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Thread: the word 'remember'

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    the word 'remember'

    Despite learning russian for 5 years, still not sure how to translate the word 'remember'

    pomnit (is perfect vspomit?)

    is zapomnit 'memorise', like memorising an essay?

    napomnish - is this remind? like 'will you remind me?'

    so how do you translate 'I suddenly remembered that I had to go to the bank' or
    'You have to remember that in Russian we often miss out these words'
    'I remember how I enjoyed myself in Yalta'

  2. #2
    Paul G.
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    Я вдруг вспомнил, что должен был идти в банк = I suddenly remembered that I had to go to the bank
    Вы должны помнить, что в русском мы часто пропускаем эти слова = You have to remember that in Russian we often miss out these words
    Я помню, как я наслаждался отдыхом в Ялте = I remember how I enjoyed myself in Yalta

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    Завсегдатай Throbert McGee's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by alexnoel View Post
    Despite learning russian for 5 years, still not sure how to translate the word 'remember'

    pomnit (is perfect vspomit?)

    is zapomnit 'memorise', like memorising an essay?

    napomnish - is this remind? like 'will you remind me?'
    alexnoel: I'm not a native speaker of Russian, but I think your translations are essentially correct.

    помнить (imperfective) is the most basic and non-specific verb, and doesn't have a perfective with the same non-specific meaning
    вспоминать/вспомнить suggests that you're making a concerted effort to pull up something from long-term memory, or possibly that you're nostalgically reflecting on something that happened long ago
    запоминать/запомнить is "to memorize; commit to memory"
    напоминать/напомнить is "to remind" (as in "Remind me about the meeting tomorrow"), but also "to be reminiscent of; to resemble" (as in "I don't know what this food is, but the flavor reminds me of bacon")

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    thanks! It's getting clearer...

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    Is there an equivalent for the word 'reminisce'?
    'He is reminiscing about the past again'

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    Увлечённый спикер krwright's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Throbert McGee View Post
    alexnoel: I'm not a native speaker of Russian, but I think your translations are essentially correct.

    помнить (imperfective) is the most basic and non-specific verb, and doesn't have a perfective with the same non-specific meaning
    вспоминать/вспомнить suggests that you're making a concerted effort to pull up something from long-term memory, or possibly that you're nostalgically reflecting on something that happened long ago
    запоминать/запомнить is "to memorize; commit to memory"
    напоминать/напомнить is "to remind" (as in "Remind me about the meeting tomorrow"), but also "to be reminiscent of; to resemble" (as in "I don't know what this food is, but the flavor reminds me of bacon")
    This is what I was taught in class.

    Alexnoel, I think you would use вспоминать/вспомнить for 'reminisce.'

  7. #7
    Paul G.
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    Он вновь предаётся воспоминаниям = He is reminiscing about the past again
    (It sounds in a literary style)

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    Завсегдатай maxmixiv's Avatar
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    Despite learning russian for 5 years, still not sure how to translate the word 'remember'
    Yeah! Despite learning English for 20 years, I still often have difficulties with translation of 'remember'

    This is over my head how one word could be utilized for both actions: 'put in memory' and 'retrieve from memory'

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    припомнить
    usually used as a threat - Я тебе это припомню means - I will remember what you've done (some bad stuff) when time comes

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    Завсегдатай Throbert McGee's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by maxmixiv View Post
    Yeah! Despite learning English for 20 years, I still often have difficulties with translation of 'remember'

    This is over my head how one word could be utilized for both actions: 'put in memory' and 'retrieve from memory'
    Hmmm... I think "remember" is normally understood to mean "successfully retrieve from memory," and quite rarely would mean "put in memory" (for which "memorize" is a better word). Admittedly, sometimes there could be ambiguity. I mean, if someone said "I will remember that," 99% of the time I would take the meaning to be "I will not forget that" or "I will not fail to retrieve it from memory" -- but probably not "I will carefully memorize that."

    So "I will remember that" COULD in rare cases be translated with something like Я это запомню ("I shall memorize that") or Я это выучу наизусть ("I shall learn it by heart"), but usually it means Я это не забуду.
    maxmixiv likes this.

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    Завсегдатай Throbert McGee's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Doomer View Post
    припомнить
    usually used as a threat - Я тебе это припомню means - I will remember what you've done (some bad stuff) when time comes
    Hmm, I'm not sure of a good way to translate that into English with the specific sense of "threatening to never forget." Of course, there's always the Klingon proverb "Revenge is a dish best served cold"...
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