Confusion with the verb olvidar
Hi there!
I would like to write the sentence
dont forget that you are what you eat
Which I've written as
no olvides que eres lo que comes
I was originally going to write
no te olvides de que eres lo que comes
But I'm not sure if you can add the "te" and "de"
When can you use the te olvides and do you always use de with it?
3 Answers
I think both work fine but I prefer the first option, I'm not sure why, perhaps because olvidarse de can carry the inference of purposeful forgetting.
I found this article online that might help
Olvidar: Olvidar is the only verb in common use that means "to forget." It sometimes is used in the reflexive form, often in the phrase "olvidarse de," which can (but doesn't always) suggest deliberate forgetting. In some areas, olvidarse without the de is common.
Los Spurs olvidaron el estilo que los había distinguido. The Spurs forgot the style that had distinguished them.
¡Ayúdame! Olvidé mi contraseña de Hotmail. Help! I forgot my Hotmail password.
No voy a olvidar nunca mi visita a Colombia. I am never going to forget my visit to Colombia.
Me olvidaré que fuiste mío y que ahora te perderé. I'll forget that you were mine and that now I will lose you.
¿Por qué nos olvidamos de fechas importantes? Why do we forget important dates?
¡No olvidemos lo nuestro! Let's not forget what's ours!
Often olvidarse can function like gustar, in that the thing forgotten becomes the subject of the verb, and the person(s) who forgot becomes the indirect object:
Es un video que no se te olvidará nunca. It's a video you'll never forget. (Literally, it's a video that will never be forgotten to you.)
Un día se me olvidaron las llaves del carro. One day I forgot the car keys.
Se me olvidó el coche en el autolavado y cerraba a las 6. I forgot the car in the car wash and it closed at 6.
Both are grammatically correct and yes, it's recommended that you add the preposition de when you use the pronoun te. This pronoun The preposition de is often omitted in colloquial speaking but is strongly recommended that you use it.
Actually, there is a lot of 'literature' concerning the different constructions with the verb olvidar. Here, for example.
Be aware that there is a slight difference (unknown by most native speakers) of meaning of those 3 constructions mentioned in that document I linked.
No olvides que eres lo que comes give all the responsibility of 'not forgetting' to the addressee of that sentence.
No te olvides de que eres lo que comes soften that responsibility a little bit. Like: 'don't let the circumstances make you forget'.
One more thing. Don't is a contraction of do not. Apostrophe is needed.
No olvides que...
No te olvides de que...
I think that's the correct usage.
"no te olvides que" would be wrong as well as "no olvides de que".
