Grammar Clinic: The REAL difference between REMEMBER and REMIND

Remember and remind have similar meanings but there is a very important difference in how they are used.

Remember

Remember is when you think of a memory (a past experience):

• I remember the first time I came to this school.
• Do you remember what happened when Oyin forgot to buy a present for his best friend on her birthday?
• I don’t think he remembers that we met 2 years ago.

Remember is also the opposite of “forget.” You can use remember to talk about keeping something in your mind:

• Please remember to wash the dishes after you finish eating lunch.
• I can’t remember her name. Is it Farida or Chinyere?

If you remember something, it appears in your mind. In other words, you remember something yourself.

Remind

Remind is when a person or thing makes you think about something.

If other people remind you of things, they make you remember them. In other words, somebody else causes you to remember something.

• My mother reminded me to wash the dishes after I finished eating lunch.
• The secretary reminded Mr. Greene that he had a meeting at 4:30.
• Josh uses the calendar on his cell phone to remind him about important dates.
• Our shopping list reminds us what we need to buy at the supermarket.