remembering and forgetting

[Imralu]

(1a) I didn't remember to buy bread. (It slipped my mind. I didn't buy bread.)
(1b) I forgot to buy bread. (It slipped my mind. I didn't buy bread.)

(2) I don't remember buying bread. (Where the hell did this bread come from?)

(3a) I'll remember that. (I'll hold that in my memory.)
(3b) I won't forget that. (I'll hold that in my memory.)

(4) I remember, when I was young, there was a big fire here. (This is still in my memory.)

(5) Oh, I've just remembered something. (This memory has suddenly been (unintentionally) triggered.)

(6) I'm trying to remember how to do this. (I'm trying to call this back into my consciousness.)

[Imralu]

Ngolu:

I'll just incorporate the object into the verbal phrase here. Ziiu lebu is syntactically something like bread-buy but perfectly valid in Ngolu. The alternative would be with ziiu (...) e lebu [buy (...) ACC.3s.INAN.NSPC bread].

(1a)
Ti kka tiaga ziiu lebu na.
PRF no remember buy bread NOM.1s.ACS
I didn't remember to buy bread.

(1b)
Ti mienas ene jos e ziiu lebu.
PRF forget DAT.1s.ACS ACC.C IMP buy bread
I forgot to buy bread.

(2)
Kka muilias ene zuo ziiu lebu.
no remembered.event DAT.1s.ACS NOM.C
I don't remember buying bread.

(3a) coming

(3b) coming

(4) coming

(5) coming

(6) coming

The verbal tiaga "remember" is quite a normal verb for "remember", essentially meaning to hold on to something in one's consciousness (German, behalten, sich merken). The nominative argument is the rememberer. What is remembered can be either an accusative argument or simply a modifier in a verbal compound, in which case it means remember to be/do. This is the one you use when you say "I'll remember that."

It contrasts with muilia "remembered/memory", which has, as its nominative argument, an event which is stored and retrievable as a memory and, as its dative argument, the person whose brain this memory is stored in. This is the one you use when you say "I can't remember." The perfective form muilinia is used when you say "Oh, I've just remembered."

Miena "forget" is a bit weird. The accusative argument always represents what is forgotten. The forgetter may be in the nominative or the dative - nominative indicates deliberate forgetting, putting something out of your mind, dative indicates unintentional forgetting, something slipping your mind. In this phrase, there is an accusative complementiser clause with an imperative inside, so it's something like "I forgot that I am / someone is to buy bread.

[clawgrip]

Japanese

(1) パンを買うのを忘れた。
Pan o kau no o wasureta.
bread ACC buy N ACC forget-PST
I didn't remember to buy bread. (It slipped my mind. I didn't buy bread.)
I forgot to buy bread. (It slipped my mind. I didn't buy bread.)

(2) パンを買ったのは覚えていない。
Pan o katta no wa oboete inai.
bread ACC buy-PST N TOP remember-CONJ be-NEG
I don't remember buying bread. (Where the hell did this bread come from?)

(3a) それは覚えておく。
Sore wa oboete oku.
DEM-MED TOP remember-CONJ place
I'll remember that. (I'll hold that in my memory.)
(-te oku shows that you are doing something for some future purpose)

(3b) それは忘れない。
Sore wa wasurenai.
DEM-MED TOP forget-NEG
I won't forget that. (I'll hold that in my memory.)

(4) 子供のころ、ここに大きな火事があったのは覚えている。
Kodomo no koro, koko ni ōki na kaji ga atta no wa oboete iru.
child GEN time, here LOC big ATTR fire NOM be-PST N TOP remember-CONJ be
I remember, when I was young, there was a big fire here. (This is still in my memory.)

(5) あ、今思い出した。
A, ima omoidashita.
oh, now recall-PST
Oh, I've just remembered something. (This memory has suddenly been (unintentionally) triggered.)

(6) これはどうやってやるか思い出そうとしている。
Kore wa dō yatte yaru ka omoidasō to shite iru.
DEM.PROX TOP how do-CONJ do Q recall-VOL COMPL do-CONJ be
I'm trying to remember how to do this. (I'm trying to call this back into my consciousness.)[/quote]

The main verbs here are:
忘れる wasureru - "forget"
覚える oboeru - "remember; learn; memorize"
思い出す omoidasu - "recall; bring to mind"

Japanese has no basic word for try. The last sentence, translated as literally as possible, is like "I'm doing that let's remember how does (one) do it."

[Squall]

Xioran
rememaw - cause someone to make a remembrance return
lentsaw - to have not forgotten, to continue keeping a remembrance
blandaw - to forget


(1a) Min ro rememoy non prutxazaw uy wegyo.
1SG ACC make_a_remembrance_return-PST NEG buy-INF INDEF bread.

(1b) Min blandoy prutxazaw uy wegyo.
1SG forget-PST NEG buy-INF INDEF bread.

(2) Min lentsay non prutxazaw uy wegyo.
1SG have_not_forgotten-PST NEG buy-INF INDEF bread.

(3a) Min kuntxuney lentsaw sey.
1SG continue-FUT have_not_forgotten-INF DEM.DIST.

