Mucha na Dziko

I was wondering how does the word "friend" work in English?

I mean, the equivalent (so far as I know) in Polish (my native language) would be "Przyjaciel".

But the word "przyjaciel" would never be used when talking about someone who is not your "BFF". All the people you get to know, but you don't have "that special bond" with would be called "kolega" or "znajomy" ("kolega" being the closer one than "znajomy", but "znajomy" is still someone you pass some time with).

"Acquaintance" sounds extremely formal, and "colleague" in English means "someone I work with".

And I've seen multiple videos and multiple conversations where people would just call "friend" whoever they know.

And so, I'm not sure whether I just don't know "how to words" or whether the English language only has one word for "people you know"/"people you like"/"people who are very close to you".

Any help?

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