This is the aspect card for pamatovat si / zapamatovat si — the pair for keeping things in your memory. The imperfective pamatovat si means to remember, in the sense of to hold in memory (you know it, it's stored). The perfective zapamatovat si means to commit to memory, to memorize — the moment of getting it in there. Both carry the dative-reflexive clitic si (literally "to oneself," "for oneself"), and both are Class III (-ovat) verbs with the characteristic -uj- present. They are the natural counterpart to zapomínat / zapomenout — remembering versus forgetting.
The pair at a glance
| Imperfective | Perfective | |
|---|---|---|
| Infinitive | pamatovat si | zapamatovat si |
| Meaning | to remember, hold in memory (state) | to memorize, commit to memory (event) |
| Present | pamatuju si / pamatuji si | zapamatuju si ("I'll memorize") |
| Past | pamatoval si | zapamatoval si |
| Imperative | pamatuj si | zapamatuj si |
Present of pamatovat si (Class III, -ovat)
Class III verbs swap the infinitive's -ova- for a present stem in -uj-. The 1st person singular and 3rd person plural have a colloquial/standard split that runs through the whole class: the everyday -uju / -ujou versus the bookish, formal -uji / -ují. Both are correct; -uju dominates speech.
| Person | pamatovat si (present) | zapamatovat si (future) |
|---|---|---|
| já | pamatuju si / pamatuji si | zapamatuju si / zapamatuji si |
| ty | pamatuješ si | zapamatuješ si |
| on/ona/ono | pamatuje si | zapamatuje si |
| my | pamatujeme si | zapamatujeme si |
| vy | pamatujete si | zapamatujete si |
| oni/ony | pamatují si / pamatujou si | zapamatují si / zapamatujou si |
The usual perfective rule applies: zapamatuju si has present shape but future meaning ("I'll memorize / I'll commit it to memory").
Pamatuju si jeho obličej, ale jméno mi vypadlo.
I remember his face, but the name has slipped my mind. (state — imperfective pamatuju si)
Zkus si zapamatovat to číslo, nemám kam si ho napsat.
Try to memorize that number, I've got nowhere to write it down. (perfective infinitive zapamatovat si)
Government: accusative thing + the dative si
The thing remembered goes in the accusative (pamatovat si jeho jméno, to číslo, ten den). The si is the dative-reflexive clitic — it does not change form for person and it does not take an object; it simply marks that the remembering is for you, in your own head. You will often see the neuter pronoun to ("it") as the object: Pamatuju si to ("I remember it").
Pamatuješ si ještě ten večer u řeky?
Do you still remember that evening by the river? (accusative object ten večer)
Heslo si nepamatuju, mám ho uložené v telefonu.
I don't remember the password, I've got it saved on my phone. (object fronted; nepamatuju si)
Be careful with the bare pamatovat without si: it exists, but it means to remember in the sense of to recall a bygone era — "I'm old enough to remember…" — and is felt as more bookish for ordinary remembering. For everyday "I remember (it)," Czech wants pamatovat si.
Babička ještě pamatuje válku.
Grandma still remembers the war. (bare pamatovat — recalling a past era, no si)
The si clitic: where it sits
si is a second-position clitic, just like se. It wants the second slot in the clause, not necessarily glued to the verb. Verb-first, si follows it (pamatuju si). Front something else and si hops to second position:
Ten den si pamatuju úplně přesně.
That day I remember exactly. (object fronted → si jumps to second position)
In the past, the auxiliary jsem/jsi and si cluster together, auxiliary before si: pamatoval jsem si → with fronting, to jsem si pamatoval.
Vždycky jsem si pamatoval data líp než jména.
I always remembered dates better than names. (order: jsem + si; male speaker)
For the full ordering of se/si clitics, see placing se and si.
The crucial contrast: pamatovat si vs vzpomenout si
English "remember" hides two different ideas that Czech keeps apart:
- pamatovat si = to have something in memory, to hold onto it (the stored state).
- vzpomenout si (perfective) / vzpomínat si (imperfective) = to recall, to bring something back to mind, often with effort — and it takes na + accusative (or the genitive).
So pamatuju si to is "I have it in my memory"; vzpomněl jsem si na to is "it came back to me / I recalled it." If you are trying to dredge a name up right now, you vzpomínáš si; if you simply have it stored, you si pamatuješ.
Nemůžu si vzpomenout, jak se jmenoval ten film.
I can't recall what that film was called. (vzpomenout si — actively recalling, not pamatovat si)
Pořád si vzpomínám na to léto u babičky.
I keep thinking back to that summer at grandma's. (vzpomínat si na + accusative — reminiscing)
To si pamatuju, jako by to bylo včera.
I remember that as if it were yesterday. (pamatovat si — held in memory)
Common Mistakes
❌ Pamatuju to číslo.
Missing clitic — everyday 'I remember it' needs the dative-reflexive si: pamatuju si.
✅ Pamatuju si to číslo.
I remember that number.
❌ Nemůžu si pamatovat, jak se jmenoval.
Wrong verb — for actively recalling a name you've lost, use vzpomenout si, not pamatovat si.
✅ Nemůžu si vzpomenout, jak se jmenoval.
I can't recall what his name was.
❌ Pamatuju si na tvoje jméno.
Government slip — pamatovat si takes a plain accusative, not na; it's vzpomenout si that takes na + accusative.
✅ Pamatuju si tvoje jméno.
I remember your name.
❌ Pamatuju si si to.
Doubled clitic — you write si only once; the auxiliary/clitic cluster never repeats it.
✅ Pamatuju si to.
I remember it.
❌ Zítra si pamatuju ten vzkaz.
Aspect mismatch — committing something to memory as a single act needs the perfective zapamatovat si.
✅ Zítra si zapamatuju ten vzkaz.
Tomorrow I'll memorize that message.
Key Takeaways
- pamatovat si (imperfective) = remember / hold in memory (a state); zapamatovat si (perfective) = memorize / commit to memory (an event).
- Both are Class III (-ovat): pamatuju si / pamatuji si…; perfective just adds za-.
- Object in the accusative; si is the dative-reflexive clitic, fixed in form, sitting in second position.
- Don't confuse it with vzpomenout si / vzpomínat si = to recall (with na + accusative) — that's bringing something back to mind, not holding it there.
- Bare pamatovat (no si) survives mainly for "remembering a past era" (pamatovat válku).
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