Did you meet her or did you run into her?

English has two verbs that are distinguished in a way similar to encontrar and quedar (discussed in a post below). Those verbs are to meet and to run into.

To meet in this context typically means to come together with someone with a shared specific purpose. A meeting is almost always planned.

To run into means to come into contact with someone merely by coincidence. It is not planned.

Examples

To meet

w  I met Sofia to go for a walk in the park. = Quedé con Sofía para dar un paseo en el parque. (We planned to meet.)

w  I am meeting some friends at the coffee shop at 6. = He quedado con unos amigos a las 6 en la cafetería. (My friends and I decided to meet at the coffee shop at this time.)

To run into

w  I ran into an old friend at the library yesterday. = Me encontré con un viejo amigo ayer en la biblioteca. (We just both happened to be at the same library yesterday, purely by coincidence!)

w  You’ll never guess who I just ran into! = ¡A que no adivinas quien encontré! (It’s a surprise because it was unplanned.)

**Bonus Info- A meeting is the noun used to refer to an arranged gathering of people (una reunión)**

Any questions? Leave a comment and we’ll be happy to help!