Why Olvidar Is One of Spanish's Most Human Verbs
English says "I forgot my keys", as if you did it on purpose. Spanish has a gentler option: se me olvidaron las llaves, "the keys got forgotten on me". Around that idea sit reminders, "forget it", promises never to forget, and a famous line about forgiveness.
Learn these six patterns as whole chunks and you will sound far more natural when something slips your mind.
Pattern 1: Se me olvidó — "I forgot (it slipped my mind)"
This is the everyday way to say you forgot something by accident. The thing forgotten is the subject, so the verb agrees with it: se me olvidó for one thing, se me olvidaron for several. The me changes to te, le, or nos for other people. See Object Pronouns Chunks for more of this pattern.
- Se me olvidó el paraguas. — I forgot my umbrella.
- Se me olvidó llamarte. — I forgot to call you.
- Se me olvidaron las llaves en casa. — I left my keys at home.
Chunk to learn:
Se me / te / le / nos olvidó + [thing / infinitive]
Pattern 2: No te olvides de — "Don't forget to"
The friendly reminder. It uses the reflexive olvidarse de, followed by an infinitive or a noun. Say no te olvides de mí when you want someone to keep you in mind.
- No te olvides de cerrar la puerta. — Don't forget to close the door.
- No te olvides de comprar pan. — Don't forget to buy bread.
- No te olvides de mí. — Don't forget about me.
Chunk to learn:
No te olvides de + [infinitive / noun]
Pattern 3: ¡Olvídalo! — "Forget it"
A quick way to drop a subject, wave off a favor, or tell yourself to move on. With de, olvídate de eso also means "put it out of your mind", which makes it a good chunk for comforting someone.
- ¡Olvídalo, no vale la pena! — Forget it, it's not worth it!
- Olvídate de eso, ya pasó. — Forget about that, it's over.
- Olvídalo, ya lo hago yo. — Forget it, I'll do it myself.
Chunk to learn:
Olvídalo / Olvídate de + [thing]
Pattern 4: Nunca olvidaré — "I'll never forget"
The emotional chunk. Use it for thanks, for great memories, and for promises. The future tense olvidaré makes it sound final and sincere.
- Nunca olvidaré tu ayuda. — I'll never forget your help.
- Nunca olvidaré mi primer día de clase. — I'll never forget my first day of class.
- No olvidaré lo que hiciste por mí. — I won't forget what you did for me.
Chunk to learn:
Nunca olvidaré + [noun / lo que…]
Pattern 5: Por si se me olvida — "In case I forget"
A practical frame for the moment you write something down, set an alarm, or repeat an instruction. It shows up everywhere in daily life, from shopping lists to work messages.
- Te lo escribo por si se me olvida. — I'll write it down for you in case I forget.
- Apúntalo por si se te olvida. — Note it down in case you forget.
- Pon una alarma por si se nos olvida. — Set an alarm in case we forget.
Chunk to learn:
Por si se me / te / nos olvida
Pattern 6: Perdono, pero no olvido — "I forgive, but I don't forget"
Olvidar often travels with perdonar. This pair, and the saying hay cosas que no se olvidan, let you talk about forgiveness and memory in one breath. It is serious, so save it for serious moments.
- Perdono, pero no olvido. — I forgive, but I don't forget.
- Es difícil perdonar y olvidar. — It's hard to forgive and forget.
- Hay cosas que no se olvidan. — Some things can't be forgotten.
Chunk to learn:
Perdono, pero no olvido / Hay cosas que no se olvidan
Olvidar vs. Olvidarse
Olvidé las llaves and me olvidé de las llaves both mean you forgot them, and speakers use either. The se me version adds a softer, "it just happened" feeling, which is why it is so popular as an excuse. Its mirror verb is [Recordar] Chunks, and the reflexive pattern behind olvidarse is covered in Reflexive Verbs Chunks.
Start with se me olvidó and por si se me olvida. You will use both the next time you speak Spanish.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.