Japanese with Manga

Do you remember me with 〜のこと覚えてる

Grammar Explanation: Referring to a person with 〜のこと

Nao, in a hooded vest and striped leggings, crouches with a smile in front of Chito, the black cat, who sits on a box.
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Nao has stopped by the Kowata house. At the gate, the family’s black cat greets her with a meow.

なお:
「おすおす」
“Hey there.”
「あたしのこと覚(おぼ)えてる？」
“Do you remember me?”
チト:
「ニャ」
“Mew.”

Key Points

1あたしのこと覚(おぼ)えてる？
  • のこと after あたし makes Nao the person being remembered.
  • 覚(おぼ)える works with or without のこと: あたしを覚(おぼ)えてる？ is also correct. With verbs of memory, though, the のこと version often sounds more natural in conversation.
  • The full form is あたしのことを覚(おぼ)えている？ In casual speech the を drops.
2覚(おぼ)えてる means “remember”
  • 覚(おぼ)える is “to commit to memory”. 覚(おぼ)えている is the state that follows, “to have in memory”, so it means “remember” in English.
  • 覚(おぼ)えてる is the casual form, with the い of ている dropped.
3おすおす
  • おす is a casual greeting, like おっす. Doubling it makes it sound friendly and playful.

Vocabulary

(I)

あたし means “I” or “me”. It is a casual, feminine form of 私(わたし).

(Thing)

こと is an abstract thing, matter, or fact, as opposed to a physical object. It also turns a verb phrase into a noun, as in 見たことがある. It is also written 事(こと).

(To remember)

覚(おぼ)える is to learn and keep something in memory.

See Also

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