Dimenticata / dimenticato in Lesson 4.8

"si e dimenticata"  => "she forgot" 

I wanted to find how say "he forgot". which Google translates "si e dimenticato"

But conjugation tables for "dimenticare" only show "dimenticato" Is this an unusual verb whose ending changes with the gender of the related noun?

Is "lei/lui ha dimenticata/o" also correct? 

Thanks,

Jack

Hi Jack, 

You are right, the masculine version of that would indeed be "si è dimenticato", while the feminine version would be "si è dimenticata".

In this specific case, the verb is actually "dimenticarsi" rather than "dimenticare".

"Dimenticarsi" is a reflexive verb (here is more info about reflexive
verbs: https://members.rocketlanguages.com/members/italian/lessons/466) while "dimenticare" is not.

There isn't a relevant difference between them in terms of use, for instance you could say "Mi sono dimenticata la borsa" (I forgot my bag) as well as "Ho dimenticato la borsa" (I forgot my bag). The meaning wouldn't change, although (perhaps) the reflexive form has a slightly emphasizes more the fact that you "forgot" something, while the second option emphasizes more the thing you forgot (the bag, in this case).

Depending on the form you wish to use, whether the reflexive "dimenticarsi" or the regular "dimenticare", you need to adjust the ending accordingly.

In the reflexive verb, you will need to adapt it to the subject, as in:
Lei si è dimenticata
Loro si sono dimenticati
...and so on.

In the second case (regular verb), then ending wouldn't change, as in:
Maria ha dimenticato la poesia.
(Maria forgot the poem.)

Carlo ha dimenticato come si dice "grazie".
(Carlo forgot how to say "thank you".)


Hope this helps!