8 English Expressions To Use When You Forget Something

"To err is human, to forgive divine”.

Humans are not flawless. It is human nature to make mistakes and being forgetful is an indicative trait of the same. In our daily lives, whether professional or personal, we tend to forget things, which can sometimes result in quite embarrassing situations or even land us in trouble at the workplace. An effective way to assuage the situation is to use sophisticated English phrases and establish some semblance of credibility. Here are some good expressions that you can use when you forget something:

 1. Can you refresh my memory?

The phrase ‘let me refresh your memory’ is often used, which has a negative connotation to it. For example, consider this sentence:

“Oh you don’t remember Sidharth? Let me refresh your memory. He was the poor guy from whom you stole his research paper.”

The opposite of the above i.e. can you refresh my memory’ is used in a situation where you have forgotten something but can’t seem to recall. 

2. It went in one ear and out the other

This expression is used when you refer to something which was heard by you but forgot it very quickly. It usually happens when you are not paying attention to what is being spoken. For instance, if you are in a hurry to leave for home and your manager says something important, then you might not be attentive to what is being said. Thus, the conversation went in one ear and was out the other.

3. It doesn’t ring a bell

Ring a bell means when something seems familiar but you can’t entirely recall it e.g. “Have you seen that movie with the alien robot in it? It rings a bell, but I can’t seem to remember properly.”
Doesn’t ring a bell can be used when you can’t recall anything at all.

4. It’s on the tip of my tongue!

When you know something, but can’t remember it at that particular moment e.g. “I know the name of the book. Wait, I just read it last month. The name is on the tip of my tongue!”

5. It slipped my mind

When you forget something (an occasion, some specific action) but were supposed to remember e.g. “I can’t believe I forgot their anniversary! It completely slipped my mind.” 

6. I have a vague recollection of
When you know something, but are only aware of the fleeting details e.g. “I have a vague recollection of the Chokhi Dhani experience in Jaipur since I visited there quite some years ago.”

7. My mind went blank              

This expression is more apt for situations when there is a lot of pressure upon you, like during tests or presentations e.g. “The moment the Accounts question paper was handed to me, my mind went blank. I could not recall a single thing I had studied.”

8. I can’t seem to recall

This is preferred in cases where you might or might not be at fault at remembering something. For instance, one of your office colleague says that you were supposed to send an important mail to  the client but you can’t seem to recall whether your manager had asked you or some other person.