Я хочу запомнить это событие навсегда.

Breakdown of Я хочу запомнить это событие навсегда.

я
I
это
this
хотеть
to want
запомнить
to remember
событие
the event
навсегда
forever
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Questions & Answers about Я хочу запомнить это событие навсегда.

Why is the verb запомнить used here instead of запоминать?

Russian verbs come in pairs of aspects: perfective and imperfective.

  • запомнить is perfective, meaning the action will be completed (i.e. you will successfully commit it to memory).
  • запоминать is imperfective, focusing on the process of memorizing without guaranteeing completion.
    Since you want to express a one-time, completed act of remembering, you use the perfective запомнить.
What case is это событие, and why does it look like the nominative?

это событие functions as the direct object of запомнить and is therefore in the accusative case.

  • For neuter nouns like событие, the accusative form is identical to the nominative.
  • это here is a demonstrative pronoun (neuter singular) that also remains unchanged in the accusative.
How does the structure хочу + infinitive work in Russian?

In Russian, to express desire you use хотеть (to want) followed by an infinitive:

  • Я хочу читать – “I want to read.”
  • Я хочу запомнить – “I want to remember.”
    This is a straightforward pattern: subject + хочу + infinitive.
What part of speech is навсегда, and what’s its precise meaning?

навсегда is an adverb meaning forever or for good.
It modifies the verb phrase запомнить это событие, specifying the duration or permanence of the remembering.

Could I put навсегда somewhere else in the sentence?

Yes, but word order in Russian can affect emphasis more than grammaticality.

  • Standard: Я хочу запомнить это событие навсегда.
  • Emphatic: Я хочу навсегда запомнить это событие. (emphasizes навсегда)
  • Less common: Навсегда я хочу запомнить это событие. (poetic or stylized)
How would you refer back to это событие with a pronoun?

You can replace это событие with его (masculine/neuter object pronoun) because событие is neuter.

  • Я хочу запомнить его навсегда.
    Note that его here means "it" (referring to the event).
What’s the stress pattern in навсегда, and how do you pronounce it?

навсегда is stressed on the last syllable: на-всегда.
Phonetically: [nəfsʲɪɡˈda].
Make sure the is clear and carries the stress.

Could I use навеки instead of навсегда, and what’s the difference?

Yes, навеки also means “forever,” but it’s more poetic or liturgical.

  • Навсегда is neutral and common in everyday speech.
  • Навеки can sound more formal or archaic: Я хочу запомнить это событие навеки.