Breakdown of Они целуются, когда встречаются.
они
they
встречаться
to meet (each other)
когда
when
целоваться
to kiss (each other)
Questions & Answers about Они целуются, когда встречаются.
Why isn't the phrase друг друга used here for "each other"?
Because the verbs целоваться (to kiss) and встречаться (to meet) already end in the suffix -ся. While this suffix often means doing something to yourself, it also frequently means doing something to each other (reciprocal). With these verbs, the "each other" meaning is already built in!
Could I use друг друга instead if I wanted to?
Yes, but you would have to drop the -ся suffix and use the standard verbs that take a direct object: Они целуют друг друга, когда встречают друг друга. However, native speakers heavily prefer the much shorter -ся verbs shown in this sentence for mutual actions like kissing, meeting, or hugging.
Why are the imperfective verbs целуются and встречаются used here instead of perfective?
This sentence describes a general habit or repeated action—something they do every time they meet. Repeated actions always trigger the imperfective aspect. If you used perfective verbs (Они поцелуются, когда встретятся), it would change the meaning to a specific future event: "They will kiss when they meet (this one upcoming time)."
Is the comma before когда strictly necessary?
Yes. While English often drops the comma before "when", Russian punctuation rules are very strict about this. You must always use a comma to separate the main clause (Они целуются) from the dependent clause starting with a conjunction like когда, что, or если.
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