Usage Note
Imbattere is almost always used reflexively as imbattersi in (followed by the person or thing encountered by chance). It takes essere as its auxiliary in compound tenses: mi sono imbattuto in lui means 'I ran into him.' The simple form without si is rare in modern usage.
Examples
"Mi sono imbattuto in un vecchio amico."
Natural Translation
I ran into an old friend.
Literal Translation
To-me I-am run-into in an old friend.

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