Remember vs Remind

There are many pairs of verbs in English language that have similar meanings confusing those who are non-natives trying to master the nuances. One such pair is ‘remember and remind’ that is very close in meaning. While remember means to keep information in one’s mind or in his memory, remind is a verb that helps one in remembering something or someone. This is a subtle difference between two verbs that will be talked about in this article.

Remember

Remember is the opposite of forget, and hence when you remember, you recall that person, place or thing. In written language, remember is mostly used with when, where, how, why, and so on. If I am asking a child to remember to lock the door from inside when I leave, I am literally asking him to keep in his memory to lock the door and not forget about it.

If you cannot remember where you put the keys of the bike, it means you have forgotten where you kept them. When one is recalling the events of the past, he is remembering these events from his memory. When you are with your wife at a place where you have been together before too, you ask her to remember the old times. An adult talking about past events in his life when he was a small kid is actually remembering the old times as he is recalling from his memories.

When a person remembers to do his duties on time, there is no need to remind him. This sentence is enough to tell you that to remind is to help a person remember what is expected of him.

The verb is also used when you remember something upon seeing someone or something. For example, you are reminded of a building in your own when you see another one that is similar in another country. You remind your son to do his school homework, but you also ask your wife to remind you to telephone your ailing mother in law. It is the job of a secretary to remind her boss about all his engagements of the day. People make use of alarm clocks to remind them to get up on time daily while they feed reminders in mobile phones to remember important appointments and tasks.

What is the difference between Remember and Remind?

Remember is to recall from memory and it is the opposite of forget. However, when you make someone else remember about something, you are reminding him to do something.

You do not need to remind when a person remembers to complete the job assigned to him on time

People keep a list of items to purchase at a grocery store that serves as a reminder and they are able to remember to buy what they need

You remember things and places when reminded by others

When we learn a language, we have to remember a lot of new information. Our brain can hold a lot, but it doesn’t always know how to activate the necessary material at the right time. Then we ask ourselves - do we remember anything? What about old memory? Is everyone able to remember the events of past days? Verbs responsible for memories, namely remember , recollect And recall , and are the topic of this article.

Word choice: remember / recollect / recall– in the meaning of “remember, recollect, recollect”

All of the listed synonyms assume that we have some information stored in our memory, or we are trying to restore it in our memory. We can distinguish these verbs according to certain criteria: is there any information in memory or does it need to be restored; how involved the will is in this process, and what efforts must be made to remember something.

As usual, we choose the word with the broadest and most general meaning. This word becomes a verb remember . With its help, we describe both the presence of some information in memory (remember something) and the restoration of some material (remember something).

I can't remember his name. – I don’t remember his name.

I don't remember signing this document. – I don’t remember signing this document.

I remember her as a girl. – I remember her as a girl.

Just as the door closed he remembered that his keys were inside the room. – As soon as the door closed, he remembered that he had left the keys in the room.

If you look at the last sentence, you will see that in this case the memory retrieval was involuntary. The man himself did not try to remember anything until some sign (a closed door) triggered his memory. All of the above examples, except the last one, demonstrate either the presence of information in memory or its restoration, but this time consciously. Here's the verb remember can denote these processes of two types.

Second synonym recollect involves only the restoration of information in memory, that is, the desire to remember something. As a rule, a person himself, with some effort, forces his memory to work and resurrect forgotten information. But he forgot it for two reasons: either his memory is very weak, or the events happened a very long time ago.

I had to make a decision and tried to recollect his exact words. “I had to make a decision, and I was trying to remember his exact words.

Each of us sometimes recollects the days of his childhood. – Each of us sometimes remembers the days of our childhood.

I know that this woman is familiar to me. I'm trying to recollect when and where we met. – I know that this woman is familiar to me. I'm trying to remember where and when we met.

Our last word recall , similar recollect implies not the presence, but the restoration of information, and in a conscious way. A person tries to recall some fact or object in memory, but this requires less effort than a verb recollect. Recollect may mean that we are collecting a forgotten image piece by piece, and recall implies that this image is stored in memory entirely and appears at the right moment.

I don't recall arranging time to meet. – I don’t remember that I set a time for the meeting.

This recalls my childhood to me. – This reminds me of my childhood.

Can you remember where you lost your bag? – Can you remember where you lost your bag?

