to forget someone's birthday
4
1.6
- phrasal verb
:
olvidar el cumpleaños de alguien
- He didn't plan a party since he forgot his sister's birthday this year.
- forgot someone's birthday this year
Examples
-
"Don't act like the cad you are and forget your own daughter's birthday," she was saying, but it came out sounding all thoughtful and solicitous.
Fiction book (1998) -
We forgot your father's birthday.
-
I forgot her birthday, again.
-
She was off alone because she thought we forgot her birthday.
-
Don't forget your Dad's birthday on Friday.
-
Never forget her birthday.
-
It wasn't like I was forgetting my kids' birthdays or anything like that, but maybe I should do something nice and extra special.
Fiction book (1998) -
"He selfishly spends all his money on himself, forgets his brother's birthday, and then devises a sneaky scheme rather than owning up to his mistakes."
Fiction book (1999) -
I completely forgot my friend's birthday and didn't send a card.
-
She was upset because her husband forgot her birthday again.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
Not remember something you should remember
7
6.3
To ignore someone or suddenly forget something
To not remember something at all
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to fail to remember the date of someone’s birthday' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'forget' (to be unable to recall) with the possessive phrase 'someone's birthday' (the day someone was born). This is a straightforward verb + noun-phrase composition common across languages and standard English usage, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer the meaning.
Etymology
Forget someone's birthday comes from the simple image of a date that should be written down but isn't. If you don't mark the birthday on a calendar or keep it in your head, you forget it, so the phrase means 'to fail to remember the date of someone's birthday'.