забыва́ть vs по́мнить

zabyvat vs pomnit — forget vs remember

What it really means

Забыва́ть means to forget, fail to remember, or leave something undone because it slipped from memory. It is imperfective and describes an ongoing or repeated lapse; its perfective partner забы́ть presents the loss of memory as a completed event. The forgotten item is commonly accusative: забыва́ть и́мя, but a person or circumstance can also be introduced with о + prepositional.

По́мнить means to remember, keep in mind, or have a memory of something. It is imperfective and normally takes a direct object: по́мнить а́дрес or по́мнить э́тот день. It does not normally form a perfective pair simply by adding a prefix. Use забывать for memory failing or a duty being omitted, and помнить for retained knowledge or recollection.

Examples in natural speech

Я ча́сто забыва́ю и́мена.
I often forget names.
Не забыва́й закры́ть окно́.
Do not forget to close the window.
Ты по́мнишь э́тот ста́рый до́м?
Do you remember this old house?
Она хорошо́ по́мнит своё де́тство.
She remembers her childhood well.
Мы забыва́ем о вре́мени за интере́сным разгово́ром.
We lose track of time during an interesting conversation.

Common mistakes

Do not confuse помнить with знать: помнить is retaining or recalling a memory, while знать is knowing a fact. Also distinguish the imperfective забывать (“keep forgetting”) from perfective забыть (“forget once/completely”), especially in commands and completed narratives.

Memory tip

Забыва́ть lets a memory slip away; по́мнить keeps it present.

Frequently asked questions

What is the perfective form of забывать?

Забы́ть is the usual perfective partner: я забы́л ключи́ means “I forgot the keys.”

Can помнить mean “remember to do”?

Yes, with an infinitive or чтобы-clause: по́мни позвони́ть means “remember to call.”

Which preposition goes with remembering a topic?

О + prepositional is possible for remembering about someone or something, though a direct object is also very common.

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