spotykam

Spotykam is the first-person singular present indicative form of the Polish verb spotykać, which means to meet or to encounter. It is imperfective, used for actions that are ongoing, habitual, or not yet completed. In its non-reflexive use, spotykać can govern a direct object, as in I meet someone, while also appearing in reflexive constructions meaning to meet up with someone.

In Polish, the imperfective form spotykać contrasts with the perfective counterpart spotkać, which conveys a completed act of meeting. For example, Spotykam kolegów codziennie po pracy means I meet my colleagues every day after work, emphasizing the regularity. Spotkałem twojego brata wczoraj translates to I met your brother yesterday, indicating a completed, single occurrence. The choice between spotykać and spotkać affects aspect and temporal emphasis rather than basic meaning.

Reflexive usage is common and expands the sense to arranged or reciprocal meetings. The verb phrase spotykać się means to meet up with someone or to meet with others in a social context. Examples include Spotykamy się co tydzień (We meet up every week) and Spotykałem się z nim w kawiarni (I was meeting up with him at the cafe). In everyday speech, spotykam się with a direct object can be used to describe meeting someone in person, while spotykać się highlights the social aspect of arranging a meeting.

Related nominal form is spotkanie, meaning a meeting or encounter, and its use complements the verbal forms in describing social interactions and encounters in Polish.