A comprehensive overview of the English verb "remember," including its meaning, usage, common mistakes, and how it differs from "remind."

The verb remember is one of the most common English verbs. It means to bring a fact, event, or task into your mind or to not forget something. Understanding remember is important for talking about memories, obligations, and attention to details.
  • Remember means to bring something into your mind or to not forget it.
  • It can refer to recalling past events or being mindful of something you need to do.
  • Remember is an active verb—you do the action of recalling or keeping something in mind.

How to Use Remember

The verb remember is used in several common patterns:
  1. remember + (not) + infinitive: “Remember to lock the door.” (don’t forget to do it)
  2. remember + -ing: “I remember meeting her.” (a past memory)
  3. remember + noun/pronoun: “Do you remember my friend Sarah?”
  4. remember + that-clause: “I remember that we met in Paris.”

Choose the correct description of the English verb 'remember':


Remember means to bring a fact, event, or task into your mind or to not forget something.
The verb 'remember' means to bring something into your mind or to avoid forgetting it. It can refer to recalling past events or being mindful of something you need to do. It is an active verb where you do the recalling.

Examples

Here are some simple examples of remember in sentences:
  • Do you remember my birthday?
  • Remember to feed the cat.
  • I remember meeting you at the party.
  • She remembers that she left her keys on the table.

Common Mistakes

  1. Remember vs. remind:
    1. Remember is when you bring something to mind.
    2. Remind is when someone else helps you bring something to mind.
Example: “Remember to call Mom.” / “Can you remind me to call Mom?”
  1. Remember + infinitive vs. remember + -ing:
    1. Remember to do something = don’t forget to do it.
    2. Remember doing something = you recall that you did it.
Example: “Remember to send the email.” / “I remember sending the email.”
  1. Avoid using do with remember:
✗ “Do you remember to lock the door?” (means, did you try to remember?) ✓ “Do you remember locking the door?” (do you recall that you locked it?)

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Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025

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