Napotykajcie

Napotykajcie is the second-person plural imperative form of the Polish imperfective verb napotykać, meaning to encounter, meet, or come across something or someone. It is used to issue a command or exhortation to a group, suggesting a habitual or general sense of meeting or running into things rather than a single, momentary event.

Morphology and usage

Napotykajcie forms part of the imperfective aspect, which emphasizes the process or repetition of the action rather than its completion. It governs predicates that can express ongoing or repeated encounters. This form is contrasted with the perfective imperative napotkajcie, which signals a more defined, one-time encounter. The form is directed at “wy” (you, plural) and is commonly found in instructional, descriptive, or exhortative contexts.

Etymology and relation to related verbs

The verb napotykać is built from the prefix na- and the root potykać (to stumble upon, bump into). The prefix alters the meaning toward encountering something encountered in the course of moving or progressing. A closely related verb, napotkać (perfective), denotes a single, completed encounter and has the imperative napotkajcie. The pair napotykać/napotkać captures a common Polish distinction between habitual or repeated action and a singular event.

Examples

Napotykajcie na nowe możliwości podczas podróży i uczcie się, jak z nich korzystać. Napotykajcie na trudności i starajcie się je pokonywać wspólnie. W podręczniku autor zachęca: napotykajcie na różne perspektywy, aby poszerzyć swoje rozumienie tematu.

See also

Natknąć się, natykać się, napotkać.