olvidé mi tarea
/olbide mi taɾea/from spelling rules
The English phrase "I forgot my homework" is translated into Spanish as olvidé mi tarea.
This phrase is used to inform a teacher or a peer that you failed to bring your assigned schoolwork.
Which one should you use?
While olvidé mi tarea is grammatically correct, it can sound slightly more formal or direct than the more common se me olvidó la tarea.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, Se me olvidó la tarea. is a common way to express forgetting homework.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb olvidar is conjugated here in the preterite tense (past tense), indicating a completed action in the past. Spanish speakers often use the impersonal se me olvidó construction to express that forgetting something was an accidental occurrence rather than a deliberate action.
Did you know?
- The word tarea comes from the Arabic word ṭarīḥa, which means 'endeavor' and is based on a root meaning 'to throw'.
- While tarea means 'homework' in Latin America, students in Spain often use the word deberes to refer to their assigned schoolwork.
- The word deberes, used for homework in Spain, is the plural form of the word for 'duty' or 'obligation'.
Examples in context
- Se me olvidó hacer la tarea, lo siento.I forgot to do the homework, sorry.
- Lo siento, profesor, olvidé mi tarea.I'm sorry, teacher, I forgot my homework.
- Lo siento, olvidé mi tarea en casa.I am sorry, I forgot my homework at home.
- Profesor, olvidé mi tarea en la mesa.Teacher, I forgot my homework on the table.
- No puedo entregarla porque olvidé mi tarea.I cannot turn it in because I forgot my homework.
Example conversation
Two students are talking in the classroom before class begins.
- SofíaDaniel, ¿trajiste el cuaderno de matemáticas?Daniel, did you bring the math notebook?
- DanielNo, lo siento, olvidé mi tarea.No, I am sorry, I forgot my homework.
- Sofía¡Qué mala suerte!What bad luck!
- DanielSí, estoy muy preocupado.Yes, I am very worried.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries mi, tarea, CC BY-SA 4.0.
