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Spanish Phrase

Me olvidé de comprar huevos.

/me o.βiˈðe ðe komˈpɾaɾ ˈweβos/
Meaning"I forgot to buy eggs."
💡

Meaning

Literally, 'I forgot to buy eggs.' It expresses that the speaker failed to remember an intended purchase. The construction uses the reflexive form of olvidar with the preposition de before an infinitive verb.

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When to use

Use this sentence when you realize you didn’t buy something you intended to, especially in casual conversation about grocery shopping or meal planning.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Meolvidédecomprarhuevos

1

Me (reflexive pronoun)

Indicates that the action of forgetting affects the speaker; used with verbs like olvidar to express 'I forgot'.

2

Olvidé (preterite of olvidar)

Past tense form meaning 'I forgot'. The preterite is used for completed actions in the past.

3

de + infinitive

When olvidar is followed by another verb, the preposition 'de' is required: olvidar de + infinitive is incorrect; the correct pattern is olvidar + de + infinitive.

4

Comprar (infinitive)

The verb in its base form that follows the preposition 'de', indicating the action that was forgotten.

5

Huevos (plural noun)

Means 'eggs'. Plural nouns in Spanish usually end in -s or -es.

🗨In Conversation

A

¿Compraste los huevos?

Did you buy the eggs?

No, me olvidé de comprar huevos.

No, I forgot to buy eggs.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Me olvidé comprar huevos.

    The preposition 'de' is required before the infinitive.

  • Olvidé de comprar huevos.

    When 'olvidar' directly governs an infinitive, omit 'de'.

  • Se me olvidó de comprar huevos.

    With the 'se me' construction, drop the preposition 'de'.

↔Alternatives

  • Se me olvidó comprar huevos.

    I forgot to buy eggs.

  • Olvidé comprar los huevos.

    I forgot to buy the eggs.

  • No compré los huevos, se me pasó.

    I didn’t buy the eggs, it slipped my mind.

es

Cultural Tip

In many Spanish‑speaking regions, the construction 'Se me olvidó + infinitive' is more common than 'Me olvidé de + infinitive'. Both are correct, but the former sounds slightly more natural in everyday speech. Also, remember that 'olvidar' without 'de' is used when the object is a noun (e.g., 'Olvidé el libro'), but when followed by another verb you need the preposition 'de'.