lembrarse

Lembrar-se is a Portuguese pronominal verb meaning to remember or recall something, often emphasizing that the memory pertains to the speaker or is remembered personally. The infinitive is lembrar-se (with a hyphen), and it is commonly followed by de to introduce what is remembered: lembrar-se de algo. The verb also forms a notion of “remind oneself” to do something, as in lembrar-se de fazer algo.

In everyday use, lembrar-se de expresses recollection of a fact, a past event, or a detail. Examples: Eu me lembro do meu primeiro dia de escola. Ela lembrou-se de desligar o ferro antes de sair. Tu te lembras de onde colocaste as chaves? Não me lembro agora. In many dialects, the second person singular becomes tu te lembras and the third person singular se lembra, with nós nos lembramos and vocês se lembram in common usage.

The verb também has a transitive use without the reflexive pronoun to mean “to remind someone of something.” In this sense, lembrar is followed by a person and de or outra expressão: O professor lembrou os alunos de entregar o relatório. Lembrei-lhe de pegar o guarda-chuva. This non-reflexive use contrasts with lembrar-se, which centers on the subject’s own memory.

Originating from the noun lembrança (remembrance), lembrar and lembrança share a common root related to memory, with the semantic family extending to phrases that denote recalling or being reminded. Variants exist across Brazilian and European Portuguese, but the core meaning and reflexive construction remain stable: remember for oneself, or remind someone of something.