[General] Verb "TO MEET"

[brunogasparsc]

I have a question about the verb TO MEET. I'm very confused about how to use it correctly!

I've seen a video lesson on Youtube where the teacher said we shouldn't use the verb TO MEET in situations like this: "Yesterday I met my friend when I was shopping". The teacher said we should use the verb SEE for this situation, because the verb TO MEET must be used only when we are talking about the first time we see somebody.

However, I was watching another video lesson in which the teacher says: "When we run into somedoby, it means that we meet him/her accidentally". In this situation, it seems to me that the example is about a previously known person. Besides, I've heard a lot sentences like "I'll meet you tomorrow at 6 o'clock".

So my question is: Is it wrong to say "Yesterday I met my friend" but right to say "Tomorrow I'll meet my friend"?

Hope my question is clear...

Thanks in advance!

 

[MikeNewYork]

In my opinion, your teacher's advice is too narrow. Certainly, "meet" can refer to a first-time encounter. But when you use it with a word like "friend', it is obviously not

 

[Raymott]

It's an example of the common occurrence of a teacher trying to explain a subtlety and ending up telling lies.

 

[emsr2d2]

Your teacher's advice in this situation is wrong.

If you said to me "I saw my friend while I was out shopping yesterday", I wouldn't know if you simply spotted them in a crowd or on the other side of the street and then continued on your way without attracting your friend's attention, or if you stopped and talked to your friend.

For an accidental/unplanned meeting, I would use "I bumped into my friend while I was out shopping yesterday".

If you said "I met my friend while I was out shopping yesterday", I would probably assume that you had pre-arranged to meet.

 

[Tdol]

the verb TO MEET must be used only when we are talking about the first time we see somebody.

If the teacher said this, then he or she is simply wrong. You can meet somebody twice a week for the rest of your life if you want to. You can use see someone for planned meetings too, though the example used sounds more unplanned, in which case something like run/bump into would work.

 

[Raymott]

I've seen a video lesson on Youtube where the teacher said ...

Why not post the video, then we can all decide on what the teacher said, and what they might have meant?

 

[brunogasparsc]

Good idea, Raymott! This is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GJ0mAzJ9yTw
She talks about MEET/MET at 5min50sec.

 

[teechar]

What that "teacher" says in that video is simply wrong!

In fact, she actually contradicts herself towards the end of the video by saying: "I hope you have a good time meeting your friends, having fun ... etc."

Can YouTube be sued for disseminating horse manure?

 

[Raymott]

I've left a comment to that effect on her video comments.

 

[Barb_D]

The thing to take away is (in general) that we "meet" on purpose and we "bump into" or "run into" people by accident.