This is an All Ears English podcast, episode 2582.
Did you remember it or memorize it?
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Hello there, Michelle.
How's it going today?
Good, Lindsay.
How are you?
Feeling good.
Feeling good.
Michelle, are you good at remembering all of the birthdays in your family?
It sounds like you have a pretty big family.
Um on on, my family isn't that big, but dan's family is big and so then when you add them all together, it is a big family.
Um, as far as birthday goes, the birthdays go, i'm pretty good, but there is there's a week in october where it's like everybody's birthday in the family okay, okay.
So so it's my dad's, his dad's, his sisters, our niece and nephew, everybody.
And so sometimes that gets a little confusing.
And so that can be hard to remember.
What about you, Lindsay?
Are you good at remembering birthdays?
Yeah.
Family, I'm usually good.
Friends, it's so frustrating because I decided to recommit to remembering friends' birthdays.
I wrote them all in this app that I decided to get a membership for for birthdays.
And then the app offloaded and I lost all the birthdays.
Oh, no.
I know.
So now I just have to go back.
It's better to just have it in the old noggin, right?
In the old noggin.
Well, it's funny.
Yeah.
Sometimes I always think oh, it's better to just be able to remember things and not have always everything written down.
It's good for your mind.
But then I do forget things.
Yeah, I know.
And I feel so bad when a friend remembers and I forget theirs.
Oh, it's such a it's such a mind trip.
Yeah.
What are we talking about today, Michelle?
So today we are going to talk about this really interesting topic that you brought up, which is very important.
And I bet a lot of our listeners are a little confused about this.
And it's the difference between remember and and memorize.
Yeah.
I was having a conversation with a student sometime in the last couple of weeks and I heard this used incorrectly and I thought oh, this would make a great episode Michelle, for our listeners today.
Right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Definitely.
So this is a great idea.
So I'm excited to talk about this.
And before we do get into it, we are just so excited to say thank you to our reviewers.
Yes, I want to say a huge thank you to Pijan101 from Taiwan, who gave us a five-star review, by the way, on January 25th in Apple Podcasts.
Huge thank you.
They said, I really like your podcast.
They're so interesting that I keep listening every day.
That's fantastic.
And then we have Mac Shack from the US on January 23rd in Apple.
He said, my best podcast finding for this year.
Thank you both a ton.
So that sounds like a brand new listener.
So huge shout out to our two amazing reviewers.
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All right.
Excellent.
Perfect.
Okay.
So let's start with Memrise.
Yes.
Very different, right?
Yeah, very different.
Lindsay, what is Memrise?
Tell us about it.
Well, actually, they're not that different, but they are different, right?
They're related, right?
Oh, they're very related, of course.
Memorize and remember.
So memorize is about learning something by heart.
We always say this expression, learn it by heart.
Why don't we say it, learn it by mind or learn it by...
I don't know.
We say learn it by heart.
So we keep it in our mind with the aim of not forgetting it.
This is pretty intentional.
I remember doing a lot of this in school, Michelle memorizing dates, historical dates events, that kind of thing names.
Does that ring any bells for you?
Oh, yeah, of course.
Well, and I...
And I used to, you know, when I did a lot of theater, I used to have to memorize my lines.
Yes.
Oh, of course.
Oh my gosh.
So it's really it's about that process of learning and trying to keep something, get something to stick right.
Yes.
Yes.
What about phone numbers, Lindsay?
Do you have your partner's phone number memorized?
I do.
Thank goodness.
Right.
Because I feel like I remember the days when we didn't have Cell phones.
And I remember like dialing my best friend's phone number next door.
Right.
And so it's still a concept to have a number, a phone number in my head.
Right.
And it's good to have it memorized.
I remember it took Dan a very long time to memorize my phone number.
And I'm like, come on.
I know.
I know.
Come on.
Right.
I also I also try and have my son.
He has our phone numbers memorized.
So it's good to have your kids know your phone numbers.
Um, so, um, wait, I was just going to say about something about phone numbers.
Oh, I forgot what it was, but it was fun.
