se souvenir
/sə suv.niʁ/
To remember in French is se souvenir.
This phrase is used to express the act of bringing a piece of information or a past experience back into one's mind.
Which one should you use?
While se souvenir requires the preposition de before an object, the synonym se rappeler is used directly with a direct object (for example, se rappeler quelque chose).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, se rappeler de is used as a regional variation.
How does it change in a sentence?
As a reflexive verb, the pronoun must change to match the subject, such as je me souviens for I remember. When using the first-person plural, the reflexive pronoun is doubled: nous nous souvenons. Additionally, the verb se souvenir must be followed by the preposition de when it has an object.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid omitting the de after se souvenir when translating from English, as the verb requires this preposition to connect to its object.
Did you know?
- The official motto of Quebec is Je me souviens, which appears on the province's license plates and Parliament building. It serves as a reminder of the region's French history and heritage.
- The root of souvenir comes from the Latin subvenīre, which literally means 'to come from below' or 'to come to mind'. It describes a memory as something rising up from the depths of the subconscious.
- The word 'souvenir' in English is a noun, but in French, it is the base form of the reflexive verb used to perform the action of remembering.
Examples in context
- On doit se souvenir de qui nous a aidés.We need to remember who helped us.This sentence shows how to use se souvenir when discussing people who have helped.Tatoeba #11595176 by Adrien_FR, translation #9620469 by CK
- Personne ne veut se souvenir de mon pays.Nobody wants to remember my country.This sentence demonstrates using se souvenir in the context of a country.Tatoeba #3160613 by mervert1, translation #1796861 by Amastan
- Il insiste pour se souvenir de chacun de nos anniversaires.He makes it a point to remember each one of our birthdays.This sentence illustrates using se souvenir regarding birthdays.Tatoeba #330171 by hortusdei, translation #297403 by CM
- Je me souviens de notre première rencontre.I remember our first meeting.
- Il faut garder en mémoire les valeurs de notre société.We must remember the values of our society.
- N'oublie pas de faire tes devoirs.Remember to do your homework.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry se souvenir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries se, souvenir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
