Is the following correct, or is there more to it?
“I forgot his name” — I knew his name, but I forgot it.
“I forget his name” — I keep forgetting his name. Where using “forget” basically means that you tried to remember this information before as well, but you couldn’t then either.
Answer
I forgot his name
means that at some time past, I no longer remembered his name, but leaves open whether I can currently remember it.
I forget his name
can be construed in a couple of different ways:
- I forgot his name and I still can’t remember it (but I hope you know who I’m talking about even so).
- I keep on forgetting his name.
Both are valid; the context might disambiguate between the two.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : Alec , Answer Author : Jonathan Leffler
