Signification
Not remembering how someone is called.
Contexte culturel
Forgetting a patronymic (father's name) in a formal setting is more awkward than forgetting a first name. Younger generations are very casual about forgetting names due to high social media usage. People are often identified by their family nickname or house name rather than official first names. Exchanging business cards is a common way to avoid the 'забути ім'я' situation entirely.
The 'Remind Me' Trick
If you forget a name, say 'Нагадайте, будь ласка, ваше ім'я' (Remind me your name, please). It sounds more active than just saying you forgot.
Gender Agreement
Always check if you need 'забув' (male) or 'забула' (female).
Signification
Not remembering how someone is called.
The 'Remind Me' Trick
If you forget a name, say 'Нагадайте, будь ласка, ваше ім'я' (Remind me your name, please). It sounds more active than just saying you forgot.
Gender Agreement
Always check if you need 'забув' (male) or 'забула' (female).
Use 'Вилетіло з голови'
Using this idiom makes you sound much more like a native speaker than the literal 'забув ім'я'.
Patronymics
In formal settings, try to remember both the name and the patronymic to show respect.
Teste-toi
Fill in the correct form of the verb 'забути' (past tense, masculine).
Я вчора зустрів друга, але я ___ його ім'я.
The subject is 'я' (masculine context 'зустрів'), so 'забув' is correct.
Choose the correct possessive pronoun for the neuter noun 'ім'я'.
Вибачте, я забув ___ ім'я.
'Ім'я' is neuter, so it requires the neuter pronoun 'твоє'.
Complete the dialogue with the most natural phrase.
— Привіт! Ти пам'ятаєш, як мене звати? — Ой, вибач, ...
'Забув ім'я' is the standard way to say you forgot someone's name.
Match the situation to the phrase.
You are at a formal meeting and can't remember the director's name.
This is the most polite and appropriate formal response.
🎉 Score : /4
Aides visuelles
People vs. Things
Banque d exercices
4 exercicesЯ вчора зустрів друга, але я ___ його ім'я.
The subject is 'я' (masculine context 'зустрів'), so 'забув' is correct.
Вибачте, я забув ___ ім'я.
'Ім'я' is neuter, so it requires the neuter pronoun 'твоє'.
— Привіт! Ти пам'ятаєш, як мене звати? — Ой, вибач, ...
'Забув ім'я' is the standard way to say you forgot someone's name.
You are at a formal meeting and can't remember the director's name.
This is the most polite and appropriate formal response.
🎉 Score : /4
Questions fréquentes
10 questionsIt can be slightly blunt. Adding 'Вибач' (Sorry) makes it perfectly acceptable.
'Забути' is for a one-time event (I forgot), 'забувати' is for a habit (I often forget).
Yes, 'ім'я' is used for pets as well.
Я забув його ім'я.
Use 'забути назву' instead of 'ім'я'.
It is neuter.
It separates the consonant 'm' from the vowel 'ya', ensuring they don't blend into a soft 'm'.
Ти забув моє ім'я?
Yes, 'забити' is sometimes used as slang, but it's risky for learners.
Yes, 'Я не пам'ятаю твоє ім'я' is a very common and slightly softer alternative.
Expressions liées
Вилетіло з голови
similarFlew out of the head
Згадати ім'я
contrastTo recall a name
Назвати на ім'я
builds onTo call by name
Помилятися в імені
similarTo get a name wrong
Мати ім'я
specialized formTo have a name/reputation
