a friend in need is a friend indeed

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• Received-Pronunciation: /ə ˌfɹɛnd ɪn ˈniːd ɪz ə ˌfɹɛnd ɪnˈdiːd/
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• Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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• General-American: /ə ˌfɹɛnd ən ˈnid ɪz ə ˌfɹɛnd ɪnˈdid/
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• rhymes with -iːd
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The idea that false friends will abandon a person in times of adversity while true friends will reveal themselves and provide help is ancient: the Greek playwright Euripides (c. 480 – c. 406 BC) wrote in Hecuba (424 BC), ἐν τοῖς κακοῖς γὰρ ἁγαθοὶ σαφέστατοι φίλοι: τὰ χρηστὰ δ’ αὔθ’ ἕκαστ’ ἔχει φίλους (en toîs kakoîs gàr hagathoì saphéstatoi phíloi: tà khrēstà d’ aúth’ hékast’ ékhei phílous, “it is in trouble’s hour that the good most clearly show their friendship; though prosperity by itself in every case finds friends”), and the Roman poet Ennius (c. 239 – c. 169 BC) observed in his Tragedies that amicus certus in re incerta cernitur (“a sure friend is known in unsure times”).

41 source translations are retained for this English entry.

• Albanian: miku njihet në rrezik — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Arabic: الصَّدِيق وَقْت الضِيق (aṣ-ṣadīq waqt aḍ-ḍīq) — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Azerbaijani: dost dar gündə tanınar — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Azerbaijani: yaxşı dost yaman gündə tanınar — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Bulgarian: прия́тел в ну́жда се позна́ва (prijátel v núžda se poznáva) — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Chinese Cantonese: 患難見真情 /患难见真情 (waan6 naan6 gin3 zan1 cing4) — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Chinese Mandarin: 患難見真情 /患难见真情 (huànnàn jiàn zhēnqíng) — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Czech: v nouzi poznáš přítele — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Danish: i nøden kender man sine venner — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Dutch: in nood leert men zijn vrienden kennen — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Dutch: vrienden in de nood, hondert in een lood — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Finnish: hädässä ystävä tunnetaan — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• French: c’est dans le besoin que l’on reconnaît ses amis — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• German: wahre Freunde erkennt man in der Not — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• German: in der Not erkennt man seine Freunde — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• German: Freunde in der Not gehen hundert auf ein Lot — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Hungarian: bajban ismerszik meg a jó barát — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Icelandic: sá er vinur, sem í raun reynist — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Italian: gli amici si vedono nel momento del bisogno — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Japanese: まさかの時の友こそ真の友 (masaka no toki no tomo koso shin no tomo) — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Khmer: មិត្តល្អ គឺមិត្តក្នុងគ្រាអាសន្ន (mittɑɑlʼɑɑ kɨɨmittɑɑknongkriəʼaahnnɔɔ) — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Macedonian: пријателот во неволја се познава (prijatelot vo nevolja se poznava) — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Malay: صحابت يڠ سبنر سديا منولوڠ صحابت دالم کسوسهن — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Malay: sahabat yang sebenar sedia menolong sahabat dalam kesusahan — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Malayalam: ആവശ്യത്തിനു ഉപകരിക്കുന്നവാണ് യഥാർത്ഥ സുഹൃത്ത് (āvaśyattinu upakarikkunnavāṇŭ yathāṟttha suhr̥ttŭ) — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Mongolian: тэнхлүүн явахад тэмээгээр тусалснаас тэвдэж явахад тэвнээр тусалсан нь дээр (tenxlüün javaxad temeegeer tusalsnaas tevdež javaxad tevneer tusalsan nʹ deer) — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Old English: æt þearfe man sceal freonda cunnian — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Polish: prawdziwych przyjaciół poznaje się w biedzie — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Portuguese: amigo na necessidade é amigo de verdade — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Romanian: prietenul la nevoie se cunoaște — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Russian: друг познаётся в беде́ (drug poznajótsja v bedé) — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Scottish Gaelic: aithnichear an caraid an là na faiche — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Serbo-Croatian: пра̑вӣ се при̏јатељ у нѐвољи позна́је — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Serbo-Croatian: prȃvī se prȉjatelj u nèvolji poznáje — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Spanish: en la mucha necesidad, se conoce al amigo de verdad — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Swedish: i nöden prövas vännen — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Turkish: dost kara günde belli olur — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Turkish: iyi dost kara günde belli olur — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Welsh: câr cywir yn yr ing y gwelir — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Welsh: y câr cywir yn yr ing y gwelir — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend
• Welsh: y câr dilys ing a'i dengys — if a friend helps you when you are in need, they are a true friend