potkáte

Potkáte is a Czech verb form. It is the second-person plural present-tense form of potkat, a perfective verb meaning “to meet” or “to encounter.” In Czech, the present tense of a perfective verb is typically used to express future action, so potkáte is usually translated as “you will meet” rather than as a plain present tense. The form is used when addressing more than one person or when using the formal “you.”

Morphology and usage. The form is built on the stem potk- with the ending -áte, corresponding to the second-person plural. Because potkat is perfective, potkáte refers to a meeting that will occur or is expected to occur as a completed event in the future. It can appear in statements, questions, or embedded clauses that refer to a future meeting. The imperfective counterpart is potkáváte, used to say “you meet” or “you are meeting” in the present.

Examples and nuance. Potkáte ho zítra. You will meet him tomorrow. Potkáte zajímavého člověka na večírku? Will you meet an interesting person at the party? Když potkáte staré přátele, pozdravte je. When you meet old friends, greet them. These illustrate typical contexts in which potkáte signals a future encounter or a planned meeting.

Etymology and related forms. Potkat is the perfective counterpart to the imperfective potkávat (present tense potkáváte). Both derive from a common Slavic root meaning “to encounter.” Related forms include potkávate (you meet, imperfective) and other person-number variants of potkat.

See also: potkat, potkávat, setkat se.