Remember vs Forget: Infinitive or -ing?
Core PathWay
1 Looking Forward vs Looking Back
Here’s the secret to getting these right: remember and forget change meaning depending on what follows them.
When you use the infinitive (to + verb), you’re looking forward in time. The remembering or forgetting happens BEFORE the action. *Remember to lock the door* means you haven’t locked it yet — the remembering comes first, then the locking.
When you use the gerund (-ing form), you’re looking backward in time. The action happened FIRST, then the remembering or forgetting. *I remember locking the door* means you locked it, and now you have a memory of doing it.
Dialogue 1:
Alex: Did you remember to email the client?
Jordan: Yes, I sent it this morning. I always remember to follow up on Mondays.
Dialogue 2:
Sam: I remember meeting your brother at the conference last year.
Chris: Really? He doesn’t remember seeing you there. Maybe it was someone else?
Notice how ‘remember to email’ refers to a task that needed doing, while ‘remember meeting’ refers to a past event that actually happened.
2 Remember | Forget + Infinitive
The infinitive form points forward in time from whatever tense you’re using. Think of it as a mental note about something that needs to happen.
This pattern works across all tenses, and English has some useful equivalencies you can use:
Focus
- Infinitives after remember/forget refer to actions not yet completed at the moment of remembering/forgetting
- The remembering/forgetting happens BEFORE the action expressed by the infinitive
- This pattern appears in imperatives, present, past, perfect, and future tenses
Rules
- Imperative: ‘Remember to + infinitive’ = ‘Don’t forget to + infinitive’ (giving instructions or reminders)
- Present Simple: ‘I often forget to…’ / ‘I don’t often remember to…’ (habits and routines)
- Present Perfect: ‘I have forgotten to…’ (recent omission with present relevance)
- Past Simple: ‘I didn’t remember to…’ = ‘I forgot to…’ (past failure to do something)
- Future: ‘I will remember to…’ / ‘I won’t forget to…’ (promises or intentions)
Examples
- Remember to submit your timesheet by Friday. (instruction — you haven’t submitted it yet)
- I forgot to turn off the heating before I left. (past — the action didn’t happen)
- She has forgotten to attach the document again. (present perfect — it’s still not attached)
Common mistake
3 Remember | Forget + Gerund
The gerund (-ing form) looks backward to actions that already happened. When you say I remember doing something, you did it and now you’re bringing that memory to mind.
This is similar to how you’ve used gerunds before in phrases like After finishing my degree, I moved abroad — the finishing happened first, then the moving.
Think of I remember meeting him as roughly equivalent to I remember that I met him. You’re actively reminiscing (thinking back to past experiences with pleasure).
The key point: I remember doing it = you did it and you have a memory of it.
At B2 level, you can also use the perfect gerund for extra clarity about the past:
Focus
- Gerunds after remember/forget refer to actions that were completed before the moment of remembering/forgetting
- The action happens FIRST, then comes the remembering or forgetting
- This form is used for recalling past experiences or acknowledging past actions
Rules
- remember + gerund = you have a memory of doing the action (it definitely happened)
- forget + gerund = you have no memory of doing the action (but others say you did it)
- Perfect gerund (having + past participle) emphasises the action was clearly in the past: ‘I remember having been here before.’
- The verb ‘reminisce’ captures this backward-looking quality: recalling past experiences with pleasure
Examples
- I remember seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time — it was breathtaking. (you saw it; now you’re recalling the memory)
- I don’t remember saying that. Are you sure it was me? (you have no memory of the action, though it may have happened)
- I remember having visited this restaurant years ago, but it’s completely changed. (perfect gerund emphasises the distant past)
Common mistake
4 Writing Task
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