Questions & Answers about ผม เกือบ จะ ลืม เซฟ ไฟล์ อยู่ แล้ว
I already know เกือบ means almost. Why do we need the full เกือบจะ...อยู่แล้ว frame here?
While ผมเกือบลืมเซฟไฟล์ is grammatically fine and simply means I almost forgot, using the full frame adds a strong emotional emphasis of a near miss. It shows that you were on the absolute verge of losing your work before suddenly remembering at the last possible second.
Why is the future marker จะ used here when the event (almost forgetting) happened in the past?
Does อยู่แล้ว mean already in this sentence?
Not in the standard sense of a completed action. In the เกือบจะ...อยู่แล้ว frame, อยู่แล้ว acts as an aspectual intensifier. It gives the feeling that the action was already in the process of happening or right at the edge of occurring before it was interrupted.
In everyday speech, can any parts of this grammar frame be left out?
Yes, it is very common to drop จะ in casual conversation, leaving just ผมเกือบลืมเซฟไฟล์อยู่แล้ว. You might also hear native speakers add the particle เชียว to the very end (อยู่แล้วเชียว) to add even more dramatic emphasis to the close call.