The title compound, C(10)H(13)NO, was obtained as the unexpected, almost exclusive, product in the attempted synthesis of a manganese(I)-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complex. The dihedral angle between the planes of the formamide moiety and the aryl ring is 68.06 (10)°. In the crystal, mol-ecules are linked by N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming infinite chains along the c axis.