Which one is more natural and commonly used?
A: I was sad to have lost a piano competition.

B:I was sad to lose in piano contest.

1, "to lose" or "to have lost"
2, "lose in -" or "lose -"
3, "a piano competition" or "piano contest"

These three are my main questions, please answer them.
Also, if exists, please point out any other mistakes.

Question

Which one is more natural and commonly used?
A: I was sad to have lost a piano competition.

B:I was sad to lose in piano contest.

1, "to lose" or "to have lost"
2, "lose in -" or "lose -"
3, "a piano competition" or "piano contest"

These three are my main questions, please answer them.
Also, if exists, please point out any other  mistakes.

Answer

You could also say "I was sad that I lost a piano competition" or "I was sad that I had lost a piano competition."  Both of those are less formal.
Between "to lose" and "to have lost," "to have lost" sounds a little more natural to me, but one or the other might sound more natural depending on the context.

Answer

Usually I would say "to lose" instead of "to lose in". Nina is also right in saying "competition" is more often used for music.

Answer

You can say, "I was sad to have lost in the piano competition" or "I was sad to lose the piano competition"
Competition is normally used in such music events.

Answers · 3

Still haven’t found your answers?

Don’t miss out on the opportunity to learn a language from the comfort of your own home. Browse our selection of experienced language tutors and enroll in your first lesson now!