German Phrase
Oh, ich hab's vergessen!
Meaning
The speaker expresses mild surprise or regret that they have forgotten something. The exclamation 'Oh' adds an emotional tone, while the contraction makes the sentence sound informal and spontaneous.
When to use
Use this phrase in casual, spoken German when you realize you’ve left something behind, missed a detail, or simply forgot to do something. It’s common among friends, family, or colleagues in a relaxed setting.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Oh,ichhab'svergessen!
Contraction hab's
hab's = habe es. In spoken German the auxiliary verb 'haben' is often shortened and the object pronoun 'es' is attached with an apostrophe.
Present perfect with haben
Forgotten is expressed with the perfect tense: auxiliary 'haben' + past participle 'vergessen'.
Verb placement
In main clauses the verb (or verb complex) occupies the second position; the contraction 'hab's' counts as the verb.
🗨In Conversation
Oh, ich hab's vergessen!
Oh, I forgot it!
Kein Problem, wir holen es später nach.
No problem, we’ll take care of it later.
✕Common Mistakes
Oh, ich hab's vergessen.
In writing, avoid the apostrophe and write the full form 'habe es'.
Oh, ich hab vergessen.
The object pronoun 'es' cannot be omitted in this construction; you need 'hab's' or 'habe es'.
Oh, ich bin vergessen.
The verb 'vergessen' always uses 'haben' as its auxiliary, not 'sein'.
↔Alternatives
Oh, ich habe es vergessen.
Oh, I forgot it.
Ach, das habe ich vergessen.
Ah, I forgot that.
Mist, ich habe es vergessen.
Darn, I forgot it.
Cultural Tip
The contraction 'hab's' is typical of everyday spoken German and is rarely used in formal writing. In northern Germany you’ll also hear 'hab ich' or 'hab ich vergessen' without the apostrophe. The interjection 'Oh' can be replaced by 'Ach' or 'Mist' depending on how strong the speaker’s regret feels.