How to Say “We Meet Again” in Spanish

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nos volvemos a encontrar
/nos bolbemos a enkontɾaɾ/from spelling rules
The English phrase "we meet again" is translated into Spanish as nos volvemos a encontrar.
Nos volvemos a encontrar is used to acknowledge that you are seeing someone again after a period of time. Because of its structure, the phrase can carry a slightly dramatic or cinematic tone, often used when two people cross paths unexpectedly or after a long separation.

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase is built from the reflexive pronoun nos (us/ourselves), the verb volver (to return), the preposition a (to) and the infinitive encontrar (to find/meet), literally meaning "we return to find each other".

Which one should you use?

While nos volvemos a encontrar can feel formal or poetic, nos volvemos a ver is a more common, slightly more casual way to say "we meet again" or "see you again".

How does it change in a sentence?

In nos volvemos a encontrar, the verb volver is conjugated in the first-person plural present tense to indicate the action is happening now or is a recurring state. If you want to express that the meeting happened in the past, change the conjugated verb to the preterite form volvimos to say "we met again" (nos volvimos a encontrar).

Did you know?

  • The verb encontrar is used for both finding a lost object and meeting a person, whereas English uses two distinct verbs: 'find' and 'meet'.
  • In Spanish, the concept of doing something 'again' is often expressed by using the verb volver (to return) followed by a, rather than using a single adverb like 'again'.
  • The verb encontrar in this phrase shares a Latin root with the English word 'counter', specifically from 'in contra', meaning 'against' or 'opposite'.

Examples in context

  • ¡Qué alegría, nos volvemos a encontrar!
    What a joy, we meet again!
  • Después de tantos años, nos volvemos a encontrar aquí.
    After so many years, we meet again here.

Example conversation

Alejandro and Lucía run into each other at a café after a long time.

  1. Alejandro

    ¡Lucía! ¡No lo puedo creer, nos volvemos a encontrar!
    Lucía! I can't believe it, we meet again!
  2. Lucía

    ¡Alejandro! Ha pasado muchísimo tiempo.
    Alejandro! It has been a very long time.
  3. Alejandro

    Sí, ¿cómo has estado todo este tiempo?
    Yes, how have you been all this time?
  4. Lucía

    Muy bien, ¡qué sorpresa verte!
    Very well, what a surprise to see you!

Sources

  • IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
  • Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, encontrar, nos, CC BY-SA 4.0.
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Pamela Sadie
Pamela SadieHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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