Voy a recordar a mi padre

Question

Hi all,

So, could this phrase, ¨Voy a recordar a mi padre¨ only mean ¨I am going to remember my father¨, or could it also mean ¨I am going to remind my father¨?

If not, then how would one express the latter?

Thanks Roger

Good question. - gringojrf, Nov 11, 2013

Thnks gringo. You know, we´re getting to some relatively complex sentences in class now, but then I remember I can´t even properly express remind vs remember and remember how far I have to go yet. I hate that reminder. - rogspax, Nov 11, 2013

I know how you feel. That is why I keep saying I will never be fluent. There are just too many details and traps. But it doesn't matter, what matters in communicatiing. - gringojrf, Nov 12, 2013

así es. - rogspax, Nov 12, 2013

Answer 1

So, could this phrase, ¨Voy a recordar a mi padre¨ only mean ¨I am going to remember my father¨, or could it also mean ¨I am going to remind my father¨?

Yes, recordar can mean both remember/remind; context tells which one; ie: Voy a recordar a mi padre hasta que me muera ... I´m going to remember my father until I die.

OR, Voy a recordar a mi padre que pase por mí mañana a las ocho.... I´m going to remind my father to pick me up tomorrow at eight.

OR, Tú me recuerdas a mi padre por tu manera de ser ....... You remind me of my father by your ways.

Of course we can make it easier by using acordarse de when discussing remembering only.

Thanks very much Julian. Excellent feedback. - rogspax, Nov 12, 2013

yes, I think acordarse would be ore natural, if confusion islikely. - annierats, Nov 12, 2013

Answer 2

The only thing that I see that talks about reminding is "recordar algo a uno". But you are asking to express reminding without specifying the algo.

Maybe...and just maybe. Voy a recordarlo a mi padre. Put in a pronoun as a placeholder for the "algo".

You could always add a phrase "Voy a recordar a mi papa que compra leche. But it adds to your original sentence.

I await better answers.

Answer 3

Le voy va recordar a mi padre que pase por pan.

Ahh, thanks. So, does ¨remind him¨ merely tend to use the ´le´ or absolutely require it? - rogspax, Nov 12, 2013

Although we all use leísmo everywhere all the time, "le" in these cases is only necessary when the object preceeds the verb, ie: "A mi padre, LE voy a recordar", otherwise "Voy a recordar a mi padre" is gramatically correct. - 005faa61, Nov 12, 2013

However, as you suggest is not incorrect : - ) - 005faa61, Nov 12, 2013

Answer 4

Try having a look at the DPD entry for recordar, especially sections 2a, b and c.

thanks. - rogspax, Nov 12, 2013

Answer 5

Siempre te voy a recordar.-- I will always remember you.-- Te voy a recordar todos los días.

Tuve que recordárselo a mi hijo que el miercoles fue el cumpleaños de su padre.-- I had to remind my son that Wednesday was his father's birthday.

Not that he bought him a present anyway, it didn't help. - annierats, Nov 12, 2013

Answer 6

le voy a recorder a mi padre que (subjuntivo)

Answer 7

From what I know, recordar can mean remember or remind. So I think that your sentence would translate as "I am going to remember my father" and I think that if you wanted to say "I am going to remind my father," you would say Soy ir a recordar a mi padre. I don't know that for sure though.

Answer 8

Okay I used the translator on "remind" and it has some examples.

• Recordar algo a alguien
• Recordar a alguien que

It seems that you need to address the "thing" at least with a pronoun if it known from context or explicitly.

That makes sense. There are a lot of places where we can use a verb intransitively, or with an unspoken object, where Spanish requires an object, and it sounds like it is missing something without that object. Maybe this is one of those? - rogspax, Nov 12, 2013

In other words, we can say ¨I need to remind my father¨, but those examples imply one must say ¨I need to remind my father of-that...something.¨ - rogspax, Nov 12, 2013

I think so. I hope a native will come along to resolve this. - gringojrf, Nov 12, 2013

Answer 9

Solo para que entiendan que yo no sé gramática, pero sí se que hablo más o menos bien mi lengua nativa, a pesar de llevar tantos años acá en EE.UU.

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=2735929

So that you understand that what I said is not leísmo.

Julián, realmente te agradezco tus intervenciones, porque me hacen mirar y ver lo que estoy diciendo. Tú sabes mucha gramática, mucha más que yo, pero eso no te exime de estar equivocado, y eso lo tiene que tener en cuenta el estudiante de español. No solo eso, sino que la sola idea de que una persona sea nativa y sepa o no sepa gramática, siempre van a haber errores y que esto hay que tomarlo con un granito de sal.