Forgesi: To Forget | Esperanto Grammar

Forgesi is the regular verb for losing access to a memory, failing to keep something in mind, or leaving something behind through inattention. It normally takes a direct object, but it can also introduce a topic with pri or an unperformed action with an infinitive. Its causative forgesigi requires special care because the person forgetting and the content forgotten compete for the object role.

Complete regular paradigm

Form	Function	Typical translation
forgesi	infinitive	to forget
forgesas	present indicative	forgets
forgesis	past indicative	forgot
forgesos	future indicative	will forget
forgesus	conditional	would forget
forgesu	volitive	forget!

The endings remain the same for every subject. The direct object takes -n, and ne forgesu is the ordinary way to say “don't forget.”

Mi forgesis la nomon de la nova kolego.

I forgot the new colleague's name.

Ŝi neniam forgesos tiun afablan geston.

She will never forget that kind gesture.

Ne forgesu vian identigilon morgaŭ.

Don't forget your ID tomorrow.

Forgetting information, people, and obligations

In the core transitive frame, the object is what no longer remains available in memory or attention. It can be concrete information, a person, an experience, a promise, or a duty.

Mi ĉiam forgesas mian pasvorton post longa ferio.

I always forget my password after a long vacation.

Malgraŭ la premo, li ne forgesis sian promeson al la teamo.

Despite the pressure, he did not forget his promise to the team.

Bonvolu pardoni min; mi tute forgesis vian naskiĝtagon.

Please forgive me; I completely forgot your birthday.

The same verb can mean “neglect, overlook”: the content may still exist in the mind, but the person fails to take it into account. Context decides whether the loss is mental or practical.

En la hasto ni forgesis unu gravan detalon de la plano.

In our haste we overlooked one important detail of the plan.

English sometimes adds “about” where Esperanto uses a direct object. Mi forgesis la kunvenon is complete and neutral; no preposition is needed.

Topic phrases with pri

Forgesi pri iu aŭ io frames the following expression as the topic that has slipped from attention. This is standard and often overlaps with the direct object.

Pro la urĝa telefonvoko mi forgesis pri la kuko en la forno.

Because of the urgent phone call, I forgot about the cake in the oven.

Dum la koncerto ni forgesis pri la tempo.

During the concert we forgot about the time.

— Ĉu vi sendis la fakturon? — Ho ne, mi tute forgesis pri ĝi.

— Did you send the invoice? — Oh no, I completely forgot about it.

The direct object usually packages the forgotten item as the affected content: forgesi la fakturon. The pri phrase presents it as a neglected topic: forgesi pri la fakturo. Real usage overlaps, so this is not a rigid lexical split. With personal pronouns, both Mi ne forgesis vin and Mi ne forgesis pri vi are possible; the first is more direct, while the second more explicitly means “I didn't lose sight of you as a concern/topic.”

💡

Do not insert pri automatically because English says “forget about.” Use a direct object for a bounded forgotten item and pri when topic or neglect is salient.

Forgetting to do something

Forgesi + infinitive normally means failing to perform an intended or expected action. The subject of forgesi is also the understood subject of the infinitive.

Mi forgesis malŝalti la fornon antaŭ ol mi eliris.

I forgot to turn off the oven before I left.

Ne forgesu konservi la dokumenton antaŭ la ĝisdatigo.

Don't forget to save the document before the update.

Li neniam forgesas telefoni al sia patrino dimanĉe.

He never forgets to call his mother on Sundays.

No preposition connects the verbs: forgesis respondi, not forgesis al respondi or forgesis pri respondi. Tense and mood belong to forgesi; the action remains in -i.

For loss of memory about an action already performed, use a finite clause to show the retrospective relation clearly.

Ŝi forgesis, ke ŝi jam pagis la fakturon, kaj preskaŭ pagis ĝin denove.

She forgot that she had already paid the invoice and nearly paid it again.

This contrasts with Ŝi forgesis pagi la fakturon, where the payment did not occur. English makes the same “forget to do” versus “forget that one did” distinction, but Esperanto marks it transparently through infinitive versus finite clause. See Infinitives as Complements.

Leaving something behind unintentionally

Forgesi ion en loko means leave an object somewhere through inattention. The object still takes -n, while the place is a normal location phrase.

Mi forgesis mian telefonon hejme, do mi ne vidis viajn mesaĝojn.

I left my phone at home, so I didn't see your messages.

Iu forgesis bluan ombrelon en la kunvenejo.

Someone left a blue umbrella in the meeting room.

This differs from neutral or deliberate lasi “leave”: Mi lasis la telefonon hejme does not itself say whether that was accidental. Mi forgesis la telefonon hejme explicitly attributes the result to forgetting.

