Question 1

How do I know which form to use with remember?

Accepted Answer

Ask yourself: is this about the past or the future? If you are talking about a memory of something that already happened, use the gerund: "I remember learning to ride a bike" (a past memory). If you are talking about a task someone needs to do, use the infinitive: "Remember to call your mother" (a future task). A helpful test: can you replace "remember" with "recall"? If yes, use the gerund ("I recall learning to ride a bike"). Can you replace "remember" with "don't forget"? If yes, use the infinitive ("Don't forget to call your mother"). This test works reliably for most situations.

Question 2

What is the difference between forgot to do and forgot doing?

Accepted Answer

"Forgot to do" means you didn't do something because you didn't remember: "I forgot to buy milk" — I didn't remember, so I didn't buy it. "Forgot doing" means you did something but you have no memory of it: "I forgot buying milk" — I bought it but I don't remember doing so (this is quite rare). In practice, "forgot to do" is far more common because we usually talk about tasks we failed to complete. "Forgot doing" only makes sense in contexts where someone did something but genuinely has no memory of it, such as after being asleep or distracted.

Question 3

Are remember and forget tested differently in exams?

Accepted Answer

Cambridge exams test "remember" and "forget" in similar ways, but "remember" appears more frequently because it works naturally in both directions. Exam questions often present a context where you must choose the correct form: "I remember (to visit / visiting) Rome as a child" — the correct answer is "visiting" because this is a childhood memory. "Please remember (to turn / turning) off the lights" — the correct answer is "to turn" because this is a request about a future task. For both "remember" and "forget," the gerund refers to a past memory and the infinitive refers to a future task. Master this distinction and you will handle both verbs correctly.

Gerunds and Infinitives: Remember and Forget

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