(3b) Min blandey non sey.
1SG forget-FUT NEG DEM.DIST.

(4) Min lentsaw-PRS ka, leten min sans juju, evintsoy pirapira glanpo keylo.
1SG have_not_forgotten-PRS CONJ, when 1SG be.PST young, occur-PST burn-burn big DEM.PROX-place.

(5) Min ro rememoy akes yun.
1SG ACC make_a_remembrance_return-PST just_now INDEF.

(6) Min ro ses esfuzans rememaw ley hawtu pro akehaw key.
1SG ACC be.PRS make_a_remembrance_return DEF.SING method for_the_finality_of perform-INF DEM.PROX.

Portuguese
An interesting distinction.

(1a) Não me lembrei de comprar pão.
NEG 1SG.ACC;RFL remember-1SG.PST COMPL buy-INF bread.

(2) Não me lembro de ter comprado pão.
NEG 1SG.ACC;RFL remember-1SG.PRS COMPL have-INF buy-PTCP bread.
Literally: I don't remember to have bought bread.

[Lao Kou]

Géarthnuns

(1a) Fí lé fau homsaut ba vazh rhagaçön.
1SG-NOM.NEG AUX.PAST INDEF.NEG bread-ACC.NEG PTCL buy remember
I didn't remember to buy bread. (It slipped my mind. I didn't buy bread.)

(1b) Sí lé sau horsaut ba vazh nöçakakh.
1SG-NOM AUX.PAST INDEF bread-ACC PTCL buy forget
I forgot to buy bread. (It slipped my mind. I didn't buy bread.)

Portuguese
An interesting distinction.

(1a) Não me lembrei de comprar pão.
NEG 1SG.ACC;RFL remember-1SG.PST COMPL buy-INF bread
I didn't remember to buy bread. (It slipped my mind. I didn't buy bread.)

(2) Não me lembro de ter comprado pão.
NEG 1SG.ACC;RFL remember-1SG.PST COMPL have-INF buy-PTCP bread
Literally: I don't remember to have bought bread.

This is the same strategy Géarthnuns employs:

(2) Fí la fau homsaut bö vazh rhagaçön.
1SG-NOM.NEG AUX.PAST INDEF.NEG bread-ACC.NEG PTCL-PRESPRF buy remember
I don't remember buying bread. (Where the hell did this bread come from?)

(3a) Sí lí che helkethset rhagaçön.
1SG-NOM AUX.FUT DEF that-ACC remember
I'll remember that. (I'll hold that in my memory.)

(3b) Fí lí ve helkegset nöçakakh.
1SG-NOM.NEG AUX.FUT DEF.NEG that-ACC.NEG forget
I won't forget that. (I'll hold that in my memory.)

(These are neutral. To make them more menacing, à la "I'll remember that (what you've done/said)" (so when you least expect it, expect it! ), swap out the word for "that" from "helkethset/helkegset" to "hereçkethset/hereçkegset".)

(4) Sí la, shtanö thpau lé gadib nöi sho, gü cha hengedínsav sü zdaíaks kfazhek lé höimnaizekh sho, rhagaçön.
1SG-NOM AUX.PRES, when 1SG-NOM AUX.PAST young-NOM be PTCL, CONJ DEF here-LOC INDEF fire-NOM big-NOM AUX.PAST happen-DISC PTCL, remember
I remember, when I was young, there was a big fire here. (This is still in my memory.)

(5) O, sí lé í açön.
oh, 1SG-NOM AUX.PAST just-ADV recall
Oh, I've just remembered something. (This memory has suddenly been (unintentionally) triggered.)

(6) Sí la çörau che hengethset cheveçö ba dravnath hukun.
1SG-NOM AUX.PRES such.as DEF this-ACC how PTCL do try.to.recall
I'm trying to remember how to do this. (I'm trying to call this back into my consciousness.)

[Iyionaku]

German

1a: Ich habe nicht daran gedacht, Brot zu kaufen.
1SG have-1SG NEG at-that think-PARTII bread-NOM to buy-INF
1b: Ich habe vergessen, Brot zu kaufen.
1SG have-1SG forget-PART2 bread-NOM to buy-INF

2: Ich kann mich nicht daran erinnern, Brot gekauft zu haben.
1SG be-able-to.1SG 1SG.REFL NEG at-that remember-INF, bread-NOM buy-PART2 to have-INF

3a.Ich werde daran denken!
1SG will-1SG at-that think-inf
3b.Das werde ich nicht vergessen!
that will-1SG 1SG NEG forget-IMP

4. Ich weiß noch, dass es hier ein großes Feuer gab, als ich jung war.
1SG know-1SG still that 3SG.NEUT here INDEF.MASC.NOM big-MASC.NOM fire give-PST.1SG when 1SG young COP-PST.1SG

5. Ich habe mich gerade an etwas erinnert!
1SG have-1SG 1SG.REFL right-now at something remember-PART2

6. Ich versuche, mich zu erinnern, wie das ging.
1SG try-1SG 1SG.REFL to remember-INF how that work-3SG.PST