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A good memory is the key to success in any activity. While learning English, we memorize new words, rules, and expressions every day. And of course, we don’t miss the opportunity to complain about our memory when we forget the right word or phrase. One way or another, the topic of memory, memories, forgetting arises in our conversations, so we dedicated this article to memory, and to be precise, to those words and set expressions that are combined with the word “memory”. Let's “pump up” our vocabulary and enrich it with useful vocabulary on the topic “Memory”. The best way to learn new words and expressions is to put them in context. Therefore, our article is full of examples and various situations illustrating the meanings and usage.

The key word in this article is memory.

Good memory can be characterized by many adjectives. Let's look at examples with them:

My colleague Jim has infallible memory! He can remember long numbers and texts. — My colleague Jim has a phenomenal memory! It can remember long numbers and texts.

A lot of artists have photographic memory. After they see a picture, they can remember every detail of it. — Many artists have a photographic memory. After they see the picture, they can remember every detail.

Students who have retentive memory can remember more information, so they study better than those who have short memory. — Students who have a strong memory can remember more information, so they learn better than those who have a poor memory.

If you have visual memory, you should buy a visual dictionary and learn the words using pictures. - If you have visual memory, you should buy a visual dictionary and learn words using pictures.

He has long memory, he won't forget that you owe his some money. - He has a good memory, he won't forget that you owe him money.

If you remember a certain type of information well or poorly, then use a preposition for: good memory for; bad memory for:

I have very good memory for names. I can remember the names of all my fellow students although forty years passed. — I have a good memory for names. I remember all the names of my classmates, although years have passed.

My brother has terrible memory for dates. Once he forgot even his own birthday! — My brother has a terrible memory for dates. One day he forgot his own birthday!

Many other words come from the word memory:

Memo: memo, notification note:

The secretary will send you a memo with instructions. — The secretary will send you a note with instructions.

Memoirs["memwɑːz] - memories, memoirs:

His lifelong dream was to publish a book of memoirs. —The dream of his whole life is to publish a book with memoirs.

It"s popular with celebrities to write memoirs. - It is fashionable among celebrities to write memoirs.

Memorial- monument, monument:

Memorials- memories, memoirs, chronicles:

The first memorials of the city date back to the 5th century. — The very first mentions of the city date back to the fifth century.

Adjective memorable- memorable, memorable; synonym: unforgettable:

It was a memorable event, we are pleased that you invited us. — It was a memorable event, we are pleased that you invited us.

My trip to India was full of unforgettable experiences. — My trip to India was filled with memorable events.

Let's look at examples that illustrate the meaning and use of stable combinations with the word memory:

This monument was erected in memory of a famous poet. — This monument was erected in memory of the famous poet.

The old photo jogged my memory and I remembered my holiday in Greece. — An old photograph awakened my memory, and I remembered my vacation in Greece.

The events of that day etched in my memory. I will remember them forever.“The events of that day are imprinted in my memory. I will remember them forever.

In soup operas somebody must have an accident and lose their memory. — In soaps, someone has to have an accident and lose their memory.

I write opposites, but if I commit them to memory, I forget them. That's why I decided to commit my universes to paper. — I write poems, but if I leave them in my memory/memorize them, I forget them. So I decided to write them down on paper.

Mike burdened his memory with information before his test. As a result he couldn't remember anything. - Mike overloaded his memory with information before the test. As a result, he could not remember anything.

This is the hottest summer within living memory. “This is the hottest summer in living memory.”

I am not going to learn my speech by heart or use the notes, I"ll speak from memory. — I will not learn my speech by heart or use notes. I will speak from memory.

If you are not sure whether you remember something correctly, or cannot rely on your memory, use introductory expressions:

To the best of my memory, his name is John and he works in a bank. — As far as I remember, his name is John and he works in a bank.

If my memory serves me right, you promised to pay me back two weeks ago! - If my memory serves me correctly, you promised to return my money two weeks ago.

If my memory doesn't fail me, it's Maggie's birthday today. I must call her. — If my memory serves me correctly, today is Maggie’s birthday. I should call her.

I was sure, I locked the door! My memory must be playing tricks on me!— I'd be sure to lock the door. My memory must be failing me.

Memory- not only memory, but also memory. Memories can be positive or negative. Let's consider stable expressions:

He is a successful businessman now, but bitter memories from his poor childhood make him feel sad. “Now he is a successful businessman, but the bitter memories of his poor childhood make him sad.

I don't remember my grandparents very well. I have just some dim memories. — I don’t remember my grandparents well. I only have vague memories of them.

When I look through the family album, I smile at the fond memories of my childhood. — When I look at a family album, I smile when I find pleasant childhood memories.

One of my earliest memories is my birthday when I was five. — One of my earliest memories is my fifth birthday.

