Grammar 9

If I good remember, the hotel was called the Grande Paradisio.

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There are two problems here; one is word order, which actually wouldn't solve our problem.

 

It is, in fact, 'good'.

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The speaker is trying to think what was the name of a particular hotel that they know - maybe they stayed there - and

they are basically commenting on how good their memory is of this name.

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The correct phrase should be If I remember correctly (or rightly), the hotel was called the Grande Paradisio, or even If my memory serves me right, the hotel was called the Grande Paradisio.

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And you probably shouldn't replace 'good' with 'well', because If I well remember would still sound unnatural. Even changing the word order won't help: If I remember well, the hotel was called Grande Paradisio, although if you say, for example, Julie from class 6? Oh, I remember her well or do you remember that Christmas when it snowed in 2000? No, I don't remember it well would sound perfectly natural. So the speaker might say: The Grande Paradisio hotel? I remember it well although this sounds a little on the formal side. I'd probably say The Grande Paradisio hotel? Oh yeah, I remember it/I remember it very well!

I understand that the above phrase is quite common among language students and I've had my own conversation students claiming they were never corrected on this.

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Anyway, we as native speakers would understand what you were saying, and we'd probably understand 'If I well remember' being an acceptable mistake, but, really, don't say 'good remember' because, for sure, a native speaker will tell you that's wrong.

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So hopefully you'll remember this well. 
 

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