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Ask for help > I regret having to tell you
I regret having to tell you
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Rosahi
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I regret having to tell you
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Hi everybody,
I have a doubt, can you say : � I regret having to tell you... � when you are referring to the present or is it used only when you �re referring to the past. I know the rules , but I saw this sentence on a teacher book making reference to the present.
Can you say : �I regret to have to tell you ... �? or �I regret having told you..... �. We (my teacher mates and me) are getting really confused with this. Could you help us. Thanks in advance!
Rosahi |
13 Jan 2010
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libertybelle
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If you have to tell someone some bad news, then you say
I regret having to tell you that your son has been in an accident,-
because even though you are referring to something that has
happened in the past, you are telling them now.
If you regret something you said in the past, you can say
I regret having told you because it upset you.
(by the way - you read or see things IN a book not on a book unless you
read it on the cover)
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13 Jan 2010
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GeorginaSZ
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Just to add, yes you can say "I regret to have to tell you..." when you are reporting some bad new for the first time. You can use it to report a variety of bad news.
For example
I regret to have to tell you that I broke your favourite cup.
I regret to have to tell you that you failed the exam.
I regret to have to tell you about the extra classes you will need to teach tomorrow.
Hope that helps! |
15 Jan 2010
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