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French Phrase

J'ai oublié d'acheter des œufs.

/ʒe u.bli.e da.ʃə.te de.z‿ø/
Meaning"I forgot to buy eggs."
💡

Meaning

I forgot to buy eggs. The sentence uses the passé composé to talk about a past action that was not completed because it slipped the speaker's mind.

🎯

When to use

Use this phrase when you realize you missed an item while shopping, when apologizing for not having something you promised, or in casual conversation about daily errands.

✦Grammar Breakdown

J'aioubliéd'acheterdesœufs

1

J' + ai (present of avoir)

The subject pronoun 'je' contracts to 'j'' before a vowel, and 'ai' is the present tense of the auxiliary verb 'avoir' used to form the passé composé.

2

oublié (past participle)

The verb 'oublier' (to forget) uses 'avoir' as its auxiliary; its past participle is 'oublié', which agrees with the subject only when using 'être', so it stays unchanged here.

3

d' + infinitive (preposition de)

When 'oublier' is followed by another verb, it takes the preposition 'de' which contracts to 'd'' before a vowel, linking to the infinitive 'acheter'.

4

des œufs (partitive article)

The partitive article 'des' indicates an indefinite quantity of a plural noun; 'œufs' (eggs) is pronounced /ø/ and written with the ligature œ.

🗨In Conversation

A

Tu as acheté le pain et le lait?

Did you buy the bread and the milk?

J'ai acheté le pain et le lait, mais j'ai oublié d'acheter des œufs.

I bought the bread and the milk, but I forgot to buy eggs.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • J'ai oublié à acheter des œufs.

    The verb 'oublier' requires the preposition 'de' before an infinitive, not 'à'.

  • J'ai oublié d'acheter des œufs.

    The contraction must be 'd'' (de + acheter) because 'acheter' starts with a vowel.

  • J'ai oublié d'acheter des oeufs.

    In proper French spelling, the ligature œ is used; 'oeufs' without the ligature is considered a typo.

↔Alternatives

  • J'ai négligé d'acheter des œufs.

    I neglected to buy eggs.

  • J'ai manqué d'acheter des œufs.

    I failed to buy eggs.

  • J'ai omis d'acheter des œufs.

    I omitted buying eggs.

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Cultural Tip

In French, the construction 'oublier de + infinitive' is the standard way to express forgetting to do something. Avoid using 'oublier à' which is incorrect. Also, when speaking quickly, the liaison between 'des' and 'œufs' often drops, so you’ll hear /de.z‿ø/ or even /de ø/. Remember that 'œufs' is a masculine plural noun, so adjectives would agree in the masculine plural form (e.g., 'des œufs frais').