"on mind" vs. "in mind"

[Tamara]

on her mind

to keep / bear / have / remember / put in mind

to be in own mind

imprinted on my mind
…

Could anybody give a general guide on using in and on with mind?

Tamara
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It’s impossible to learn swimming without entering the water…

[Yankee]

Hi Tamara

I'm not sure there is really any general rule. It's usually best to treat fixed expressions such as these as a whole and then learn them the same way you'd learn any vocabulary.

But if you look at your list, you might be able to come up with your own sort of informal "rule".

For example, the word imprint suggests something printed on the surface of something else, and the preposition "on" fits that idea nicely.

If something is "on your mind", that indicates that it is "at the top of your list of things you're currently thinking about". Therefore, you could think of the "location" of this thought as being on the "surface". Again, the prepostion on fits well.

But, I've got a question for you: Where did you get "remember in mind" and "be in own mind" from? They don't sound right to me. Have you possibly omitted words? Have you heard them used in conversation?

Amy

[Tamara]

Hi Amy

[Yankee]

Hi Tamara

Let me tell you a little secret. I've created quite a number of my own little "rules" to help me with German. In many (most? ) cases, nobody understands them except yours truly (me) . But they work and that's great! They're little memory "assistants" that are meaningful mainly to me.

I've been able to send many of my little "assistants" into retirement now, but there are a few hanging around that I'll probably rely on forever.

Try out your memory helpers. Test them. If they seem to be helping, that's wonderful, isn't it?

Thanks for the clarification of those two expressions. Glad that's cleared up.

Amy

[Tamara]

Thank you Amy, indeed, for your constant, accurate and reliable support.

Thanks a billion

Tamara
_________________
It’s impossible to learn swimming without entering the water…