# I remember to do... vs. I remember doing...



## EL_guepo001

Hello!

What's the difference and which one is correct? 

I *remember seeing* her at the party. / I _remember to see _her at the party.

I *remember meeting* her yesterday. / I _remember to meet_ her yesterday.


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## lingobingo

If you remember *doing* something, you’re looking back and recalling something you’ve already done.

If you remember *to do* something, you’re looking forward and thinking “I mustn’t forget that I need to do that” (at some future time).


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## EL_guepo001

Thanks LingoBingo!

So when I say "I remember to see her yesterday" I implies That "Yesterday I suddenly remembered our date so I went to see her" ??


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## lingobingo

"I remember to see her yesterday" does not make sense. You’re talking about a past event, so you need the past tense: "I *remembered* to see her yesterday."


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## EL_guepo001

thanks any way! 

You just confused me further


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## Florentia52

What is still confusing you, EL_guepo001?


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## dojibear

EL_guepo001 said:


> So when I say "I remember to see her yesterday" I implies That "Yesterday I suddenly remembered our date so I went to see her" ??



No, because "remember" does not mean "remembered".

But if you say "I remembered to see her yesterday" it means what you wrote: you saw her yesterday after you remembered you should do that.


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## taraa

Is the following wrong, please?
"I didn't remember to lock the door this morning."


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## Steven David

taraa said:


> Is the following wrong, please?
> "I didn't remember to lock the door this morning."




This sentence is correct.

If you use "remembering", then you're speaking about the experience of doing something such as locking the door.

1) "I remember locking the door yesterday. If it's unlocked now, then someone unlocked it after I locked it." <

This means you recall "the experience of locking the door".

2) "I remembered to lock the door yesterday. I don't know why it's unlocked now." <

This is an assertion.

This means that you did not forget to lock the door yesterday. With this sentence, you state that you remembered to lock the door or that you locked the door. This statement does not speak about your recollection or memory of the action. Of course, if you say that you locked the door, then this means that you obviously remember locking the door.


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## dojibear

taraa said:


> Is the following wrong, please?
> "I didn't remember to lock the door this morning."



This is correct.

The sentence implies that locking the door (each morning when you leave) is an action that you are supposed to do.

The sentence says that you did not do this action (locking the door) this morning.
Why? At the time you were leaving this morning, you did not remember "I am supposed to do this".


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## elprofe

EL_guepo001 said:


> Hello!
> 
> What's the difference and which one is correct?
> 
> I *remember seeing* her at the party. / I _remember to see _her at the party.
> 
> I *remember meeting* her yesterday. / I _remember to meet_ her yesterday.



Here you have a few examples I always use in class:

Remember + ing
_· I remember going to the park with my parents when I was a child (_this is something you used to do in the past and it's now on your mind. The action of "going to the park" takes place before the time when you "remember"_)
· I don't remember meeting her yesterday_

Remember + to-infinitive
_· I always remember to take the rubbish out when I leave (_the action of "taking the rubbish out" takes place after the time when you "remember")
_· My girlfriend is angry because I didn't remember to phone her yesterday 
· My parents told me off because I didn't remember to lock the door_


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## taraa

Steven David said:


> This sentence is correct.
> 
> If you use "remembering", then you're speaking about the experience of doing something such as locking the door.
> 
> 1) "I remember locking the door yesterday. If it's unlocked now, then someone unlocked it after I locked it." <
> 
> This means you recall "the experience of locking the door".
> 
> 2) "I remembered to lock the door yesterday. I don't know why it's unlocked now." <
> 
> This is an assertion.
> 
> This means that you did not forget to lock the door yesterday. With this sentence, you state that you remembered to lock the door or that you locked the door. This statement does not speak about your recollection or memory of the action. Of course, if you say that you locked the door, then this means that you obviously remember locking the door.





dojibear said:


> This is correct.
> 
> The sentence implies that locking the door (each morning when you leave) is an action that you are supposed to do.
> 
> The sentence says that you did not do this action (locking the door) this morning.
> Why? At the time you were leaving this morning, you did not remember "I am supposed to do this".


Thank you both!!
What is its difference with "I didn't remember locking  the door this morning "?


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## lingobingo

taraa said:


> What is its difference with "I didn't remember locking  the door this morning "?


What are you trying to say with that sentence? You would need to invent quite a complicated scenario to justify saying such a strange thing. It does *not* mean the same as “I didn’t remember (= I forgot) to lock the door this morning”.

Please see post #2 for the basic difference between using a gerund or an infinitive in this context.


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## taraa

lingobingo said:


> What are you trying to say with that sentence? You would need to invent quite a complicated scenario to justify saying such a strange thing. It does *not* mean the same as “I didn’t remember (= I forgot) to lock the door this morning”.
> 
> Please see post #2 for the basic difference between using a gerund or an infinitive in this context.


Aha I understand,sorry
Thank you!!


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## Steven David

taraa said:


> Thank you both!!
> What is its difference with "I didn't remember locking  the door this morning "?




It means that you didn't remember the experience of locking the door this morning. However, there is no reason that someone would say something like this.

Well, there could be some sort of context in which this statement becomes possible. However, it's very unlikely. We'd have to think hard about this to come up with a context in which a statement like this logically applies.

 

This is possible:

Did you lock the door this morning?

No.

Then who did? You were the last one out.

I don't know. Maybe, a ghost locked the door.

You're saying you don't remember locking the door this morning?

That's right. I don't remember locking the door this morning. I didn't lock the door.


