встречать vs встретить

vstrechat vs vstretit — meet/welcome repeatedly or in progress vs meet once

What it really means

Встреча́ть is imperfective and describes meeting someone as an ongoing, repeated, or general action. It also means to meet someone at a station or airport to welcome or collect them: "Я встречаю поезд" (I am meeting the train). Встре́тить is perfective and presents one encounter or welcome as a completed event: "Я встретил старого друга" (I met an old friend).

The reflexive встреча́ться/встре́титься means meet with each other or date, so the presence of -ся changes the relationship between the people. Without -ся, one person can meet or greet another; with -ся, the meeting is mutual.

Examples in natural speech

Я встречаю гостей у входа.
I am meeting the guests at the entrance.
Она встречает мужа после работы.
She meets her husband after work.
Вчера я встретил старого друга.
Yesterday I met an old friend.
Кто встретит меня на вокзале?
Who will meet me at the station?
Мы часто встречаемся в этом кафе.
We often meet at this café.
Они встретились случайно.
They met by chance.

Common mistakes

Do not confuse встречать with встречаться. "Я встречаю друга" means I am meeting or greeting a friend; "я встречаюсь с другом" means I am meeting up with a friend. Use встретить for one completed encounter and встречать for repeated or ongoing welcoming.

Memory tip

Встречать is meeting/welcoming as a process or routine; встретить is one encounter completed.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between встречать and встретить in Russian?

Встречать is imperfective for meeting or welcoming in progress, repeatedly, or as a routine. Встретить is perfective for one completed encounter or welcome.

What is the difference between встречать and встречаться?

Встречать means to meet, greet, or collect someone. Встречаться means to meet up with each other or date: встречаться с другом.

How do you say I met a friend yesterday in Russian?

Say "Вчера я встретил друга" for a male speaker or "Вчера я встретила друга" for a female speaker. The perfective verb presents one completed meeting.

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