sentences

[puzzle]

--"you lost my car?"
" I am sorry."
" I was sorry."

I. which answer is right? Pls.
II. if "was" is wrong, when should I say " I was sorry". Pls.

[Barb_D]

When you apologize, you say "I am sorry." You are still in a state of being sorry about it. (Although losing a car is a rather serious offense!)

I was sorry - use this to describe a situation in the past. I was sorry when I heard (last month) that Mary was no longer with the company

[puzzle]

Dear Barb,

U mean that when people say" I was sorry" to sb, it mean people don't feel sorry now, right?

[Barb_D]

You may still be sorry about it now, but you are describing how you felt when did it/heard about it, which was in the past.

I may still be sorry that Mary has left the company, but I am describing how I felt last month when I first learned of it. Or, my sorry may have faded over time.