Listening exercises with “Run into”
The phrasal verb to run into somebody/something has several different meanings, all of which are very commonly used in everyday conversation.
1. To run into someone = to meet someone unexpectedly
The most common meaning of run into is to meet someone by chance when you weren’t planning to see them.
e.g. I ran into my old school friend at the supermarket yesterday. I hadn’t seen her for years!
This is a very natural and frequently used way to talk about unexpected encounters with people you know. Note that this usage is the same as to bump into somebody.
Here’s an example of this phrasal verb being used (North American accent):
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Here’s another example in a English (RP) accent:
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2. To run into something = to encounter a problem or difficulty
We also use run into something to talk about encountering problems, difficulties, or obstacles.
e.g. We ran into some technical issues during the presentation, but we managed to sort them out.
e.g. I’m worried we might run into traffic if we leave too late.
As with the first usage, this usage often suggests that the problem was unexpected or unplanned.
Try these dictations to hear this usage in context:
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3. To run into something = to physically collide with something
Finally, the most literal meaning of this phrasal verb is to physically crash or collide with something, usually by accident.
e.g. The car skidded on the ice and ran into a tree.
Here’s an example in context:
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