends with him» had zero hits» and «She obtained friends with him» had two (from Bebo!). I am not claiming that google is the be all and end all, but if such simple words have never been used in this form in the history of the world wide web then it suggests that there is a problem with these examples.

Unless I have misunderstood what you mean?

«annually» is an adverb.

I didn’t mean that «She got friends with him» should be considered a typical construction, merely that it cannot be interpreted as «She became friends with him.»

EDIT: I actually used it in a context to demonstrate that it does not act like an adjective.

• #15

«annually» is an adverb.

I didn’t mean that «She got friends with him» should be considered a typical construction, merely that it cannot be interpreted as «She became friends with him.»

EDIT: I actually used it in a context to demonstrate that it does not act like an adjective.

I do apologise. Of course «annually» is an adverb. That was a stupid mistake on my part. I meant to write «annual», which I hope has the point.

I’m very sorry, but I am still confused by your example of «she got friends with him» = «She obtained friends with him»

Could you explain how «I am (using the verb «to be») friends with» relates to «I got/obtained friends with him»?
They’re totally different sentence constructions, and as mentioned the two that you state are never used (or at least — have not been used in this way on the net). So I’m struggling to understand what this is meant to prove.

• #16

I suppose a better way of phrasing it is this:
«She got friends with him.» ≠ «She became friends with him.»

The phrase «an annual man» does not work (without some context) lexically, rather than grammatically. By contrast «an annual flower» is a common construction, as are «an annual meeting», «an annual report», and «an annual rate». (Those last three are the most frequent occurrences of «annual [noun]» in the Corpus of Contemporary American English.)

• #17

Ok. I understand what you mean now.
However, one could flip the example to «prove» (in the same way) that it is not a noun —

«She became friends with him» is a perfectly acceptable phrase.
«She became friendly with him» is also perfectly acceptable (note that this is not a noun).

If the two people join the fire service at the same time, one would say —
«She became

a firefighter

with him» i.e. «A (singular) noun» not —
«She became firefighters with him»

So, if it were a noun, shouldn’t the phrase be «She became a friend with him»? But it is not, and it takes the adjectival form of the phrase.

• #18

I find this a very strange debate. She became friends with him = they became friends. It’s a noun, and it’s plural because there are two of them. The structure is common, but limited in use. She became enemies with him, she became allies with him. They refer to relationships which are mutual. She became firefighters with him is not used, because there is no mutuality in the relationship, it’s just a job. If she became a firefighter with him, it just means that they joined the fire brigade at the same time.

She became a friend with him doesn’t work, because you don’t join the friends’ brigade. You could, however, say she became a Friend with him when they both became Quakers.

It is perhaps curious that we don’t say she became spouses with him, but maybe that’s because we say she married him, and we don’t have a verb to say she enemyed him. Alternatively it’s because one is a boy spouse and the other is a girl spouse*, so the gender difference interferes with the use of the plural (friends, enemies and allies may be of either gender, but it doesn’t matter). I don’t really know why.

If you want to be adjectival: she became green with him, but that structure is equivalent to joining the fire brigade and it lacks the mutuality inherent in she became friends with him.

* OK, OK, I know, but let’s stick to what used to be conventional. It takes time for language to catch up

• #19

At the risk of boring everyone here (and I do apologise if that is the case).

You state that «friends» is a noun because «She became friends with him = they became friends» — and that because the sentences shares mostly the same words, and because the second is definitely a noun, then the first must also be one.

But the same word can be both an adjective as well as a noun —
«She is American» = «She is an American» it means the exact same thing, but the form of the word is different.

I think that we’re probably going round in circles here, but I struggle to see how a sentence which says «I am

X

» can have X as a noun. «I am American» (adjective) «I am

an

American» (noun). «I am happy/angry/annoyed/relaxed

with you

» (all adjectives).
Other than the fixed few that we have listed, I am not aware of any other words that are generally used as nouns which can be used in this way — «I am noun with you». Which is why I feel that in

this

example it takes an adjectival form.

But maybe we won’t agree on this one ?

Last edited: Dec 9, 2010

• #20

The OED examples of friend (adjective) may be illuminating.
Defined as «Well-disposed, friendly, not hostile» it’s marked as obsolete.
1574 E. Hellowes tr. A. de Guevara Familiar Epist. 28 The citie of Sagunto was alwayes friend and allied with the Romanes.
1600 E. Blount tr. G. F. di Conestaggio Hist. Uniting Portugall to Castill (ed. 2) 33 They were in a strong lodging, ioyning to a friend towne.
a1616 Shakespeare Julius Caesar (1623) v. iii. 18 That I may rest assur’d Whether yond Troopes, are Friend or Enemy.
1623 J. Bingham tr. Xenophon Hist. 36 Passe you not with much labour many plaines, that are friend to vs?

Examples with friend as adjective.

​

• #21

I tried to look up «friends», but it only listed it under «friend», which I felt wasn’t quite the same … until I came across [from thefreedictionary.com] «friend (n) ….
be friends (with) to be friendly (with)» — i.e. listed still under the title of noun.

