Complete the sentence with the correct form of the verb in brackets: "They ____ (meet) at a language exchange in 2018 and became close friends."

Erklärung

A dated event in 2018 is finished, so the past simple is required, and the doubled vowel of meet shrinks to a single e in met. That shortened form is all this verb has for the past: they have met several times since would reuse the very same word after have. Meeted is not an English form, and keeping the base would clash with the second verb became.