Forget

[2006]

Actually, I am not a real English teacher; it's just a hobby of mine. I have some experience assisting in an English classroom and have exchanged language instruction on a one-on-one basis. (English-Mandarin)
As you can notice, I am clearly on the prescriptive side of the fence but am not reluctant to mention situations in which the rules are widely ignored by native speakers.

[fiona bramble]

Originally Posted by 2006

Although some people say "forget" in the situation you described, I think "forgot" is much better.
Your friend's reason for using "forget" is not convincing; if it is happening in the present, why doesn't (s)he say 'I am forgetting'. The fact is that (s)he forgot his old friend's name.
You are right that "forget" is used for an action repeated over a period of time, as in, I almost always forget names.

ps I don't agree that 'I don't remember.' and 'I forget' are synomymous. In your situation, if I don't remember, I forgot. (a completed action)

Hi all,
I agree that "I forget" is often used to mean "I don't remember" (it's funny that we even debate this as they are technically exactly synonymous).

2006, you are also right that grammatically, "I forget" doesn't fit the present tense formula. However, I believe this is a colloquial aberration and when I hear it, I believe it to mean "I don't remember at this moment" (which, yes, we would normally use the present continuous, but "forget" is a mental action). If the learner wants to know what "I forget" means and how it is used, then here's your answer; if a learner wants the grammar matrix for the present tense, then 2006 has the answer!

I am sooooooo embarrassed as I just realized this thread has legs I missed until I just scrolled down! Anyway, I don't have the heart to delete, so just squeeze my two bits in somewhere!

[Casiopea]

Originally Posted by Unregistered

What do you think about having used "I have forgotten" instead?

Question: What is your friend's name?
Answer: (I knew at some point in the past, but) I have forgotten (at this moment).

Is that more or less correct than "I forget"?

The gist is this. You're right, and he's right. All three options work, and they are neither synomymous nor absolute. Environment determines choice:

"To use the present perfect at the time when I was attempting to recall would not be accurate because the present perfect is defined as (referring to the links): 1) unfinished past actions, 2) past actions when time is not specified, 3) when a past action is relevant now."

In other words, your friend tells us his thoughts did not, at the time, stretch back to then (the situation he was describing to you about his friend) and span all the way up to now, the present; i.e., I have forgot(ten). Rather, he simply couldn't recall the name at the time of speaking, and the reason he opted for present tense forget.

Originally Posted by Unregistered

Ugh, I'm not sure if that is deviating too far from the original question and delving too far into the specific meaning of the words.

I think you're right on track, actually. Meaning has everything to do with the variations we're discussing.

All the best.