Incontrare

Incontrare is a common Italian verb meaning to meet someone or to encounter something or someone, often implying a direct physical meeting or an encounter that may be planned or accidental. It is transitive when used with a direct object, as in incontrare una persona, and it can also be used intransitively in reflexive form to indicate meeting with one another, as in incontrarsi.

Etymology and related forms: The verb derives from the standard repertoire of Latin-derived -are verbs in Italian. The related noun incontro, meaning a meeting or encounter, shares the same origin and usage, and the verb gives rise to the reflexive form incontrarsi (to meet each other). Similar Romance-language verbs include Spanish encontrar and French rencontrer, which reflect a shared concept of meeting or coming across.

Conjugation and usage: Incontrare is a regular -are verb. Present indicative forms are: io incontro, tu incontri, lui/lei incontra, noi incontriamo, voi incontrate, loro incontrano. The passato prossimo is formed with avere: ho incontrato, hai incontrato, ha incontrato, abbiamo incontrato, avete incontrato, hanno incontrato. Other tenses follow standard -are conjugation patterns. The reflexive form incontrarsi conjugates as mi incontro, ti incontri, si incontra, ci incontriamo, vi incontrate, si incontrano in present; passato prossimo uses essere, e.g., ci siamo incontrati.

Usage notes: Incontrare can denote meeting a person (Ho incontrato un vecchio amico), encountering a situation or obstacle (Abbiamo incontrato un problema), or encountering ideas and opportunities (Incontrare nuove opportunità). Incontrarsi emphasizes mutual or reciprocal meeting. Common collocations include incontri, appuntamenti, e situazioni impreviste.

See also: Incontro (noun), incontrarsi (reflexive form), encontrar, rencontrer (cognate meanings in other Romance languages).