Sentence Meaning – Interpretation of ‘I’m Harder to Forget than I Was to Leave’

comparative-constructionsgrammaticalitysentence-meaning

In Taylor Swift's I bet you think about me, a lyrical line says

I'm harder to forget than I was to leave.

I've been thinking about the meaning for a while and come up with the following explanation:

It means both "forgetting me" and "leaving me" are hard but the former is even harder. The usage of present tense in "I'm harder to forget" is to express this is ever-present.

Does it make sense? Also, do native speakers use this structure to describe things like that usually? I barely see similar structure in other contexts though, so I am not even sure it is grammatically correct. Any comment and help will be absolutely appreciated!!

Best Answer

Comparison using two different verb tenses:

Let's put this in the third person and the second clause in the past tense, because it is easier to "see/hear":

  • She is harder to forget than she was to leave. Meaning: It is harder to forget her (now) than it was to leave her (then).

Another example:

  • They are harder to play with than they were to fight with. Meaning: It is harder to play with them (now) than it was to fight with (them then).

Now, back to Taylor Swift:

I'm harder to forget than I was to leave.

The comparison can be tricky as it mixes two verb tenses, which is fine but can sound off when it isn't.

Meaning: I'm harder to forget [now] than I was to leave [then].

Mixing verb tenses in a comparison of actions like this is fine, if it works.

Other examples with other tenses:

  • It's been easier jogging in the morning than it was playing tennis in the evening.
  • They'll be easier to deal with now than they were last week.
Related Topic