Which one should you use?
The default form 忘れた is in the past tense, which is the standard way to express that you have already lost the memory of something. In contrast, the dictionary form 忘れる is used to express a habitual action or a future event, such as "I (often) forget" or "I will forget". Additionally, the colloquial form 忘れちゃった is used to say "I forgot (oops!)", often implying a sense of regret or a lighthearted mistake.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
When speaking to superiors, strangers or in formal settings, you should use the polite past tense 忘れました. For informal situations, you can use the colloquial 忘れちゃった.
How does it change in a sentence?
The dictionary form 忘れる is used to express a habitual action or a future event. The past tense form 忘れた is used to indicate the memory has already been lost.
How do you pronounce it?
wasureta
Did you know?
- To say someone has 'forgotten' their roots or origins, Japanese uses 忘れる in a way that implies a moral or social failure rather than a simple memory lapse.
- Japanese has a specific term 忘れ物 for a 'forgotten thing', treating the act of forgetting as a noun that describes the object itself.
- In some contexts, saying 忘れた can be interpreted as a polite way to avoid answering a question that the speaker finds uncomfortable.
Examples in context
- 彼に電話するのを忘れた。I forget to telephone him.This sentence is useful for practicing the use of 忘れた.Tatoeba #118515 by small_snow, translation #285148 by megamanenm
- Sumimasen, bengoshi no namae o wasuremashita. (すみません、弁護士の名前を忘れました。)Excuse me, I forgot the lawyer's name.
- 名前を忘れた。Namae o wasureta.I forgot the name.
- パスワードを忘れた。Pasuwaado o wasureta.I forgot the password.
Example conversation
Yota and Yui are talking about a movie they saw.
- 陽太 Yotaあの映画のタイトル、何だっけ？Ano eiga no taitoru, nandakke?What was the title of that movie?
- 結衣 Yuiごめん、名前を忘れた。Gomen, namae o wasureta.Sorry, I forgot the name.
- 陽太 Yotaまた忘れたの？Mata wasureta no?You forgot it again?
- 結衣 Yuiどうしても思い出せない。Doushitemo omoidasenai.I just can't remember it.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
