Welcome to our Daily English Listening Practice with this week’s series:

13 Common English Expressions
on Forgetting and Remembering

Today we talk about Common English Expressions on Forgetting and Remembering. We include 13 common words and phrases that you’ll actually hear in naturally spoken conversation, and we hope you enjoy using them confidently!

Listen to each audio clip to hear the pronunciation and usage of each phrase.

It Slipped my Mind

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Notes: much more polite than “I forgot” and can be used in almost any situation, it totally slipped my mind, it completely slipped my mind

That Doesn’t Ring a Bell

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Notes: That doesn’t make me remember anything, hmmm, doesn’t ring a bell… 

Lost my Train of Thought

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Notes: usually mid-sentence or thought; informal: I spaced out, I blanked out

Jog Your Memory

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Notes: spark your memory or help remind you of something; also, refresh your memory

It’s Been on My Mind

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Notes: you’ve been thinking about it

It’s on the Tip of my Tongue

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Notes: a word you can’t quite remember, but it feels very close to knowing it

Drawing a Blank (Here)

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Notes: maybe you’ve given up on trying to remember or it’s not in your memory at all

I Don’t Recall

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Notes: more formal way of saying “I don’t remember”

I Got Nothing

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Notes: very informal way of something “I don’t remember”

If I remember right/correctly

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Notes: could use this if you aren’t completely sure about something

If Memory Serves (Me)

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Notes: a little more old-fashioned, might see more often in writing

Get it Down Pat

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Notes: memorize or learn something perfectly

In One Ear and Out the Other

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Notes: when someone tells you something and you forget immediately, can sometimes be used when the topic is too difficult to understand, so it’s hard to remember or think straight


What have you forgotten lately? Let us know by using the new vocabulary below!

Thanks,

Kat and Mark

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