In which case I hang my head in shame. My apologies to shenno and andygc. I’m very sorry guys. I thought it was used as an unorthodox adjective, and instead it is a noun used in an unorthodox way.
Well that’s taught me a lesson!

• #22

You state that «friends» is a noun because «She became friends with him = they became friends» — and that because the sentences shares mostly the same words, and because the second is definitely a noun, then the first must also be one.

But maybe we won’t agree on this one ?

But that is neither what I wrote nor what I claimed. The second form has the same meaning, that’s all. I’m not saying friends (1) is a noun because friends (2) is. I’m saying it is a noun because friends is what they became.

I can understand why you think it is an adjective and you are probably right, we won’t agree.

Edit
Oh, I’ve just read your latest post, I failed to notice that the thread had gone on to page 2 — no need for shame, it was a debate worth having.

• #23

It’s funny to see that even among natives, it’s difficult to come to an agreement

Anyway, you all seem to agree now on the use of plural if there’s a mutual and equal relationship. Am I right thinking that ?

Thanks for all the time you took debating this — for a non-native it was very helpful !

• #24

Anyway, you all seem to agree now on the use of plural if there’s a mutual and equal relationship. Am I right thinking that ?

Thanks for all the time you took debating this — for a non-native it was very helpful !

Yes. It’s always used as «friends» in the examples we have been giving, never as «friend».
And it’s definitely a noun

• #25

It’s funny to see that even among natives, it’s difficult to come to an agreement

Anyway, you all seem to agree now on the use of plural if there’s a mutual and equal relationship. Am I right thinking that ?

Thanks for all the time you took debating this — for a non-native it was very helpful !

I don’t think anyone said that the singular should be used in such situations — but yes it’s «friends».

I think the disagreement is about classifying it as a noun or adjective. I think here we have a noun acting as a adjective and so you can — and people do — argue it both ways.

• #26

I don’t think anyone said that the singular should be used in such situations — but yes it’s «friends».

I think the disagreement is about classifying it as a noun or adjective. I think here we have a noun acting as a adjective and so you can — and people do — argue it both ways.

Edit — ah, did you mean for any mutual relationship? Then no — friends, or synonyms, seems to be the only noun used like this and acceptable grammar to all.

• #27

What I meant with «plural» is the final «s». Hence, if the adjective (or noun, whatever you call it doesn’t change anything to understand) refers to a mutual and equal relationship, then the word ends with an «s». Is it right ?

• #28

For the word friend, yes. For any old noun no, not necessarily. Again — which are you referring to?

I don’t understand your question, I think.

• #29

Sorry, I must be missing something here Which what am I referring to ?

• #30

Sorry, I must be missing something here Which what am I referring to ?

Is your follow up question specifically about the word friend/s or are you trying to form a general rule about all plurals?

• #31

Originally, I was wondering how to use friend or friends. But it appears that it’s not the only word to have a similar «rule». So I understood that as far as you can’t be friend with no one (yes you can but that’s not the question here), you’re always at least two to be friends (you and your friend), it’s plural. Is is the same thing with every word referring to a mutual and equal relationship, such as partners/spouses and every other example that were given in this thread (and other words that weren’t taken as examples) ?

• #32

Originally, I was wondering how to use friend or friends. But it appears that it’s not the only word to have a similar «rule». So I understood that as far as you can’t be friend with no one (yes you can but that’s not the question here), you’re always at least two to be friends (you and your friend), it’s plural. Is is the same thing with every word referring to a mutual and equal relationship, such as partners/spouses and every other example that were given in this thread (and other words that weren’t taken as examples) ?

The short answer is «yes» although I wouldn’t use it with «spouses» in the context that was given yesterday.
The ones which follow this pattern are —
«I am friends/enemies/partners with him»

• #33

Ok so, for example, would you say «I’m rival with him» ?

• #34

No, my reading of the above thread is that most people consider friends to be the exception. One person didn’t mind using other plural nouns in this way and someone else showed them how unusual it was with a few google searches. I think you are trying to create a rule where there is none, I’m afraid.

My opinion (see earlier) post is that friends and synonyms sounds ok used like this but some nouns would sound quite ungrammatical used like this.

• #35

No, one wouldn’t say «I’m rivals with him».
But I have thought of one more where it does work —
«I am mates with him»
The deeper we go into this, the more I realise how illogical it is.
I was about to say that the rule applies to nouns which refer to the nature of a relationship (excluding official titles — wife, spouse etc). But if that were correct, then «rivals» should work.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t. So I’ll revise the list to — friends, enemies, partners, mates.
As to explanations … I’m so sorry, it appears to be one of those strange aspects of English where one needs to accept the exceptions (like irregular verbs).

• #36

Well actually there’s no problem with it. Learning a rule or a list of exceptions leads to the same thing : speaking good English, so that’s fine That reminds me of the rule with «too», «quite» and «so» that implies an inversion of the article and the adjective, but they are the only one (it is so good a film). No matter whether there’s a rule or not, the point is not to make any mistake when you write/speak

Thank you all — and especially temple09 and timpeac — for taking time to explain all this to me, I’m really grateful to you.