Rencontrer
Example: J'ai rencontré un vieil ami au marché ce matin.
Definition
"Rencontrer" means to meet or come across someone, often unexpectedly or for the first time. It involves encountering a person or group, either planned or by chance, as illustrated in the phrase, 'J'ai rencontré un vieil ami au marché ce matin,' meaning meeting an old friend at the market this morning.
Etymology
The French verb "rencontrer" comes from the Old French 'encontrer,' which itself derives from the Latin 'incontrare,' meaning 'to meet' or 'to encounter.' The prefix 're-' was added later for emphasis, suggesting meeting again or directly. Did you know that "rencontrer" originally had a stronger sense of confrontation or challenge before softening to mean meeting in general?
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"Rencontrer" appears in the Vocaplus list "French - General - (B1) - set 3", containing 113 commonly used words.
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