"I don't remember you" or "I don't recognise you".

[tufguy]

"I don't remember you" or "I don't recognise you". I think both can be used while you are face to face with a person. Can these sentences be used while having a conversation with someone online or over the phone?

 

[BobGerr]

Both can be used, but are very blunt, ie somewhat impolite.

Better phrasing would be:

I'm sorry, but I don't quite remember your name.

or

I'm sorry, but I don't quite recognise your voice.

NB: I'm Canadian; we tend to apologize too much.

 

[teechar]

Can these sentences be used while having a conversation with someone ... over the phone?

I would use "I don't recognize your voice" instead of "I don't recognize you" in a phone conversation.

 

[emsr2d2]

If you're text-chatting online (without pictures), you wouldn't be able to use either of the previous suggestions. You need to be able to see someone's face or hear their voice in order to use it.
If someone sent you a text/chat message and you're not sure who they are, you'd have to say something like "Sorry, who is this? I don't recognise your name".

 

[Tdol]

In what way don't you recognise them?

 

[tufguy]

In what way don't you recognise them?

Like I was in a session so a person named XYZ kept sending me messages. That person wrote messages as if they knew me but I couldn't recognise the name of that person. I had never chatted with that person.

 

[Tdol]

I would ask if they have changed their username.

 

[emsr2d2]

Like I was in a session so a person named XYZ kept sending me messages. That person wrote messages as if they knew me but I couldn't recognise the name of that person. I had never chatted with that person.

I'm pretty sure I covered that in my last response, when I wrote "If someone sent you a text/chat message and you're not sure who they are, you'd have to say something like "Sorry, who is this? I don't recognise your name".

 

[tufguy]

I'm pretty sure I covered that in my last response, when I wrote "If someone sent you a text/chat message and you're not sure who they are, you'd have to say something like "Sorry, who is this? I don't recognise your name".

Yes, you did answer that but Tdol asked "In what way don't you recognise them?" So thats why I wrote that. I wasn't asking for answer.