stretáva

Stretáva is the 3rd person singular present indicative form of the Slovak verb stretávať, meaning to meet or to encounter. It is imperfective, used for habitual or repeated actions rather than a single completed meeting.

The verb takes a direct object in the accusative when describing meetings with people: for example, "stretáva ľudí na námestí" can mean he meets people on the square. It also exists in the reflexive form "stretávať sa," meaning to meet each other or to socialize, and with the preposition "s" to express meeting with someone: "stretáva sa s kamarátom" (he meets up with a friend).

In contrast, the perfective form "stretnúť" or "stretnúť sa" expresses a single, completed meeting or encounter, such as a first or one-off meeting, or a meeting arranged for a specific occasion.

Conjugation patterns: in the present tense, forms include ja stretávam, ty stretávaš, on/ona stretáva, my stretávame, vy stretávate, oni stretávajú. The imperfect past forms describe repeated or habitual meetings, for example "stretával som starého známeho" (I used to meet an old acquaintance).

Common contexts for using stretávať include everyday life, arranging social encounters, and describing chance meetings. It is often used with phrases like "stretávať sa s niekým" to emphasize meeting someone, whether planned or incidental.