Forgesigi: cause forgetting

The suffix -ig- creates forgesigi, “make or cause someone to forget.” Because base forgesi already has an experiencer subject and a content object, two regular causative patterns are available.

Pattern	Direct object	Other participant
forgesigi iun pri io	person who forgets	forgotten topic with pri
forgesigi al iu ion	content forgotten	experiencer with al

La bela muziko forgesigis nin pri la malfrua horo.

The beautiful music made us forget how late it was.

La freŝa aero forgesigis al mi la lacon post la vojaĝo.

The fresh air made me forget my tiredness after the journey.

Both are standard outcomes of Esperanto's causative system. Do not combine them as forgesigi min la lacon: one clause cannot give both participants the same unmarked object role.

💡

Choose the focus of forgesigi. If the affected person is the object, put the topic after pri. If the forgotten content is the object, mark the person with al.

Participles

Since forgesi is regularly transitive, all six participles are available.

Active	Meaning	Passive	Meaning
forgesanta	forgetting now	forgesata	being forgotten
forgesinta	having forgotten	forgesita	forgotten already
forgesonta	about to forget	forgesota	going to be forgotten

La sako forgesita en la trajno jam estas ĉe la informejo.

The bag left behind on the train is already at the information desk.

Forgesinte la adreson, ni telefonis al la organizanto.

Having forgotten the address, we called the organizer.

The passive participle forgesita can mean mentally forgotten or physically left behind; its complements and context supply the reading.

Word family and collocations

Forgeso is forgetting or oblivion; forgesema describes someone prone to forgetting; neforgesebla means unforgettable; memforgeso or sinforgeso can denote self-forgetfulness or self-sacrifice, depending on context. The transparent opposite relation is memori, not a mechanically prefixed form such as malforgesi.

Mi fariĝis tiel forgesema, ke mi nun skribas ĉion en kalendaron.

I've become so forgetful that I now write everything in a calendar.

La surpriza finaĵo igis la filmon neforgesebla.

The surprising ending made the film unforgettable.

Frequent combinations include tute forgesi, preskaŭ forgesi, neniam forgesi, forgesi nomon, forgesi rendevuon, and forgesi ion hejme. These are neutral in conversation and writing.

Register, norm, and frequency

Forges- is Fundamental. Direct-object, pri, infinitive, and “leave behind” uses are established and neutral. The difference between object and pri topic is an accepted perspectival alternation, not a rule that changes the event categorically.

Forgesigi is regular and well attested, including the frame forgesigi al iu ion in foundational literature. In present-day teaching, explicitly presenting the two alternative object patterns prevents learners from producing two accusatives. Forgesema and neforgesebla are common, transparent derivatives; the more abstract memforgeso belongs more often to literary or ethical discussion.

Common Mistakes

Omitting object agreement

❌ Mi forgesis mia nova pasvorto.

Incorrect — the forgotten noun phrase is a direct object.

✅ Mi forgesis mian novan pasvorton.

I forgot my new password.

Inserting a preposition before the infinitive

❌ Ŝi forgesis al sendi la dosieron.

Incorrect — forgesi takes the action infinitive directly.

✅ Ŝi forgesis sendi la dosieron.

She forgot to send the file.

Confusing failure to act with forgotten past action

❌ Li forgesis telefoni, sed la alvoko ja aperas en lia historio.

Contradictory for the intended meaning — forgesis telefoni says the call was not made.

✅ Li forgesis, ke li telefonis, sed la alvoko ja aperas en lia historio.

He forgot that he called, but the call does appear in his history.

Giving forgesigi two direct objects

❌ La ferio forgesigis min ĉiujn zorgojn.

Incorrect — the experiencer and forgotten content cannot both be direct objects.

✅ La ferio forgesigis min pri ĉiuj zorgoj.

The vacation made me forget all my worries.

Copying English “forget about” with de

❌ Mi forgesis de la bileto ĝis mi atingis la stacidomon.

Incorrect — de does not introduce the forgotten topic.

✅ Mi forgesis pri la bileto ĝis mi atingis la stacidomon.

I forgot about the ticket until I reached the station.

Key Takeaways

Forgesi normally takes an accusative object; pri presents a forgotten or neglected topic.
Forgesi + infinitive means fail to perform the action; forgesi, ke... reports loss of memory about a proposition.
Forgesi ion en loko means leave it there unintentionally.
Forgesigi uses either forgesigi iun pri io or forgesigi al iu ion.
Common derivatives include forgeso, forgesema, and neforgesebla.

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