It's me again, asking some specific questions nobody except me really cares about. But I want to ask it or I will forget it.
Do they still say "it's a pity" in the UK or the USA? Please tell me where you've heard it (what country, what city) if you can. Or is it more modern way to say "too bad" instead of "it's a pity"?
Would you understand it, if somebody said "it's a pity" to you? Does is sound strange or old fashioned? Or both? :)
As someone in America, "its a pity" would sound pretty fake, and "british like" (<em>if</em> they british do say that, that is).
Too bad may seem a bit harsh but it really just depends on your tone of voice.
I usually just say "awww" or "ohh, im sorry" (although its weird, we say sorry).
As an American who has lived in Britain, in both places both those phrases sound completely normal. :)
<em>It's a pity</em> and <em>that's a pity</em> are both fine. It doesn't sound odd or old at all.
"That's a pity" or "It's a pitty" sounds fine. A lot of Americans would act like you were speaking too proper though. I hate that. My mom always uses a mixture of British and American words and phrases, so I'm used to it.
In fact if I said 'too bad' I'd probably add a shrug at the same time (too bad, so what), but with pity, the body language would be a sigh.
