102.4 Acquiring and forgetting knowledge and skills
Lernen, verlernen, vergessen(a) lernen is used for the process of acquiring knowledge as well as for the result:Lernst du schon eine Fremdsprache?
Do you already study a foreign language?Haben Sie die Geheimnummer (auswendig) gelernt?
Have you learnt your PIN (by heart)?(b) German makes a distinction between vergessen and verlernen lit. ‘to de-learn’.
Vergessen is used when one has forgotten information that has been learnt. Acquired
behaviour, skills and attitudes cannot be forgotten in the same way, and verlernen is
used in these instances:Fahrrad fahren verlernt man nie.
You never forget how to ride a bicycle.Distinguish -e Vergesslichkeit ‘forgetfulness’ and -e Vergessenheit ‘oblivion’, which
is only used in a few set phrases:Diese Episode der Geschichte fiel der Vergessenheit anheim/geriet in
Vergessenheit.
This historical episode sank into oblivion.103 Expressing future intentions
103.1 Future intentions can be expressed by werden (34.3–4, pp. 71–2) or a modal verb
(möchte, wollen, see 35 , pp. 74–80):
Wir möchten/wollen nächsten Sommer nach Italien fahren.
We’d like to/want to go to Italy next summer.The future tense with werden often implies a particularly firm intention or even a
threat:Ich werde ihm zeigen, was wir leisten können.
I’ll show him what we can achieve.Er wird das nicht noch einmal machen.
He won’t do that again.Ich werde das Darlehen zurückzahlen.
I will repay the loan.Ich werde vor dem Examen das Buch gelesen haben.
I will have read the book before the exam.There are other verbal expressions implying intention. Where they are followed by a
clause, an infinitive + zu construction is required (see 42.3f, p. 115):103
CONVEYING ATTITUDES/MENTAL STATES