je me souviens de toi
In French, 'I remember you' is said as je me souviens de toi.
This phrase is a statement used to tell someone that you have a memory of them from the past.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase means 'I remember myself of you', which reflects the reflexive nature of the French verb se souvenir.
How does it change in a sentence?
When addressing a group of people or using a formal tone, you should use the form je me souviens de vous instead of je me souviens de toi.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly omit the preposition de before the person being remembered. Ensure you say je me souviens de toi rather than je me souviens toi.
Did you know?
- The phrase je me souviens is the official motto of the Canadian province of Quebec and appears on its license plates.
- The noun souvenir, which means a 'keepsake' or 'memento' in English, shares the exact same linguistic root as the verb used to say 'I remember'.
- In French, there is a distinction between se souvenir de and se rappeler, though both can translate to 'remember'.
Examples in context
- Je me souviens de toi.I remember you.This sentence is useful for stating that you remember the person.Tatoeba #2527456 by sacredceltic, translation #2247386 by CK
- Bien sûr que je me souviens de toi.Of course I remember you.This sentence is useful for emphasizing that you definitely remember the person.Tatoeba #4551181 by sacredceltic, translation #3620101 by CK
- Tu ne te souviens peut-être pas de moi, mais je me souviens de toi.You may not remember me, but I remember you.This sentence is useful for contrasting your memory of someone with their potential lack of memory of you.Tatoeba #3346097 by Blabla, translation #3346025 by Hybrid
- Madame, je me souviens de vous. Nous nous sommes rencontrés lors de la conférence l'année dernière.Madame, I remember you. We met during the conference last year.
- Hey mon ami, je me souviens de toi. Tu étais mon camarade de classe au lycée.Hey my friend, I remember you. You were my classmate in high school.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two old friends meet by chance in a cafe.
- EmmaNathan ? Je me souviens de toi !Nathan? I remember you!
- NathanEmma ? Ça me fait plaisir de te voir.Emma? It is a pleasure to see you.
- EmmaTu as beaucoup changé depuis l'école.You have changed a lot since school.
- NathanC'est vrai, le temps passe vite !That is true, time flies!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
