"I kind of had that experience of being an international student" vs "I kind of had had that experience of being an international student"

Question

"I kind of had that experience of being an international student" vs "I kind of had had that experience of being an international student"

Both phrases are correct, but they differ in emphasis. The first phrase emphasizes the repetition of the experience, while the second one simply states the experience without emphasizing the repetition. The choice between them depends on whether the speaker wants to highlight the fact that they had the experience more than once.

Last Updated: March 24, 2024

This phrase is used when the speaker wants to mention that they had the experience of being an international student without emphasizing that it happened more than once.

Examples:

I kind of had that experience of being an international student when I studied abroad.
He kind of had that experience of being an international student during his exchange program.

Alternatives:

I kind of had had that experience of being an international student
I kind of experienced being an international student
I had the experience of being an international student
I kind of went through the experience of being an international student
I had that experience of being an international student

This phrase is used when the speaker wants to emphasize that they had the experience more than once. The double 'had' indicates the repetition of the experience.

Examples:

I kind of had had that experience of being an international student before I transferred to a different university.
She kind of had had that experience of living abroad when she was younger.

Alternatives:

I kind of had that experience of being an international student
I had that experience of being an international student
I kind of experienced being an international student
I had the experience of being an international student
I kind of went through the experience of being an international student

Answer 1

I kind of had that experience of being an international student

This phrase is correct and simply states the experience without emphasizing the repetition.

Answer 2

I kind of had had that experience of being an international student

This phrase is correct and emphasizes the repetition of the experience.

"I kind of had that experience of being an international student" vs "I kind of had had that experience of being an international student"

I kind of had that experience of being an international student

I kind of had had that experience of being an international student

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