AAAmerican Accent US

run into

Inseparable

The verb and particle never split. The object always follows the whole phrase.

How to say it

Stress the particle, not the verb: run INTO. Saying “RUN into” is the clearest learner tell — the verb stays light and the particle carries the beat.

Link across the gap. The final /n/ of “run” moves onto the particle and starts its syllable: “run into” is said “ru-ninto”. Pausing between the words is what makes phrasal verbs sound recited rather than spoken.

3 meanings

  1. 1

    To meet someone unexpectedly.

    • “I ran into an old friend at the store yesterday.”
    • “Guess who I ran into at the airport?”

    Similar: bump into, come across

  2. 2

    To encounter a problem.

    • “We ran into trouble halfway through the install.”

    Similar: encounter, hit

  3. 3

    To collide with something.

    • “The van ran into a parked car.”

    Similar: crash into

Don’t confuse it with

run overTo hit someone or something with a vehicle.

Run INTO is meeting someone by chance — usually pleasant. Run OVER is hitting them with a vehicle. Do not swap these.

The particle logic

into

Movement inward that changes state, position, or direction.

Listen + practice

Hear “run into” spoken naturally

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Read the sentence aloud. Keep the stress on the particle and run the two words together — we’ll score every sound and flag what to work on.

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More RUN phrasal verbs

Compare the whole family →

run out of

To use up the entire supply of something.

run over

To hit someone or something with a vehicle.

run away

To escape from a place, especially home.

run through

To rehearse or review something from beginning to end.

run by

To tell someone an idea in order to get their reaction.

run up

To accumulate a large bill or debt.

run down

To criticize someone or something unfairly.

run into — meaning, examples & how to say it