The whole idea about being an actor on stage.
I've always wondered about this.
I mean, how much time did it take you to memorize your lines for acting?
I just don't even know how this works.
And even in Hollywood, I don't get it.
Yeah.
Dependent on how many, how many lines I had, but if I had a lot of lines, I mean, I, I
Yeah, it's hard.
You kind of just chunk it up and have small goals.
I remember I had a process.
Oh, you know what I would do?
I would learn it and then I would write it down.
OK, so that's a good trick.
Yeah.
So I would I would I felt that writing it down kind of solidified it in my mind.
And yeah, so that that was helpful.
Oh, I know what I was going to ask you.
Do you still have phone numbers of you know you mentioned your friends and, like childhood phone numbers, memorized.
Kind of.
I still can remember my childhood home phone number, like the landline.
Yeah, me too.
Yeah.
I don't think I could get my best friend's number, but almost maybe.
Yeah.
I can get that.
I know my mom's old work phone number.
I know my best friend's landline.
So it's all up there somewhere.
It's in there.
It's in there.
I mean, it makes me worry a little bit sometimes with Google Maps and everything.
Are we just going to forget how to memorize or how to remember?
We're going to forget how to remember.
Yeah.
Don't forget how to remember, Michelle.
So I guess what we're getting at here is memorize is a little, is it more technical?
Is it a more technical term?
Like it's about the process?
I would agree with that.
It says this process, you know, in order to keep something in your mind, right?
So here, let's show how it will look in some sentences.
So here's one about plays.
So when I was in a lot of plays, It took me a lot of time to memorize my lines, right?
Or to do that process.
That's a good one.
Yep.
And again, I'm still intrigued by that.
I'm teaching my kids to memorize my phone number and address.
Very smart thing to do, right?
Or I have to memorize these formulas for my math test.
So...
Yeah.
I think it's also the different.
One of the key differences here is that memorize is a process, but it's also more word for word, like number for number.
Whereas remember, well, we're going to go into it now, Michelle.
How is it different?
Yeah.
So let's move on to remember.
So to remember is to actually have that information in your head or in the moment or something.
Right.
So this is more about the actual process.
Product of the memorization, right?
The results, the ability to recall something.
So you, you know, I mean, Lindsay, do you remember much about what you learned in high school?
I would say maybe half.
50 50, that's pretty, that's not bad.
I feel like i'm i'm relearning everything, especially historical stuff.
Yeah really, i couldn't relate to history as much when i was a kid, like growing up in a small town, like what do you know about world war one right, but now that i've gone to the battlefields in belgium like, i'm much more likely to remember what i learn when i learn history now.
So it sounds like though Michelle, the difference here is like when we would use it.
Like I could ask you, oh, Michelle, you had a performance last night.
Did you memorize your, did you remember your lines?
And you could say, yeah, because I had, I had what?
I had memorized them.
Right.
So if I remembered them, it means I didn't forget them.
Right.
Right.
I was able to recall them.
So yeah, actually you could use these sometimes.
I mean like listen, like if I said for the, for the math test example, I have to memorize these formulas for my math test.
I could say I have to remember them.
Right.
But it's that.
Yeah.
Sorry.
Yeah.
Go ahead.
No, no, no.
You go ahead.
Well, I'm just saying, like, it's a different process.
So the idea of when does that memorization happen?
It happens before the test.
Whereas on test day, you hope that you remember them.
You don't hope you memorize them.
You hope you already have memorized them.
Right.
It's the result of the memorization.
Exactly.
So it's like if you've memorized something, then you remember it.
Exactly.
Exactly.
And then I think not everything that is remembered is always memorized, right?
Like I remember my grandmother's face, but I didn't memorize her face.
Right.
Right.
Right.
So that's where we were talking about, like more carbon copy, this idea of word for word.
That's a systematic process, but it's not done for everything we remember.
We have memories of our first memory.
We didn't memorize it.
Right.
Right yeah yeah very, very good point.
So let's show how remember looks.
So yeah, here's one.
I can't remember her name.
Right, you wouldn't say i can't memorize her name.
