[General] not...forever

[maoyueh]

Please have a look at my sentences below.

1. I can never forget her.
2. I cannot forget her forever.
3. I will never leave you.
4. I will not leave you forever.

I know that #1 and #3 are correct and natural, but I wonder whether #2 and #4 are correct too.
They sound strange to me. Thank you so much.

 

[Tarheel]

Your assessment is correct. You have it right. Sentences one and three are correct and natural. As for two and four, you can "fix" them by taking "forever" off of each one. You could also say:

I cannot forget her--not ever.

OR:

I cannot leave you--not ever.

 

[teechar]

#2 and #4 are unclear. They could mean what Tarheel suggested or they could mean, e.g.
2- I cannot forget her forever. I'm bound to think of her sometime in the future.
3- I will not leave you forever. I will come back after a couple of years.

 

[Tdol]

You could use forever in the following sentences with a similar meaning:
I will remember her forever.
I will stay with you forever.

 

[Tarheel]

I will remember her always. And I will never forget.

----------------------------

 

[MikeNewYork]

That seems to be redundant.

 

[Tarheel]

Maybe. You could also say it's a way of making the point by saying the same thing twice using different words.

"You are no longer here beside me.
Instead, you are here inside me."

 

[MikeNewYork]

I like the second one better. Not the same, but reinforcing.

 

[Tarheel]

"As long as I have memory
You've never really left me."