Definition

1. Verb phrase:
   • To encounter / to meet with: To come face-to-face with or experience something, typically something negative, undesirable, or challenging, such as a problem, misfortune, or difficulty.
   • To run into / to come across: To unexpectedly find oneself in a particular situation, often an adverse one.

Usage Examples

• Verb phrase:
  • Chúng tôi đã gặp phải rất nhiều trở ngại. (We encountered a lot of obstacles.)
  • Cô ấy gặp phải một tai nạn nhỏ trên đường đi làm. (She met with a minor accident on her way to work.)
  • Nếu không gặp phải khó khăn thì anh ấy đã xong việc rồi. (If he had not met with difficulties, he would have finished his work.)

Advanced Usage

• The phrase "gặp phải" strongly implies an involuntary or unfortunate encounter. It is rarely used for positive or neutral meetings.
• It is commonly followed by nouns denoting problems, bad luck, accidents, or troublesome situations.

Variants and Related Words

• Gặp (v): To meet. This is the neutral base verb, which can be used for planned meetings or positive encounters.
  • Tôi gặp bạn cũ. (I meet an old friend.)
• Phải (v): To have to; to suffer/be subjected to. When combined with "gặp," it intensifies the sense of undergoing something negative.

Synonyms

• Encounter: To come upon or experience, especially something unexpected.
• Run into: To experience something, especially a problem, by chance.
• Meet with: To experience or be subjected to a particular situation.
• Come up against: To be faced with or opposed by.

Related Idioms and Phrases

• Gặp phải vận rủi: To have a stroke of bad luck.
  • Năm nay công ty gặp phải vận rủi. (This year the company had a stroke of bad luck.)
• Gặp phải đối thủ mạnh: To come up against a strong opponent.
  • Đội bóng gặp phải đối thủ mạnh ngay vòng đầu. (The team came up against a strong opponent right in the first round.)

1. Meet with (difficulties, bad luck...)
   • Không gặp phải khó khăn thì đã xong việc rồi
     If he has not met with difficulties, he would have done hia job