The holiday in Spain left only pleasant memories. — The holiday in Spain left only pleasant memories.

This dress brings back the unpleasant memories of my date with Alan. — This dress is associated with unpleasant memories of my date with Alan.

She went to the psychiatrist to get rid of the haunting memories. — She went to a psychiatrist to get rid of intrusive memories.

The tune brought back the memories of my youth. — The melody brought back memories of my youth.

Verbs remember, memorise, remind, recall.

From a noun memory the corresponding verbs memorise and remember occur. The difference between the verbs is that memorise is to remember consciously, to try to keep in memory, to memorize, and remember is to remember, remember, remember:

Yesterday I tried to memorize the irregular verbs, but I didn't succeed. - Yesterday I tried to memorize the irregular verbs, but I succeeded.

Yesterday I memorized the irregular verbs, but today I can"t remember them. - Yesterday I memorized the irregular verbs, but today I can’t remember them.

Our English teacher thinks that if we memorize these words we will speak better. — Our English teacher thinks that if we learn these words, we will speak better.

There were so many people at the party that I can"t remember their names. - There were so many people at the party that I can’t remember their names.

I remembered that it was my sister's birthday yesterday. - I remembered that yesterday was my sister's birthday.

Remind- remind, make a reminder, the verb remind is combined with the preposition of (not about):

This photo reminds me of Paris. — This photo reminds me of Paris.
I want to remind you that you are not allowed to send personal e-mails. — I want to remind you that sending personal letters is prohibited.

Recall- recall, remember, evoke memories. Sometimes they say recall to mind:

I distinctly recall the faces of my parents when I told them about my engagement. “I clearly remember the faces of my parents when I told them about my engagement.
I"m sure, his birthday is in March, but I can"t recall the date to mind. — I'm sure his birthday is in March, but I can't remember the date.

Forgetting and remembering

The main problem with memory is that we tend to forget. Often what we need to remember slips out of our memory. If a person has a “short memory” and forgets everything, then he can be called forgetful forgetful or absent-minded absent-minded [[ˌæbs(ə)nt"maɪndɪd].

She is so forgetful! She writes notes everywhere, but forgets anyway. - She's so forgetful! She writes notes everywhere, but still forgets.

My uncle is very absent-minded. Yesterday he went to work in his slippers. — My uncle is very absent-minded. Yesterday he went to work wearing slippers.

Let's take a look at a number of phrases that relate to the process forgetting:

I have clean forgotten the name, but I vaguely remember the interior of the restaurant. — I completely forgot the name, but I vaguely remember the interior of the restaurant.

I'm sorry, I completely forgot to call you. - Sorry, I completely forgot to call you.

I was learning this poem by heart all evening, but at the lesson my mind suddenly went blank and I couldn't remember a line! - I learned the verse by heart all evening, but during the lesson an eclipse came over me and I couldn’t remember a single line!

Although some details faded from my memory, I still remember my school-leaving party quite well. “Although some details have faded from my memory, I still remember my graduation quite well.

Even though I tried to blot out the memories of my first marriage, I couldn't forget my first wife. - Even though I tried to erase my first marriage from my memory, I could not forget my first wife.

You should raze the accident from your memory and never remember about it. “You should erase this incident from your memory and never think about it.”

I know it will be hard, but you must put it behind you.“I know it will be hard, but you have to put this in the past.”

When you can"t recall your mobile number it is just a lapse of memory. It happens to everyone. - It's just a memory lapse if you can't remember your phone number.

His name slipped my memory! Give me a second, I"ll try to remember. - His name slipped out of my memory. Just a minute, I’ll try to remember.

And sometimes it happens that you want to extract the right word or other information from memory, and you just can’t remember, then you can use the expression on the tip of my tongue:

When I speak English, I sometimes can"t remember words, but they are on the tip of my tongue. — When I speak English, sometimes I can’t remember the words, but they are on the tip of my tongue.

If some detail reminds you of something, but you just can’t figure out what exactly, the expression it rings s bell will come in handy:

What is the noise? It rings a bell, but I can't remember exactly what it is. - What is this sound? It reminds me of something, but I can’t understand what exactly.

If you can't remember something, you can ask for a clue: a clue:

I won't remember the name of this actress unless you give me a clue. “I won’t remember the name of this actress unless you tell me.”

Recall and recollection

When my grandmother listens to this song her memories come flooding back and she tells me about her young years. — When my grandmother listens to this song, memories come back to her and she tells me about her youth.

I can distinctly remember the President's speech. - I clearly remember the President’s speech.

