To be leaving.

Question

I was genuinely sorry to be leaving college.I was genuinely sorry to have left college.I was genuinely sorry to leave college.Could you tell me the differences between them?

Sam1947 · Accepted Answer

1. I was genuinely sorry to be leaving college.

2. I was genuinely sorry to have left college.

3. I was genuinely sorry to leave college.

1. You are describing what you were feeling at the time you left college--while the leaving was still happening.

2. Describes how you felt after you had already left.

3. You are describing feelings you had in the past at the time that you left college. This time frame is very closely aligned with that of no. 1, but would also include the time just before you left as well as the time of leaving.

It's a little bit difficult to explain. One just has a sense of these time frames if one is a native speaker. I'm discerning from the repeated questions we get on this forum about these tenses that it is a bit tricky for those who are learning the language, and that is easy to understand when I realize how hard it is to explain!

To be leaving.

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