zaboravljati / zaboraviti (to forget) | Serbian Grammar

Serbian normally learns “forget” as the pair заборављати — заборавити. Imperfective заборављати describes a recurring tendency or an unfolding loss from memory; perfective заборавити presents one omission or resulting state. Both take direct objects, while заборавити на + accusative shifts the meaning toward forgetting about or neglecting something.

Principal parts and paradigm

Form	заборављати (imperfective)	заборавити (perfective)
present	заборављам, заборављаш, заборавља, заборављамо, заборављате, заборављају	заборавим, заборавиш, заборави, заборавимо, заборавите, забораве
l-participle	заборављао / заборављала	заборавио / заборавила
imperative	заборављај, заборављајмо, заборављајте	заборави, заборавимо, заборавите
future, 1st singular	заборављаћу	заборавићу

The imperfective stem contains љ throughout: заборављам, not заборавјам. Perfective masculine заборавио and feminine заборавила follow the regular i-class pattern.

Све чешће заборављам где сам оставио наочаре.

I'm forgetting more and more often where I left my glasses. (male speaker)

Заборавио сам где сам паркирао ауто.

I forgot where I parked the car. (male speaker)

The first sentence presents a recurring tendency; the second presents one completed failure of recall.

Direct objects and object clitics

The forgotten person, object, name, appointment, or fact is accusative.

Немој да заборавиш пасош и картицу осигурања.

Don't forget your passport and insurance card.

Знам да сам негде чуо њено презиме, али сам га заборавио.

I know I've heard her surname somewhere, but I've forgotten it. (male speaker)

Accusative га refers to neuter презиме: Serbian uses га for masculine and neuter singular object pronouns. The l-participle заборавио agrees with the male speaker, not with the object.

With a person, context distinguishes forgetting a name or commitment involving them from abandoning them emotionally:

Нисам те заборавила; само нисам стигла да одговорим.

I haven't forgotten you; I just didn't manage to reply. (female speaker)

The clitic cluster нисам те заборавила places negative auxiliary нисам before accusative те.

An action complement: да + present or infinitive

To say that someone failed to perform an intended action, everyday Serbian commonly uses заборавити да + present. The finite verb after да marks the actor.

Заборавила сам да искључим светло у ходнику.

I forgot to turn off the light in the hallway. (female speaker)

Не заборавите да понесете потврду о уплати.

Don't forget to bring the payment receipt. (plural or polite)

An infinitive is also standard when the subject is shared: заборавио сам понети. It is relatively concise and more frequent in western Serbian usage; да + present is the productive conversational baseline in much of Serbia.

Заборавио сам понети пуњач, па ми се телефон угасио.

I forgot to bring a charger, so my phone died. (standard infinitive; male speaker)

Do not copy English forget someone to do something. If another person is the intended actor, Serbian normally uses a да-clause and makes the responsibility explicit: заборавио сам да му кажем да дође.

Direct object versus на + accusative

Direct заборавити нешто often means fail to remember an item, fact, appointment, or task. Заборавити на нешто/некога means let it fall out of consideration, overlook it, or cease attending to it.

Заборавио је састанак и појавио се сат времена касније.

He forgot the meeting and showed up an hour late.

У журби смо заборавили на договор око превоза.

In the rush we forgot about the transport arrangement.

Немој да заборавиш на биљке док смо на путу.

Don't forget about the plants while we're away.

The two frames overlap, but на foregrounds keeping something in mind rather than merely retrieving it from memory.

Leaving an object behind

Serbian can use заборавити + object + location for accidentally leaving an item somewhere.

Заборавила је кишобран у кафићу и вратила се по њега.

She left her umbrella in the café and went back for it.

English leave and forget split this meaning differently. Serbian оставити means leave/place deliberately or neutrally; заборавити adds failure to remember the item.

Negative commands and aspect

Perfective не заборави/немој да заборавиш is the normal reminder about one future obligation. Imperfective не заборављај warns against a recurring habit.

Не заборави да ми пошаљеш адресу вечерас.

Don't forget to send me the address tonight. (one reminder)

Не заборављај кључеве у брави; то ти се већ трећи пут дешава.

Don't keep leaving the keys in the lock; this is already the third time it's happened to you.

This contrast shows why negative clauses do not automatically select imperfective. The intended single prevention can favor perfective.

Reflexive заборавити се

The marked reflexive expression заборавити се means lose awareness of propriety, time, or surroundings—“forget oneself.” It is not the ordinary way to say “forget something.”

Заборавио се у разговору и остао много дуже него што је планирао.

He lost track of time in the conversation and stayed much longer than he had planned. (marked/literary)

For ordinary memory, retain the direct-object or на frame. The opposite memory network сећати се — сетити се + genitive is covered under sećati se.

Micro-dialogue

Јеси ли понела карте? — Нисам, заборавила сам их на кухињском столу. — Нема везе, вратићемо се по њих.

Did you bring the tickets? — No, I left them on the kitchen table. — It's all right; we'll go back for them. (female addressee/speaker)

Perfective заборавила сам identifies one omission. Accusative их refers to plural карте and appears after the auxiliary.

Practice Tasks

Task 1: One omission or a habit?

Write a reminder about one passport using заборавити, then a complaint about repeatedly forgetting keys using заборављати. Put both in the negative imperative.

Task 2: Choose the complement frame

Translate “I forgot the appointment,” “I forgot about our agreement,” and “I forgot to call Ana.” Identify direct accusative, на + accusative, and да + present.

Common Mistakes

❌ Сваке недеље заборавим где сам паркирао, па је „заборавим“ несвршен глагол.

Incorrect analysis — repeated context can distribute bounded perfective заборавим across occasions; the form itself is perfective.

✅ Често заборављам где сам паркирао.

I often forget where I parked. (open recurring tendency)

❌ Заборавио сам да позвати Ану.

Incorrect — after да, Serbian requires a finite present form: позовем.

✅ Заборавио сам да позовем Ану.

I forgot to call Ana. (male speaker)

❌ Заборавио сам на пасош у хотелу.

Incorrect for an item accidentally left behind — use a direct object and location, not на.

✅ Заборавио сам пасош у хотелу.

I left my passport at the hotel. (male speaker)

❌ Она је заборавио наш договор.

Incorrect — the l-participle must agree with feminine она.

✅ Она је заборавила наш договор.

She forgot our agreement.

❌ Не заборавјај да закључаш врата.

Incorrect spelling — jotation produces љ in заборављај.

✅ Не заборављај да закључаш врата кад последњи одлазиш.

Don't keep forgetting to lock the door when you're the last to leave.

Key Takeaways

Learn заборављати — заборавити with заборављам — заборавим and both l-participles.
Direct accusative marks what is forgotten; на + accusative emphasizes forgetting about or neglecting it.
An intended action normally appears in да + present; the same-subject infinitive is also standard.
Perfective negative imperative prevents one omission; imperfective warns against a recurring pattern.

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