I was leaving the house when my memory clicked I remembered that I hadn't turned the iron off. - I was leaving the house when my memory triggered and I remembered that I had not turned off the iron.

Before the test you should refresh your memory. Look through your notes. — Before the test, you better refresh your memory. Review your notes.

When the interviewer asked a question, she didn't answer at once. It was written all over her face that she was searching her memory. — When the examiner asked a question, she did not answer immediately. It was written on her face that she was rummaging through her memory.

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Sometimes we remember things perfectly ourselves, and sometimes we need help from other people to remember what needs to be done.

In English there are words remember and remind, which are translated as “remember/remind”. They often cause confusion in use because not everyone knows when to use which word. Let's look at the difference between them.

Remember

Pronunciation and translation:

Remember / [rime "mbe] - remember

Meaning of the word:
Have a picture of people, events, places from the past in your head

Use:

We use remember when we say that we remember someone or something from a time in the past. Also when we remember information or things we need to do. For example: They remember that today is his birthday.

Example:

I remember this place.
I remember this place.

He remembers giving her the key.
He remembers that he gave her the key.

Remind

Pronunciation and translation:

Remind / [Rima "ind] - remind

Meaning of the word:
Make someone remember something they should do

Use:
We use remind when someone reminds us that we need to do something. For example: She reminded me to set the alarm.

Example:

Please, remind me to phone him tomorrow.
Please remind me to call him tomorrow.

Remind me to give this to him.
Remind me to give it to him.

What is the difference?

Word remember we use when we remember someone or something from a time in the past. Also when we ourselves remember information or things that we must do. For example: He remembers that he needs to prepare a report.

Word remind we use when someone reminds us that we should do something. For example: Remind me to answer his letter.

Consolidation exercise

Fill in the correct words in the following sentences:

1. He ___ me about the meeting.
2. She ___ that she needs to pick up her dry cleaning.
3. They ___, what time do they fly out?
4. It’s good that you ___ me about the meeting.
5. ___ her, take the camera.
6. I ___ about your birthday.
7. Please ___ me to take an umbrella.

Leave your answers in the comments.

The two words from the title of this article are often confused, believing that they have exactly the same meaning. However, these two verbs differ from each other in semantic content, but it is the small nuances that make it possible to consider them as . Let's list the meanings of each of them and compare whether it can be done or not.

Word choice: remember / remind– is there anything in common?

How remember, so remind are widely used verbs. We encounter them when we are just starting to learn English, so it is wise to immediately identify the situations in which this or that word is used, so as not to make mistakes in the future.

As you know, the meanings of the verb remember are:

1. Remember, keep in memory:
   

   I remember him as a boy. – I remember him as a boy.

   I don’t remember where I lost my key. – I don’t remember where I lost the keys.

2. Remember, remember:
   

   He suddenly remembered an appointment. “Suddenly he remembered that he had an appointment.

   She remembered her mother’s piece of advice. “She remembered her mother’s advice.

3. Do not forget:
   

   Remember to turn out the light. - Don't forget to turn off the light.

   Remember that you have to be here at four. - Don't forget that you have to be here at four.

4. Say hello to someone:
   

   Remember me to your father. - Say hello to your father from me.

5. Give gifts:
   

   My grandmother always remembers me on my birthday. – My grandmother always sends me a present for my birthday.

The last two meanings of this word may not appear so often, but they exist and you should know them if you have not encountered them before. Now let's look at the verb remind .

Verb remember special. You can also use a gerund after it ( remember doing something) and infinitive ( remember to do something). And in these cases these constructions will be translated differently. Remember + to do= remember that something needs to be done, this concerns the future, a person remembers that he needs to do something. Remember + doing= remember doing something, this phrase refers to the past, a person remembers doing something in the past. Let's compare with examples:

I remember to send these letters till tomorrow. – I remember that these letters need to be sent by tomorrow.

I sending remember these letters 2 weeks ago. – I remember sending these letters 2 weeks ago.

Verb meanings remind:

1. Remind someone of something:
   

   He reminded me to buy bread. – He reminded me to buy bread.

   Could you remind her about dinner on Saturday? – Can you remind her about lunch on Saturday?

   I must remind you of your promise. – I must remind you of your promise.

2. Remind someone (be like someone):
   

   He reminds me of his brother. “He reminds me of his brother.”

As we can see, these verbs have practically nothing in common. Their meanings are different and relate to completely different situations of use. To briefly and accurately express the difference between verbs remember And remind, and also learn it forever, remember this sentence:

I'm trying to remember who he reminds me of. “I’m trying to remember who he reminds me of.”

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