forget or forgot?

Question

''What was the title of the movie you saw yesterday?''

As the answer of this question, which one is correct?

a. I forget.
b. I forgot.
c. I have forgotten.

I know that a is correct and that it implies the speaker can't remember the title now. But is it possible to answer b or c? If acceptable, are there any difference in meaning?
For, example, can I add the following sentences, after a, b, or c?

d. ...oh! I remember(ed). The title is ...
e. ...but, if I remember, I will tell you.

Neeraj Jain · Accepted Answer

I believe that both b and c are correct. a is not correct.

Cool Breeze · Answer

I would ask: What is the title of the movie you saw yesterday?
The correct idiomatic answer is indeed I forget. To my mind I have forgotten is also acceptable and would be even better if an object were included: I have forgotten it.

CB

Phantombabe · Answer

a is wrong. b & c is correct.

Neeraj Jain · Answer

Phantombabea is wrong. b & c is are correct.

BarbaraPA · Answer

Perhaps there are regional variations to what is idiomatic.

I agree with the orignal poster and Cool Breeze: I forget says to me that I'm unable to bring the title to mind at this moment. Since it was only yesterday that I saw the movie, it's unlikely to be irretrievably lost to my memory. In fact, as soon as you walk away, I'll probably remember. It tends to work that way.

I have forgotten is also fine.

I don't like I forgot for this use because the past tense makes it seem like it will never be recalled. I forgot my briefcase at home - I won't be able to go back in time and "un-forget" it. Unless someone hit me with one of those memory erasing devices like in the movie "Men in Black" as I left the theater, it's unlikely that my forgetting the name of movie is permanent.

Cool Breeze · Answer

Grammar GeekI agree with the orignal poster and Cool Breeze: I forget says to me that I'm unable to bring the title to mind at this moment.

Hi GG

It is understandable that nonnatives think I forget is wrong. This is because after a person has learned what "to forget" means and has a basic knowledge of the tenses, it does indeed seem completely wrong to a nonnative speaker of English. He thinks the tense is wrong because the present tense of "to forget" is not used in this way in other languages. To use I forget in this way is common throughout the Anglo-Saxon world, not a regional variation.

Cheers
CB

BarbaraPA · Answer

(I was trying to be kind.)

Goodman · Answer

Anonymous''What was the title of the movie you saw yesterday?''

As the answer of this question, which one is correct?

a. I forget.
b. I forgot.
c. I have forgotten.

I know that a is correct and that it implies the speaker can't remember the title now. But is it possible to answer b or c? If acceptable, are there any difference in meaning?
For, example, can I add the following sentences, after a, b, or c?

d. ...oh! I remember(ed). The title is ...
e. ...but, if I remember, I will tell you.

_{My 2 cents...}

It seems like we had been down this “forget” to “remember” path before

_{Based on the posted choices to the question, I'd say there is a high likelihhood that most people will pick "forgot" as the correct answer.}

Here is the story line:

I was leaving my office and walking to my car.

I didn’t remember at all about the dry-clean pick up my wife had asked me to do for her the night before. I drove straight home from the office, I had completely forgotten about (it) the pick up. However, I still had no idea yet that I forgot.

As I opened the door, she saw me walking in from the garage without her dry-cleaned clothes, She said “ Honey where is my dry-clean? ”. Then I would slap my forehead and said “Oh dear! I forgot about it”

Please note, not forget! The fact that I came home without the dry clean means the process of “forgetting” had already begun as I was driving past the dry-cleaner.

Another scenario…

As I was driving home, I actually did not remember my wife’s dry-clean and drove past the dry-cleaner. Suddenly, my cellphone rang. It was my wife reminding me “please remember to pick up my dry-cleans, I'll need my dress to work tomorrow”.

I relied “Of course I remember my dear. How can I forget? I have it right here”. As I hanged up, I thought to myself, I almost forgot* the pick up had she not called. I made a U-turn to go back to the cleaner. I picked it up and came home with it, therefore, in her mind, I didn’t forget it.

Forgot* - However, at that moment, I actually had forgotten. So “I almost forgot” is the proper tense.

Kooyeen · Answer

Hmmm... good question. I didn't like "I forgot" much and I didn't know why. But GG give this perfect explanation:

Grammar GeekI agree with the orignal poster and Cool Breeze: I forget says to me that I'm unable to bring the title to mind at this moment. Since it was only yesterday that I saw the movie, it's unlikely to be irretrievably lost to my memory. In fact, as soon as you walk away, I'll probably remember. It tends to work that way.

That was clear.

But, for example, if you saw the movie some time ago, "I forgot" would be ok, right? Like, "Uh, I forgot. I can't remember the protagonist. I saw that movie two years ago, and I didn't even like it. "

forget or forgot?

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions