Un dimanche matin tranquille en France

What does “croiser quelqu’un” mean in French?

“Croiser” looks like the English “cross,” and it does mean to cross your arms or a street. But with a person or animal, it means something else: to pass them or meet them by chance. Here the speaker says he “croise beaucoup de chats” on his quiet Sunday walk. He is not crossing the cats — he keeps passing them, running into them on the way. It is the right word for those small, accidental meetings.

In the clip: “Je croise beaucoup de chats.” (I keep running into lots of cats / I pass many cats.) “Croiser” comes from “croix” (cross), so the base idea is two paths meeting for a moment. With a direct object it means a quick, often accidental meeting — “J’ai croisé Marie à la boulangerie” (I ran into Marie at the bakery). There is a small but useful difference with the reflexive form. “Se croiser” means two people pass each other, each going their own way: “On s’est croisés dans la rue” (we passed each other in the street). And “croiser quelqu’un” is lighter than “rencontrer.” You “croise” someone you already know by chance; you “rencontre” someone for the first time. That is a very natural, very French distinction hidden in a simple everyday line.