It's like i'm i, it's.
You're basically saying i didn't memorize it and so yeah, i can't remember it.
Right, versus a good example, here is one of my favorite movies.
I don't know why.
I find this movie really good with ben affleck.
Uh, the movie argo.
Uh, have you ever seen it?
Yeah, it's a great movie, very dramatic, involving the CIA, et cetera.
And okay.
So when it comes to remembering names, they were given identities that they had to memorize.
They had to memorize every detail of their fake identity, right?
They were supposed to be Canadian.
And so the question is when they got to the airport to leave Iran that day, did they remember it?
Because they had memorized it, but you wouldn't memorize your friends, your best, like you haven't memorized your best friend's name from childhood.
You don't need to.
Right.
So it's just that I just know it.
Right.
Exactly.
Yes.
Yeah, exactly.
It's different.
It is that process.
It's a little more technical.
Yeah, I definitely agree.
Yeah.
Here's another one.
Like if you said, if you were talking to your friend, your childhood friend, you could say do you remember when we used to have food fights in the cafeteria?
Yeah.
You wouldn't memorize that.
It's a memory.
It's something that happened.
There was no process.
There was nothing that you had to really try for.
It's just that it naturally seeped into your mind as an experience.
Perfect.
So in a sense, we can remember both things we've memorized and our memories, right?
Hopefully we're making this more clear, not more confusing for our listeners.
Here's another example.
I'm trying to remember where I met him.
Right.
That's not something you would have memorized.
That's just a life memory.
Right.
Right.
Perfect.
So yeah essentially, if you memorize something, if you do go through that process, if it's that kind of a thing that you really have to try to remember, your goal is to remember.
Right.
You got it.
Love it.
OK.
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All right, Michelle.
So let's go over a couple of grammar points.
What do we need to know about grammar?
It's not enough just to know the differences between these two words.
We need to know what grammar goes with these two words, how to use them.
Yeah, and there's more to all of this that we could follow up on, but we're going to teach the most important parts, the basics, today.
So with remember, right, one way you can use it is to say remember to and the verb.
Yes.
So, for example, remember to buy milk at the store.
So that's have it in your mind and do what is needed, right?
Like put this in your head.
Yes, exactly.
It's like a command.
Please remember to buy milk.
You ask your husband or something.
Remember to pick up the bread and the milk at the store, whatever.
This is not something we've memorized, but again, remember to do something.
Remember to verb.
Good.
Or this is looking back.
I remember watching that show every day after school.
This is memories, right?
Right.
So that would be verb and ing.
So i remember watching that show, i remember reading that book, i remember going on vacation with my friend right yes yes exactly, love it.
Um, and then what about memorize michelle yeah, so we're not.
Uh, you wouldn't use memorize with the verb and ing right, you wouldn't say i, i memorize Going to the store.
Right.
Right.
That doesn't sound right to me.
Generally, a memorize would just be followed by a noun.
Right.
So to memorize something, or I mean, of course, if you're using in a different form, to have something memorized.
So she memorized all the words to the monologue just in time for the audition.
Exactly.
You wouldn't memorize going to the store like the event of going.
You might memorize, like unconsciously memorize the route to the store, maybe without even trying right.
You just learn it, right?
Right.
Yeah, right.
Exactly.
So I mean, like, if you say, okay, here, I mean, this is what I was just mentioning.
So if I say I have something memorized, yes, is that the same thing as remember?
I don't think so.
No, no.
I think it comes back to the process.
The process.
Exactly.
That's what I was going to say.
The more intentional process.
I think that's another key.
It's more intentional.
Yeah.
It's like, I'm going to sit down.
I'm going to have a test tomorrow in my senior history class.
I have to memorize 10 different dates.
Yes.
Right.
Right.
You're using index cards, whatever it is.
So, you know, there's more of a process.
So, All right.
Should we do a role play?
Let's do it.
So here we're roommates and we're leaving for a trip.
We're locking up the house.
Okay.
Very specific context.
Yes.
Did you remember to turn off the sink upstairs?
Yes, I think.
