One is recalling something yourself, the other is making someone else recall it.
"Remember" is to bring something to your own mind: the memory comes from within you. "I remembered her birthday" = the memory came to me on its own.
I remember my first day at school clearly.
Do you remember where you put your keys?
She did not remember to call him.
"Remind" is to cause someone else to remember something: the trigger comes from outside. "Remind me to call her" = I need you to prompt me so I do not forget.
Can you remind me to call the doctor?
She reminded her son to take his umbrella.
Please remind me about the meeting tomorrow.
Common mistake
Trick to remember it
Quick rule
Did you know?
"This reminds me of..." is one of the most frequent phrases in natural English conversation and works as a conversational bridge: it connects something present with a past memory. "This coffee reminds me of my trip to Italy." The structure is always REMIND + me/him/her/us + of + the memory. There is also "a reminder": a physical or digital prompt. "Set a reminder" = create a digital alert. And "reminder email" = follow-up email. REMEMBER does not have this nominal equivalent: there is no "a rememberer" as an object or system.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
Could you _____ me to call the dentist tomorrow? I always forget.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
She _____ ed to buy milk on the way home. She didn't forget.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.
"Actually" corrects or contrasts an assumption; "really" intensifies or confirms.
'Currently' means 'at the present time'; 'actually' means 'in reality', not 'nowadays'.
'Adopt' means to take something on as your own; 'adapt' means to adjust to something new.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy