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Popular Expressions for Forgetting & Remembering and Reminding

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Expressions for forgetting & remembering and reminding in English! Learn useful phrases for forgetting & remembering and reminding with their meaning and examples with ESL image.

Learn more about useful phrases to express agree or disagree in English.

Expressions for Forgetting & Remembering and Reminding

Common Phrases for Forgetting

We forget things in different ways, and in English there are different phrases you can use to communicate that you forget something.

Lose your train of thought

  • Meaning: Forget what you were thinking, right in the middle of thinking about it
  • Example: I lost my train of thought

Slip one’s mind

  • Meaning: Forget something
  • Example: I’m sorry I didn’t call you back sooner, it totally slipped my mind.

Be on the tip of one’s tongue

  • Meaning: You know that you know something, but you can’t remember it at that moment!
  • Example: Her name is on the tip of my tongue. Just give me a minute, I’ll remember it.

Ring a bell

  • Meaning: Something is familiar, but you can’t completely remember it
  • Example: Your description rings a bell, but I don’t think I’ve ever been there myself.

It went in one ear and out the other

  • Meaning: Forget something as soon as you hear it, forget something quickly

(This is not a nice thing to say to someone, because you are saying that you aren’t paying attention to him or her!)

  • Example: My instructions to my kids are often in one ear and out the other, especially if they have their phone in front of them.

Have a senior moment

  • Meaning: A humorous way of saying that you momentarily can’t remember something simple because you are getting older.

My mind went blank

  • Meaning: To suddenly forget or be unable to think of something
  • Example: Even though I’d been preparing for the interview for days, my mind went blank as soon as they started asking questions.

Drawing a Blank (Here)

  • Meaning: To be unable to think of something.
  • Example: I’m sorry, I’m drawing a blank—what’s your name again?

I Don’t Recall ( I don’t remember)

Phrases for Remembering and Reminding

Phrases for Remembering

– If I remember correctly…/As far as I can recall…

– I have a vague recollection of…

– It’s on the tip of my tongue.

(= I’m trying to remember, but I can’t quite remember)

– It’s been on my mind

Phrases for Reminding

 Please remember to…/ Please don’t forget to…

– I’d like to remind you about…

– You haven’t forgotten to/about…have you?

– Refresh one’s memory

Meaning: To remind one (about something); to help one to recall something.

E.g.  I’m sorry, I don’t remember our discussion about that.

– Jog Your Memory

Meaning: To cause someone to remember something

E.g. I tried jogging mom’s memory, but she couldn’t remember Joe’s phone number either.

Expressions for Forgetting & Remembering and Reminding| Image

Expressions for Forgetting & Remembering and Reminding

Expressions for Forgetting & Remembering and Reminding