No lo he de olvidar

I have seen this construction a number of times in songs (only in songs actually!).
- Haber + de + verb in the infinitive

The English translation of the song puts this as "I will never forget." although in other places the "haber + de" would seem to indicate more of an obligation, such as "I mustn't forget."
- Is this phrase like saying "No hay que olvidarlo" but directed at ones self?
- Is the meaning of "haber + de" a bit ambiguous? Do people use it in everyday conversations?
 

Hi Steven!

I would definitely use "No lo he de olvidar" as "I must not forget", a synonym would be "No lo olvidaré" and it could be used as a self-directed sentence or if as if you were telling this to someone else:

"Dos cuadras al sur, 1 cuadra a la derecha. No lo he de olvidar" - Talking to oneself
"Tu generosidad y ayuda; no las he de olvidar" - Talking to someone else

I guess the frequency would depend on the region; I almost never use it, nor the people I know...

Cheers!
 

Excellent. Thanks, Marie!

Wow, I almost asked this exact same question again with the exact same commentary. I think I'm losing my mind... :-)

 

Sometimes we know the question and answer is out there in this forum, and sometimes a search will find it.  I too have found myself asking the same question that I asked earlier.

I am glad that I am not the only one to have forum deja vu. A couple of times I have looked in the forum for the answer to a question, only to find that I had previously read and responded to what someone else posted. Sometimes I am even impressed with what I wrote!...