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Sun 20 Aug, 2017 01:58 am
Should I use the present perfect (has lost) or the past simple (lost) the sentence below?
I'm sorry to hear/learn that your father lost/has lost his job.
Also, is "to hear/learn" really needed in the above sentence? In other words, may I just say, "I'm sorry that your father has lost/lost his job"?
@paok1970,
British English would be more likely to use the present perfect, and American the simple past. "To hear/learn" is not really needed, but may be included by some speakers to avoid the effect of terseness.
@centrox,
centrox wrote:"To hear/learn" is not really needed, but may be included by some speakers to avoid the effect of terseness.
Often words that are "not really needed" are added in conversation. I would say that such variation from strict, terse forms are idiomatic. We embellish our conversations.
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