How to say “Don’t forget your things” in Portuguese

Introduction

Learning how to tell someone not to forget their things is practical and polite. In Brazilian Portuguese, several natural expressions convey reminders, warnings, and friendly nudges. This article teaches you common phrases, pronunciation tips, context, and short dialogues so you can use them confidently in everyday situations.

Core expressions: basic ways to say don’t forget your things

The most straightforward verb for forget is esquecer. To tell someone not to forget something, Brazilians commonly use negative commands or suggestions. Here are the core patterns with direct, natural examples and simple notes on usage.

Don’t forget + object (informal)

Use this when speaking to friends, family, or people you address with tu or você casually. The informal negative imperative for você commonly uses não + infinitive.

Examples:

Não esqueça sua mochila.

Não esquece o guarda-chuva.

Don’t forget + object (formal or polite)

When you want to be polite or formal, use não esqueça or add por favor. You can also use lembre-se, which comes from lembrar and literally means remember.

Examples:

Não esqueça os documentos, por favor.

Lembre-se dos seus pertences.

Variations and nuances

Portuguese has several ways to remind someone that differ in tone and formality. Below are common alternatives, with explanations of when to use each one.

Não esqueça vs Não esquece

Não esqueça is the negative imperative for você and is slightly more polished or neutral. Não esquece is the spoken informal form used with friends or family and often heard in Brazil. Both are widely accepted, but choose based on your relationship with the listener.

Examples:

Não esqueça a chave do carro.

Não esquece o lanche da criança.

Lembre-se and friendly alternatives

Lembre-se is useful when you want to emphasize remembering rather than forbidding forgetting. It often sounds softer and more thoughtful. You can add de + noun or de + infinitive.

Examples:

Lembre-se de trancar a porta.

Lembre-se de pegar os ingressos.

Casual reminders: Não vá esquecer and Não vai esquecer

These forms are very common in spoken Brazilian Portuguese. They are slightly more casual and carry a tone of expectancy that the person will remember. Use them with friends or peers.

Examples:

Não vai esquecer as passagens, tá?

Não vá esquecer de desligar a luz.

Adding politeness and emphasis

You can soften or strengthen reminders by adding polite words or emphasis. Politeness matters especially in professional or unfamiliar contexts.

Using por favor

Add por favor to make the reminder polite. Put it at the end or beginning of the sentence.

Examples:

Por favor, não esqueça seu celular.

Não esqueça, por favor, a documentação.

Using com calma and other softeners

Add softeners like com calma or apenas to make the tone gentle and less urgent. This is good when you don’t want to sound bossy.

Examples:

Calma, só não esqueça a carteira.

Apenas lembre-se dos óculos.

Using emphasis words

Words like mesmo, mesmo assim, and hein add emphasis or urgency. They help when the item is important or easily forgotten.

Examples:

Não esqueça a mala, hein.

Lembre-se mesmo dos remédios.

Specific contexts and tailored phrases

Different situations call for different wording. Below are common scenarios with natural phrases Brazilian speakers use often.

At home or with family

Casual, often affectionate reminders are typical. Use the informal forms or diminutives to sound friendly.

Examples:

Não esquece a lancheira do João, tá bom?

Não esqueça a bolsa, vai que a gente precisa sair depois.

At work or with colleagues

Use polite or neutral language. When reminding a colleague, you can use lembre-se or não esqueça plus por favor.

Examples:

Não esqueça os relatórios para a reunião.

Lembre-se de enviar o e-mail antes das 10h.

At school or with students

Teachers often use direct but caring language. Add cues like mais tarde or hoje to specify timing.

Examples:

Não esqueçam os livros para a próxima aula.

Lembre-se de trazer o projeto hoje.

Travel and public spaces

Reminding someone not to forget possessions is very common in airports, buses, and restaurants. Short, clear sentences work best.

Examples:

Não esqueça a mala no compartimento superior.

