setká

Setká is a Czech verb form meaning to meet or to encounter. It is the third-person singular present indicative form of the verb setkat. The form is typically used transitively with a direct object, as in setká člověka (he meets a man). It can also appear in reflexive constructions with setkat se, which expresses meeting up or encountering, often with another person: setká se s někým means to meet with someone.

Etymology and related forms: Setká derives from the Czech verb setkat, which traces back to Proto-Slavic roots meaning to encounter. A common related noun is setkání, meaning a meeting or encounter, used for both informal gatherings and formal events. In other Slavic languages, cognate verbs exist with similar meanings, though exact forms differ; for example, Slovak uses various forms of stretnúť rather than setkat.

Usage and nuance: Setká is widely used in everyday speech and writing to describe a planned or chance meeting. With the reflexive se, the phrase setkat se conveys meeting up with someone, while setkat with someone in the instrumental sense can be expressed as setkat se s někým. In time reference, Czech may express future intent with appropriate auxiliary or context, but setká itself denotes present or future action depending on sentence structure.

Examples: Zítra se setkáme s profesorem. (Tomorrow we will meet with the professor.) On se setká s novým ředitelem. (He will meet the new director.) Setká člověka na ulici. (He meets a person on the street.)

See also: setkání (meeting, encounter). In Slovak, the equivalent verb is typically stretnúť, reflecting a different lexical heritage.