Telling stories and explaining what happened

Find the words fortelling stories and explaining what happened.

Describe a chance meeting, explain what happened next, and keep the order of events clear in an everyday story.

For learners who already use English and want everyday expressions to feel more natural and precise.

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From understood to precise

Make your meaning easy to understand.

Simple English can already express the idea clearly. A useful expression gives you another natural way to say it when the meaning and tone fit.

You01 · Describe meeting someone by chance

I met Lina by chance at a bookshop on Saturday.

Draft · not sent

I ran into Lina at a bookshop on Saturday.

Sent

“Run into” someone means meet them by chance, without arranging it.

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Your situation

Tell a friend about an unexpected reunion

You saw Lina, a former neighbor you had not seen for years, in a bookshop on Saturday. You had not arranged to meet. She told you she had written the novel being launched there that afternoon.

Expressions for this conversation

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Learn each expression deeply enough to use it naturally.

See the expression in a real situation, understand the meaning and its limits, then choose and use it in a conversation of your own.

Example journey · run into

Browse the full expression catalogExpressions available in this everyday situation, drawn from the shared learning catalog.

2 expressions

Run Into

Telling stories and explaining what happened

To meet someone by chance, or to unexpectedly experience a problem or difficulty.

Turn Out

Telling stories and explaining what happened

Turn out has two distinct senses: (1) happen or end up in a particular way, especially unexpectedly ("it turned out to be...", "it turned out that..."); (2)…

General English

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Common questions

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