Meet – to encounter another person, whether by appointment or accident. It can also be used in relation to being introduced to another person for the first time, to something that meets a need or requirement, and for two things to converge at a point.
How to Pronounce “Meet”?
Audio (UK):
Audio (US):
The word “meet” is pronounced in one syllable: /miːt/. The vowel sound is long /iː/, like in the words “see”, “green”, and “team”. You need to pronounce the vowel for a bit longer than usual, and then end the syllable with t.
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Tenses and Conjugation of Meet
Unlike many verbs used in English, “meet” is an irregular verb. The –ed suffix cannot be added to it to form the past tense. Learning all four forms would be very useful for your communication.
|
Form |
Word |
|---|---|
|
Base Form |
meet |
|
Past Simple |
met |
|
Past Participle |
met |
|
Gerund/Present Participle |
meeting |
Examples in Different Tenses
|
Tense |
Example |
|---|---|
|
Present Simple |
We
|
|
Present Continuous |
I’m
|
|
Past Simple |
She
|
|
Present Perfect |
We’ve
|
|
Future Simple |
I’ll
|
Phrasal Verbs & Prepositions with Meet
Most students have an understanding of the simple meaning of “meet,” but native speakers tend to use it along with prepositions to form different meanings. This will make you sound more natural and enable easier comprehension of spoken language.
Common Prepositions
|
Pattern |
Meaning |
Example |
|---|---|---|
|
meet with someone |
have a formal meeting |
I’ll
|
|
meet at |
gather at a specific place |
Let’s
|
|
meet in |
gather inside a place |
We usually
|
|
meet on |
gather on a particular day |
The committee
|
|
meet for |
gather for a purpose |
We
|
Common phrasal verbs
|
Expression |
Meaning |
Example |
|---|---|---|
|
meet up |
get together socially |
We should
|
|
meet up with |
arrange to see someone |
I
|
Transitive vs. Intransitive: Sentence Structure with “Meet”
The verb “meet” is basically transitive in nature, but in certain contexts, it can be used without an object due to the understanding that the persons being referred to have already been mentioned elsewhere.
“Meet” as a transitive verb
|
Pattern |
Example |
|---|---|
|
meet + person |
I finally
|
|
meet + customer |
Our sales team
|
|
meet + requirement |
The proposal
|
|
meet + expectation |
The final product exceeded and even
|
“Meet” as an intransitive verb
|
Pattern |
Example |
|---|---|
|
meet |
We usually
|
|
meet regularly (once a week, once a month, ect) |
The board
|
|
meet again |
Hopefully we’ll
|
Common Mistakes with “Meet” & How to Fix Them
The errors that students usually make when using the verb “meet” result either from the incorrect usage of the grammar or from the incorrect selection of the prepositions that go with it. Once learned, you will not make those mistakes any longer.
|
Why? |
||
|---|---|---|
|
I have met yesterday my manager.
|
I met my manager yesterday.
|
Past Simple is used with a finished time expression. |
|
We met with coffee.
|
We met for coffee.
|
Use “for” to express the purpose of meeting. |
|
Nice to meet with you.
|
Nice to meet you.
|
The standard greeting is “meet you”. |
|
The product doesn’t meet to the standards.
|
The product doesn’t meet the standards.
|
“Meet” takes a direct object without “to”. |
|
She meeted him on a dating website.
|
She met him on a dating website.
|
“Meet” is an irregular verb. |
“Meet” Translations in Other Languages
Learning direct translations can help you remember the core meaning, but remember that each language has its own grammar and usage patterns.
|
Language |
Translation |
|---|---|
|
|
concer, reunirse con |
|
|
rencontrer |
|
|
treffen |
