Remind or remember? One German word, two English ones

“Can you remember me on Friday?“

I hear this one a lot. It always makes sense in the situation, so nobody corrects it, and people go on saying it for years.

German keeps both ideas in one word. Sich erinnern, jemanden erinnern. English uses two, and that’s the whole difficulty. It has nothing to do with your level. The two languages simply divide the same idea differently.

Remind is a favour. Someone else does it for you. Remember is your own head doing the work.

Quick win: When you’re asking someone for help, the word is remind. “Can you remind me on Friday?” When your own memory does the job, it’s remember.