I mean, I remember going upstairs and checking everything.
I think it's okay.
Okay.
I'll check again.
Thanks.
Also, I memorized our hotel's address.
So don't worry about that.
Okay, great.
Thanks.
I'm this way.
I'm sort of a checker.
I question myself as to whether I, you know, turned up.
Lindsay, we're the same.
Yeah.
Dan will always be like.
Like even just this weekend we were going out for the weekend and um, and it was before a snowstorm and I was nervous because you know you have to make certain preparations on your house.
He had to leave certain doors, things open and whatever.
So I, he got the kids in the car and I said, he's like, okay, just lock up.
And I said, I don't like being the last person.
And he's like, I trust you.
And, and, I'm like, no.
Yeah, that's even worse.
That's even worse, right?
When you get that comment, because you're like, what if I mess this up?
Yeah, it's true.
It's true.
We second guess ourselves with these little practical things sometimes.
But these are good examples here.
So let's go through this role play, Michelle, and see what we said.
So I asked you, did you remember to turn off the sink upstairs?
It wouldn't make any sense for me to say, did you memorize?
This has nothing to do with memorizing, right?
Right.
Because you could have also just say, said, did you forget?
Right.
I mean, it's the opposite of forget.
Right.
What is the impression you want to give to your friend?
Right.
What do you assume about your friend?
Yes.
This one is a little more optimistic.
Then I said, yes.
I think.
I mean, I remember going upstairs and checking everything.
So verb I-N-G.
So I have this memory of doing that.
It's fuzzy in my mind.
I was checking a lot of things, and now I'm so i remember doing something right, good.
And then, and here we, we bring in memorization right, so you said also, i memorized our hotel's address, so don't worry.
So here you went through the intentional process of sitting down and committing something to memory, maybe systematically, maybe you have tricks of how to do that.
Pneumatic devices or something.
Right.
Yeah.
Well, those are the best.
Yeah.
Yeah.
So I don't know why I had to memorize the hotel's address.
Yeah.
I don't know either.
It seems silly now in 2026, right?
Yeah, it does.
But maybe I'm nervous.
We're all going to lose our phones.
Who knows?
But in any case, I did it.
And you're welcome.
And I'm sure we got to the hotel just fine.
You're welcome.
I mean it is a good exercise to try now, because with all this technology we don't want our brains to just kind of like go to mush, right?
Yeah.
Yeah, it's true.
Exactly.
Well, they always say that what you remember most is song lyrics from like songs from...
Teenager years or childhood, right?
Do you ever hear a song that was from your childhood and you're like, how do I know all the words, but I don't know what I did yesterday?
It's hilarious.
Sometimes I'll go to a workout class and the teacher will have an 80s playlist from Spotify on there and I'll just know every word of every song.
It's just incredible.
Because it's not like I sat down and tried to memorize those lyrics.
So it's a good reason to try to learn English with songs, with lyrics.
Oh, my gosh.
It's like we're having fun.
There's emotion being invoked.
Right.
And we learn chunks and phrases as long as they're correct grammatically.
Right.
Which is another thing.
But anyway.
Yes.
So, Michelle, what's another episode that we could check out?
All right, guys, check out episode 2571.
That was don't let English vocabulary break down on you.
Nice.
And for a takeaway.
I mean I just I feel like excited that we did this episode today, because I have heard this mistake being made in very subtle context with students.
Michelle, any other final takeaway that we want to leave our listeners with?
Yeah, I mean, we went over the basics today.
Again, I would say you know, if you're going to remember one thing, I would say think of memorize being more of that process.
Yeah, the process.
You know, I think that's kind of the most helpful takeaway if you're wondering which one to use.
Yeah, and the emotional things don't need a process because they're baked into your mind.
You don't need to memorize your wedding day.
Yes.
Right.
You'll always remember.
All right.
Good stuff today, Michelle.
Well, you have a good rest of your day.
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All right.
All right, Lindsay.
Thanks for chatting about this with me today.
And guys, we'll see you in the next episode.
Bye, Michelle.
Bye.
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