# Forget something? If you have... (Simple past vs present perfect)



## Igor89

Good mornig, 
In my hotel room there is this question:
"Forget something? If you have forgotten any of the following things..."
Now, why is there in the question the simple past (I suppose, because the question should be "Did you forget something") and in the answer the present perfect?
Thank you!


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## london calling

The question is not in the simple past: the paradigm of the verb is to forget - forgot- forgotten.


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## Igor89

I have supposed that it is the short and colloquial form of: [Did you] forget something?


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## Loob

Igor89 said:


> I have supposed that it is the short and colloquial form of: [Did you] forget something?


Yes, it is.

I don't think there's any particular reason why the writer of the notice chose "Forget something?" rather than "Forgotten something?" Perhaps he or she thought it sounded crisper?


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## Igor89

Thank you. 
Is it correct to use simple past and then present perfect (without any reason)?
Is it 'natural'?


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## Loob

I wouldn't see it as a good example to follow.


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## Igor89

Ah ok. I would use present perfect in both cases. What do you think on it? Thank you


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## london calling

Igor89 said:


> I have supposed that it is the short and colloquial form of: [Did you] forget something?


Yes, sorry , it is. I personally would have used 'forgotten' in both cases. Which country is this hotel in?


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## Igor89

Me too, in Italy, but it was a 4stars...


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## Igor89

Loob said:


> I wouldn't see it as a good example to follow.


What is the more natural version?


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## RM1(SS)

What does the rest of the sign say?  That would affect my choice of "forget" or "have forgotten."


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## Igor89

Hi,
If you have forgotten any of the following items.... Please contact reception, we will be happy to give you a replacement with our compliments


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## Igor89

Igor89 said:


> Hi,
> If you have forgotten any of the following items.... Please contact reception, we will be happy to give you a replacement with our compliments


I suppose that the use of present perfect (in both cases) is the best way...


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## Loob

Actually, in a notice in a hotel room, I'd probably omit the "Forget something?"/"Forgotten something?" altogether  - it sounds rather informal.


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## Igor89

Thank You!
But, is correct to use different verbal mode (as in this case)?


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## Loob

I'd say it would be better to use the same tense in both parts.


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## RM1(SS)

Igor89 said:


> If you have forgotten any of the following items.... Please contact reception, we will be happy to give you a replacement with our compliments


That looks perfect to me, except for the comma splice.


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## Igor89

Loob said:


> I'd say it would be better to use the same tense in both parts.


And what tense (present perfect or past tense)?



RM1(SS) said:


> That looks perfect to me, except for the comma splice.


I inserted the comma splice to not indicate the items. 
Do you look perfect to you also the use of differente tenses in the question and answer?


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## Loob

Igor89 said:


> And what tense (present perfect or past tense)?


Present perfect.
(_1) Forgotten something? If you have forgotten any of the following things..."
or
(2) Have you forgotten something? If you have forgotten any of the following things..."_
or (without the preliminary question)
_(3) If you have forgotten any of the following things..."_


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## Igor89

I have an update. I have just seen a variation in an other hotel:
Forgot something? 
Is this a shortened (colloquial) version of did you forget? Thank you


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## london calling

Igor89 said:


> I have an update. I have just seen a variation in an other hotel:
> Forgot something?
> Is this a shortened (colloquial) version of did you forget? Thank you


No, it's plain wrong.


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## Igor89

london calling said:


> No, it's plain wrong.


Good morning and thank you.
So, are lso google advise and some email wrong (Forgot password/email)?
Thank you


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## Enquiring Mind

Hi Igor89, one of the most important considerations in this kind of "instruction" context is to _keep it short_. They are trying to convey meaning, not a correct grasp of grammar. "Forgot password?" is clearly intended as a question (because it has a question mark). It means "You forgot your password?". The simple past here is a reflection of American English which sometimes uses simple past where BE uses present perfect.

We understand the intended meaning, and that is all that's needed in this kind of context.


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## Igor89

Fantastic!
so, i have well understood, is "forgot something/password etc" the short form of "did you forget", isn't it? Or Have you forgot (i read that forgot can be a past participle form)? Thanks


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## Enquiring Mind

It's not really a short form of "did you forget". It makes a statement "(You) forgot (your) password" which, by putting a question mark (?) on the end, is turned into a question - in terms of meaning, not grammar. So it's a different way of asking a question, but the main point here is to keep it short and simple, and they achieved that by using only two words ("forgot password?") and we still understand the intended meaning.