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## dojibear

Steven David said:


> I don't know. Maybe, a ghost locked the door.



I hate it when that happens!


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## taraa

Steven David said:


> It means that you didn't remember the experience of locking the door this morning. However, there is no reason that someone would say something like this.
> 
> Well, there could be some sort of context in which this statement becomes possible. However, it's very unlikely. We'd have to think hard about this to come up with a context in which a statement like this logically applies.
> 
> 
> 
> This is possible:
> 
> Did you lock the door this morning?
> 
> No.
> 
> Then who did? You were the last one out.
> 
> I don't know. Maybe, a ghost locked the door.
> 
> You're saying you don't remember locking the door this morning?
> 
> That's right. I don't remember locking the door this morning. I didn't lock the door.


Thank you again!!


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## Ivan_I

Is this possible:

I remember you say that.


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## glamorgan

Ivan_I said:


> Is this possible:
> 
> I remember you say that.


The usual expression is: I remember you saying that.


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## dojibear

If you said that one time in the past, and I remember it:

_I remember you saying that._

If you frequently say that thing (many times), and I remember that information:

_I remember (that) you say that._


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## Ivan_I

I mean:

Can *I remember you say that *mean *I remember that you said that*?


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## grassy

No.


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## heypresto

Ivan_I said:


> I mean:
> 
> Can *I remember you say that *mean *I remember that you said that*?




In short, no.

'I remember you say that' doesn't make any sense.


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## Ivan_I

Thanks heaven.


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## lingobingo

Ivan_I said:


> Is this possible:
> 
> I remember you say that.


It would make much more sense for you to ask not if it’s “possible” (it is, but only if we make up some unlikely context in which it would work syntactically) but if it’s idiomatic, if it’s a normal thing to say. Then we could give you a straight answer: No. 

Used transitively, the verb *remember* needs a noun or noun clause as its direct object. But “you say that” (subject+verb+object pronoun) is not a noun or noun clause.


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## Steven David

Ivan_I said:


> Is this possible:
> 
> I remember you say that.




With more co-text, it is possible.

Now,* I remember* that *you* always *say that*.

The original sentence is possible. However, we have to understand how it is possible by hearing or reading it in a dialogue, which is to say with context.


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## london calling

Ivan_I said:


> Is this possible:
> 
> I remember you say that.


No.


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## Steven David

london calling said:


> No.




What would be wrong with it that makes it not possible?


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## london calling

Steven David said:


> What would be wrong with it that makes it not possible?


We have no context. As it stands the sentence is not possible.


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## Steven David

london calling said:


> We have no context. As it stands the sentence is not possible.



Therefore, the sentence in question is possible with context. With context, it's a possible and correct sentence.

Viewing the sentence as a phrase, and then adding co-text to it to form a different sentence, also makes the sentence, or phrase, possible, which is to say a possible correct sentence. And this is true of the sentence in its original form, as well, without added co-text.


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## Ivan_I

Steven David said:


> Therefore, the sentence in question is possible with context.


Steven David, what does the sentence mean?
Oops... I see what it means now. No need for clarification.


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## london calling

Steven David said:


> Therefore, the sentence in question is possible with context. With context, it's a possible and correct sentence.
> 
> Viewing the sentence as a phrase, and then adding co-text to it to form a different sentence, also makes the sentence, or phrase, possible, which is to say a possible correct sentence. And this is true of the sentence in its original form, as well, without added co-text.


But there is no context or co-text. The OP should have provided it but hasn't. It's therefore not a viable sentence based on what we've been given.


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## lingobingo

More to the point, inventing an unlikely scenario specifically to demonstrate a vaguely possible use of a non-standard expression serves only to imply that the expression is idiomatic, when it isn’t. How is that helpful to someone trying to learn standard English?

Here it’s all the more irrelevant in that Ivan explained in #14 that what he specifically meant was: 
Can “I remember you say that” mean “I remember that you said that?”.


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## Steven David

london calling said:


> But there is no context or co-text. The OP should have provided it but hasn't. It's therefore not a viable sentence based on what we've been given.



It is a possible sentence. That's what the question was, and here it is. 



Ivan_I said:


> Is this possible:
> 
> I remember you say that.


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## grassy

Steven David said:


> That's what the question was, and here it is.


Ivan later clarified what he meant exactly:


Ivan_I said:


> I mean:
> 
> Can *I remember you say that *mean *I remember that you said that*?


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## Mohsen.al1367@

taraa said:


> Aha I understand,sorry
> Thank you!!


I I couldn't understand it


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## Florentia52

What is your question, Mohsen.al1367?


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## Mohsen.al1367@

Hi, I want to know what difference is between remember doing vs remember to do


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## Steven David

Mohsen.al1367@ said:


> Hi, I want to know what difference is between remember doing vs remember to do



I remember doing that.

I have a memory of it in my mind. This is a memory of something from my past.

Every week, I remember to buy coffee.

I recall that this is something that I have to do or, at least, that I want to do. So when I go shopping, it's on my list or on my mind. I remember to do it.

At present, or going forward, I remember to do it.


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## Mohsen.al1367@

Steven David said:


> I remember doing that.
> 
> I have a memory of it in my mind. This is a memory of something from my past.
> 
> Every week, I remember to buy coffee.
> 
> I recall that this is something that I have to do or, at least, that I want to do. So when I go shopping, it's on my list or on my mind. I remember to do it.
> 
> At present, or going forward, I remember to do it.


Thank you so much


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## Steven David

Mohsen.al1367@ said:


> Thank you so much



You're welcome.


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