Não esqueça seus pertences na mesa.

Short dialogues: natural exchanges

Short dialogues help you hear how these phrases fit into real conversation. Line breaks indicate natural pauses.

Dialogue 1 — At home:

— Não esquece o guarda-chuva.
— Pode deixar, vou pegar agora.

Dialogue 2 — Airport:

— Não esqueça o passaporte.
— Já está na bolsa, obrigada.

Dialogue 3 — With a friend leaving a café:

— Lembre-se dos óculos no balcão.
— Verdade, quase deixei lá.

Pronunciation tips

Pronunciation helps you sound natural. Below are key points for the main verbs.

Pronouncing esquecer

Stress the second syllable: es-QUE-cer. The initial e sounds like the e in bet. The qu is pronounced like k. In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, the r at the end can sound like an approximate d or guttural depending on region, but in imperative forms you will often hear es-KEH-sah for esqueça.

Pronouncing lembre-se

Stress the first syllable: LEM-bre-se. The b is soft, and the final e is pronounced like eh. When spoken quickly, the hyphenated se merges, sounding like lembrese or lembre-se.

Casual contractions and rhythm

Brazilians often shorten or slur words in fast speech. For example, não esquece can become não esquece with a softened e, and não vá esquecer may sound like não va esquece. Listening to native speakers helps internalize these patterns.

Grammar notes: imperatives and pronouns

Understanding the grammar behind reminders makes it easier to adapt phrases correctly for different subjects and politeness levels.

Imperatives

Negative imperatives for você use não + infinitive or a specific subjunctive-based form. For example, não esqueça is subjunctive/imperative for você. For tu, in some regions you will use não esqueças or the colloquial não esquece. For vocês, use não esqueçam.

Examples:

Não esqueça (você) a sacola.

Não esqueçam (vocês) os documentos.

Reflexive pronouns with lembrar

Lembre-se includes a reflexive pronoun se to mean remember yourself. Change se depending on the subject: lembre-se (você), lembrem-se (vocês), lembra-te (tu, archaic or formal in Portugal but not commonly used in Brazil).

Examples:

Lembre-se dos prazos.

Lembrem-se de conferir os nomes.

Common mistakes to avoid

Beginners often mix verb forms or omit necessary prepositions. Here are a few errors to watch for and how to fix them.

Omitting de with lembrar

Incorrect: Lembre-se seus documentos.
Correct: Lembre-se dos seus documentos.

Mixing tu and você forms

Incorrect: Não esquece o documento para você (this mixes informal and formal).
Better: Não esqueça o documento, por favor or Não esquece o documento (choose one register).

Using esquecer reflexively

Some learners try *se esquecer like in English. Brazilian Portuguese uses esquecer normally, but in conversational speech people do say se esquecer to mean forget oneself or to forget something accidentally. Use context carefully.

Examples:

Acabei por me esquecer vs Acabei me esquecendo — the second is common in spoken Brazilian Portuguese.

Additional helpful phrases

Here are extra expressions related to forgetting and remembering that will expand your conversational options.

Não deixe para a última hora — Don’t leave it to the last minute.

Você trouxe tudo? — Did you bring everything?

Checa isso de novo — Check this again.

Confere aí se está tudo — Verify if everything is there.

Practical tips for learners

Practice these phrases in context and listen to native speakers. Use voice recordings, apps, or conversations with Brazilian speakers to tune your ear. Pay attention to tone: reminders from family will sound different from reminders at work.

Watch short videos, mimic intonation, and try role-playing simple dialogues out loud. Focus on common verbs like esquecer and lembrar, and learn imperative forms for the subjects you use most often.

Conclusion

Knowing how to say don’t forget your things in Brazilian Portuguese gives you a practical, everyday skill. Use não esqueça, lembre-se, or casual alternatives like não esquece depending on formality. Practice pronunciation, adjust tone for context, and listen to native speakers to sound natural and polite.