had almost forgotten

USAGE SUMMARY

"had almost forgotten" is a correct and usable phrase in written English.
You can use it when you want to express that something had almost slipped your mind until you were reminded of it. Example sentence: I had almost forgotten about the party tomorrow when my friend sent me a text to remind me.

✓ Grammatically correct

News & Media

Academia

Science

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

57 human-written examples

History had almost forgotten the fight.

The New York Times

I had almost forgotten about April.

The New Yorker

He had almost forgotten about Poppy and the cake.

The Guardian - Lifestyle

I had almost forgotten how delicious they can be.

The New York Times - Food

In the 3 decades since her father's death Ruth had almost forgotten she had Russian relations.

The New Yorker

Baby Alice is only 13 days old and I had almost forgotten they come this small.

The Guardian

AMERICANS had almost forgotten that nature can spread disease as efficiently as any bioterrorist.

The Economist

I had almost forgotten about the offer I had on the table.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

3 human-written examples

"I have almost forgotten myself," she says.

The New York Times - Books

Corporate America has almost forgotten what it is like when people are a scarce resource.

The Economist

And just when you have almost forgotten the character, he reappears like an avenging fury.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

Use "had almost forgotten" to express a near lapse in memory, particularly when you want to emphasize that you were on the brink of completely forgetting something until a reminder or event brought it back to mind.

Common error

Avoid using present or future tenses when "had almost forgotten" is appropriate. For example, instead of saying "I almost forget about it", use the past perfect to convey the sense of a past event nearly being forgotten.

Linguistic Context

The phrase "had almost forgotten" functions as part of a verb phrase in the past perfect tense. It indicates a state of near-forgetfulness that existed before a certain point in the past. As Ludwig AI states, this phrase is correct and usable in written English.

Expression frequency: Very common

Frequent in

News & Media

75%

Academia

13%

Science

12%

Less common in

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Wiki

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

The phrase "had almost forgotten" is a versatile and commonly used expression to indicate a near lapse in memory regarding something in the past. Grammatically correct and suitable for various contexts, it is most frequently found in News & Media, Academia, and Science sources. Alternatives such as "had nearly forgotten" or "had practically forgotten" offer similar meanings with slight differences in emphasis. As Ludwig AI confirms, this phrase is a standard part of English and effectively communicates a state of near-forgetfulness averted just in time.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

had nearly forgotten

Replaces "almost" with "nearly", offering a synonymous alternative with a slightly different emphasis.

had practically forgotten

Emphasizes the high degree of forgetfulness; it was very close to being completely forgotten.

had all but forgotten

Highlights that only a small detail or reminder kept the subject from being entirely forgotten.

was on the verge of forgetting

Highlights the imminence of forgetting something completely.

came close to forgetting

Shifts the structure to focus on the process of almost forgetting, rather than the state.

had momentarily forgotten

Suggests the forgetting was brief and quickly corrected.

it slipped my mind

Uses an idiomatic expression to indicate forgetfulness.

had vaguely remembered

Indicates a weak or unclear memory, contrasting with the near-complete loss of memory implied by the original phrase.

had faintly recalled

Suggests a dim and distant memory, implying it almost didn't resurface.

had dimly remembered

Indicates the memory was weak and lacked clarity when it resurfaced.

FAQs

How can I use "had almost forgotten" in a sentence?

You can use "had almost forgotten" to indicate that you were close to forgetting something. For example, "I "had almost forgotten" about the meeting until I saw the reminder on my calendar."

What's the difference between "had almost forgotten" and "almost forgot"?

"Had almost forgotten" uses the past perfect tense, implying the forgetting was averted, while "almost forgot" suggests the forgetting might have actually happened or is less certain. Use ""had almost forgotten"" to emphasize the near-miss.

What can I say instead of "had almost forgotten"?

You can use alternatives like "had nearly forgotten", "had practically forgotten", or "had all but forgotten" depending on the nuance you want to convey.

Is "had almost forgot" grammatically correct instead of "had almost forgotten"?

While "forgot" is a past tense of "forget", in this context, "forgotten" is the correct past participle to use with "had" to form the past perfect tense. Therefore, ""had almost forgotten"" is grammatically correct.