I try to follow a male friend (5)
I believe the answer is:
amigo
'friend' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'i try to follow a male' is the wordplay.
'try' becomes 'go' (both can mean an attempt).
'to follow' is a charade indicator (letters next to each other).
'male' becomes 'm' (common abbreviation).
'i'+'go'='igo'
'a'+'m'='am'
'igo' put after 'am' is 'AMIGO'.
(Other definitions for amigo that I've seen before include "buddy abroad?" , "A Spanish pal" , "Friend from Spain?" , "Pal from Madrid?" , "Foreign ally" .)