I usually forget to lock the door or locking the door

I usually forget to lock the door or locking the door
 

Which structure is correct? And why?

Forget to lock the door

The 'locking' is a present participle and the verbs to remember and to forget always take an infinitive, such as

I forgot to bring some money
I forgot to lock the door
I forgot to bring the keys

I remembered to bring some money .... etc.

However, the participle can be used with a difference of meaning in cases like this:

When I came home, I found the door of the house open, and this was strange because I distinctly remember locking it.

This is when you have a mental image of yourself doing something.

I know that but my question is in cases like:
I usually forget locking or to lock, this is not a past action not sth I have to do. SOOO?

Remember and forget take the infinitive in all tenses:

I had forgotten to lock the door
I have forgotten to lock the door
I forgot to lock the door
I used to forget to lock the door
I always forget to lock the door
It is always annoying when I forget to lock the door
Next Tuesday I shall forget to lock the door.
Next Wednesay I shall have forgotten to lock the door.

And in the imperative
Don't forget to lock the door
.
.
.
.

I would take "to forget locking the door" as "to forget having locked the door". (When perhaps you meant to leave it unlocked)

I forgot look the door.
I forgot close the door.

I don't know if that is the you really want to say there.

Read my post :rolleyes: Forget needs an infinitive, and you know what that is in English because you use it in "you really want to say". The infinitive in English (usually) has a to in it.

I forgot to close the door.

Don't forget to include the to. :D

Well according to grammar books we use
I forgot locking the door
Don´t forget to lock the door.

I forgot locking the door = I locked the door but I forgot that I had locked it.
I forgot to lock the door = I did not lock the door because I forgot.
:)

I forgot locking the door...it just to me doesn't really make sense :/

I'm sorry my man for my ignorance.

Thank you for the suggestions.

Thanks so much, Ambarina. I think many people misunderstanding this grammar and I do, either. I am teaching english but I also mistook forget+Ving.
PS:1/ I forget meeting her before---> It means you have met her before but you didnt remember.

2/ The thief got into the house because I forgot to lock the door.--->It means you didnt lock the door last night.

If you agree, pls note me!:applause:

I usually forget to lock the door.It's right!:love::love::thumbsup:

Exactly.

In these cases it is something you have or don't have a memory of.

I don't remember locking the door. - You are saying you don't have a memory of the locking.
I didn't remember to lock the door. - You know you did not lock it. You remember not locking it.

You could say "I didn't remember locking the door" BUT that is a very obscure case where you are in the present talking about the past when you didn't remember doing something in the even farther past.

In your case:

I usually forget to lock the door = I normally leave the door unlocked because I forget to lock it. - Here you know you are supposed to lock it, but you just can't remember to lock it before you leave or go to bed (or whatever).

I usually forget locking the door = Whenever I lock the door, I usually forget doing it. - Here you lock the door, but you can't remember locking it. This may be true if you do it in the mornings when you are really tired or your mind is very preoccupied with thought.

Hopefully all this helped. In your case, I think "to lock it" is the correct use and probably what is meant.

Couple of corrections made above.

Everyone makes it so complicated. Here's some help:

"I forgot to lock the door"

"Don't forget to lock the door"

"I sometimes forget to lock the door"

When using the word "forget" then "to lock" is correct. But if I were to say, "I tried locking the door but the lock was jammed", then "locking" is appropriate. Although, you can also say, "I tried to lock the door but the lock was jammed." Often you can say English sentences more than one way and they are equally correct.

Vincamerica......that is so true. There are many variations to correct speech.

:twocents:

hehe, Thanks Awaken! love to make friend with you,ok?
I want to give another example:
* Forget+Ving is used in the imperative sentences
Ex:Forget brushing your hair, we are in hurry! It means that you should stop brushing your hair or you will be late.

Haha. I sent you a friend request on here. You are correct with your use of the imperative version as well. Good addition to the discussion.