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## Igor89

Is the same thing of "forgot something"?


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## Enquiring Mind

Yes.


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## london calling

Igor89 said:


> Fantastic!
> Or Have you forgot (i read that forgot can be a past participle form)


_Forgotten_ is the correct form.

I still think 'forgot something?' is bad English.


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## Igor89

Hi,
but here: the definition of forgot seems the the usage of "forgot" as past participle is quite normal


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## london calling

Igor89 said:


> Hi,
> but here: the definition of forgot seems the the usage of "forgot" as past participle is quite normal


Not in modern British English.  Your link says this  later on:

(British English)
*forgot*
/fəˈɡɒt/
verb
1. the past tense of forget
2. *(archaic or dialect) *a past participle of forget


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## Igor89

So, could we say that "forget something?" and "forgot something? " are the same thing (a sort of a sort of short form of a past simple question)?


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## london calling

Igor89 said:


> So, could we say that "forget something?" and "forgot something? " are the same thing (a sort of a sort of short form of a past simple question)?


Igor, 'forgot something' to me is* archaic or dialect* (see my post above).


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## beefeather

London calling, could you compare both samples, "forgot something" with "forgot password"? Would you say they are equally archaic or dialect, or did "forgot password" phrase simply win its way in the language by being repeated on so many web pages?

Everybody else, I welcome your answers very much too, I just would like to calibrate standards and hear about both phrases from a same person.


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## london calling

Context?

_I forgot something_ ('forgot' is the past tense) is perfectly normal English, for example, in a given time-frame.


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## beefeather

Just trying to summarize everything that has already been discussed here.

The hotel sign "forgot something?" (about various small stuff the hotel could give you, such as toothbrush)
The web-page button "forgot password?" (a standard option on virtually all login pages)

Both phrases are grammatically equivalent.
Would you say that "forgot password?" on a web-page is equally distasteful as "forgot something?" in a hotel?


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## london calling

I've never seen 'forgot password' on a website. It's usually 'Forgotten your password'? 'Forgot password?' doesn't sound idiomatic to me at all.


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## beefeather

There are some sites, that use this form.

For example google.com does "Forgot password?"
This very site forum.wordreference.com goes with "Forgot your password?"

This form is pretty popular.


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## Loob

I know you're asking london calling, befeather - but,  for me, the explanation of "forgot [your] password?" is given in Enquiring Mind's post 25.


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## beefeather

Loob said:


> I know you're asking london calling, befeather - but,  for me, the explanation of "forgot [your] password?" is given in Enquiring Mind's post 25.



In fact I am asking someone, who can answer about _both_ phrases.


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## Loob

When you say "both phrases", do you mean _Forgot [your] password? _and _Forgot something? _

The explanation is the same.


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## beefeather

I stopped trusting logic in English when I learnt about "nike" pronounciation 

So I take it you personally feel that both phrases are okay, they are non-grammatical brief question forms. Am I correct?

(Interestingly, the first thing Russians typically learn is that English has a structure and you cannot turn a normal sence into a question by merely adding a question mark at the end )


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## Loob

I wouldn't call them "non-grammatical": they're understandable and it's clear how they're derived.  Personally, though, as I said in post 19, I'd use *Forgotten something?*


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## beefeather

Post 25 you are referring to states "is turned into a question - in terms of meaning, not grammar." Thus non-grammatically.


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## Loob

Ah, I see what you mean: yes, the mechanism used to form the question _You forgot your password? _is intonation (represented by the question mark) rather than grammar.


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## london calling

Loob said:


> I wouldn't call them "non-grammatical": they're understandable and it's clear how they're derived.  Personally, though, as I said in post 19, I'd use *Forgotten something?*


Same here.


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## beefeather

"Same here" for both phrases? For "Forgot something?" in hotels and "Forgot password?" on web-sites?
So all sites such as google, wordreference, amazon, uber, and wikipedia (but not facebook) are using (I quote) "archaic or dialect" English, aren't they?

P.S. this seems to be another way to tolerate this form, it could be a short form or "You *forgot something*, didn't you*?*"


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## london calling

I meant I'd say 'forgotten something?', never "Forgot something?" or "Forgot password?"


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## sound shift

london calling said:


> I meant I'd say 'forgotten something?', never "Forgot something?" or "Forgot password?"


Same here.


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