Portuguese Phrase
Não te esqueças do leite.
Meaning
A friendly reminder not to forget to get or bring the milk. It’s used when you want someone else to remember an item that’s needed later, often in a household or grocery‑shopping context.
When to use
Use this phrase when you’re speaking informally to a friend, family member, or roommate and you want to make sure they remember to buy or bring milk. It works both in the kitchen before cooking and when planning a grocery run.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Nãoteesqueçasdoleite
Negação (Não)
‘Não’ precedes the verb to make the whole clause negative.
Pronome átono (te)
‘te’ is the second‑person singular object pronoun, attached before the verb in the affirmative imperative.
Imperativo negativo (esqueças)
In Portuguese the negative command uses the present subjunctive form; ‘esqueças’ is the 2nd‑person singular of ‘esquecer’.
Contração prepositiva (do)
‘do’ = de + o, linking the verb to the noun ‘leite’.
Substantivo (leite)
‘leite’ means ‘milk’; it is masculine singular, so it takes the article ‘o’ in the contraction ‘do’.
🗨In Conversation
Vou ao supermercado agora.
I’m going to the supermarket now.
Não te esqueças do leite.
Don’t forget the milk.
✕Common Mistakes
Não te esqueça do leite.
‘Esqueça’ is the affirmative imperative; for a negative command you must use the subjunctive form ‘esqueças’.
Não esqueças do leite.
The clitic pronoun cannot be omitted in the negative imperative; ‘Não esqueças do leite’ sounds incomplete.
Não te esqueças de leite.
If you want to refer to ‘some milk’ in a more general sense, you could say ‘não te esqueças de leite’, but the usual phrasing is with the article ‘do’.
↔Alternatives
Lembra‑te de comprar o leite.
Remember to buy the milk.
Não se esqueça do leite.
Don’t forget the milk.
Não te esqueças de levar o leite.
Don’t forget to bring the milk.
Cultural Tip
In Portugal and Brazil the negative imperative is formed with the present subjunctive, so ‘esqueças’ sounds natural. In more formal contexts you might hear the third‑person form ‘não se esqueça’, which is polite when speaking to strangers or elders. Also, avoid dropping the clitic ‘te’; ‘Não esqueças do leite’ is considered incorrect because the pronoun is required in the negative command.