setkávat

Setkávat is a Czech imperfective verb meaning to meet or encounter someone repeatedly or regularly, often translated as “to meet up” or “to see (someone) regularly.” It is commonly used with the preposition s, forming setkávat se s někým, to indicate meeting with someone on a recurring basis. The imperfective aspect highlights ongoing or habitual action rather than a single event.

In typical usage, setkávat se is used to describe repeated meetings or routines. For example, setkávám se s kolegy každý pátek means “I meet with my colleagues every Friday.” In past narrative, one might say setkával jsem se s kolegy to express a habitual pattern in the past. Future use appears as budu se setkávat s, as in budu se setkávat s klienty, “I will be meeting with clients.”

Setkávat is contrasted with its perfective partner setkat (se with s), which denotes a single meeting or a completed encounter. For example, setkám se s kamarádem describes a one-time meeting. Related verbs include potkávat (to encounter, often by chance) and vídat (to see from time to time). The noun form is setkání, meaning a meeting or gathering.

Etymology traces setkávat to the base verb setkat (to meet) with the adjectival suffix -ovat to form the imperfective, habitual aspect. Setkávat se with s is the common construction for discussing regular meetings in conversational and written Czech.