A friend in need is a friend indeed means that a true friend is someone who helps when you need help. Read word by word, in need sits right next to friend, so it looks as if the friend is the one in trouble. But native speakers understand it the other way round: you're the one in trouble, and the friend proves the friendship by helping. Indeed here means “truly, really”.
When would you say a friend in need is a friend indeed?
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A friend in need is a friend indeed.; ..., as they say, a friend in need is a friend indeed
- When I lost my job, Tom paid half my rent for a month. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
- My neighbour looked after my dog while I was in hospital. A friend in need is a friend indeed, as they say.
What changed
First versionWhen my car broke down at night, Ira drove two hours to help me. A friend is known in trouble!
RevisionWhen my car broke down at night, Ira drove two hours to help me. A friend in need is a friend indeed!
A friend is known in trouble is a word-for-word translation of a proverb from another language. You can guess the meaning, but English has no such proverb, and the sentence sounds like a clumsy literal translation. It was replaced with the ready-made English proverb.
The opposite of a true friend is a fair-weather friend, someone who is around only while things are going well: He was a fair-weather friend and disappeared as soon as I had problems. A friendship that has survived both good times and bad has lasted through thick and thin.
Your turn
Everyone promised to help me move flat, but only Lena actually turned up with a van. ___.
Show the answer
A friend in need is a friend indeed — Many people promised to help, but only Lena turned up, so she proved to be a true friend when it mattered. Birds of a feather flock together means that similar people stick together; it's about likeness, not help.
Write about a time a friend or acquaintance helped you out. Say what happened and how they helped, and finish with the proverb.
When my laptop broke the night before my exam, my classmate Oleg lent me his own. A friend in need is a friend indeed.
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