The two sentences, "I met my friend yesterday" and "I saw my friend yesterday," have slightly different meanings, though they both refer to an interaction with a friend that occurred on the previous day.
- "I met my friend yesterday": This sentence implies that you had an initial encounter or introduction with your friend on the day before today. It suggests that before yesterday, you may not have known this person or had never personally interacted with them before. Meeting someone implies the first time you come face-to-face and get acquainted.
Example: Let's say you were introduced to a new colleague at work, and you became friends during a team lunch. You could then say, "I met my friend yesterday" to describe the situation.
- "I saw my friend yesterday": This sentence indicates that you had a visual or physical sighting of your friend on the previous day. It doesn't necessarily imply that it was the first time you encountered them. You might have already known this friend, and you merely happened to see or bump into them on that particular day.
Example: If you and your friend often hang out together and you both happen to go to the same cafe yesterday, you could say, "I saw my friend yesterday" to indicate that you ran into each other at the cafe.
In summary, "I met my friend yesterday" is used when you had an initial encounter with someone on the previous day, while "I saw my friend yesterday" is used when you had a visual or physical interaction with someone you already knew on the previous day.