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'I hope you will feel reassured when you learn that your daughter is safe.'

Can I say ' I hope you will feel reassured when learning your daughter is safe'?

Thank you

kit2626
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    You would say "when learning that* your daughter...". This wins today's sinister question* badge btw. – Max Williams May 31 '16 at 16:11
  • First example is fine. For second example, I would say "... *on learning (that) your daughter is safe"* ("that" being optional). – TrevorD May 31 '16 at 16:42
  • @TrevorD can you explain why you use 'on' to me? Thank you. – kit2626 May 31 '16 at 16:49
  • @kit2626 To be honest, no, I can't really - it just seems the most natural British English form. I would think of it as a contraction of "on the event of learning ..." - it's an instantaneous event, whereas "when" would be used to refer to refer to a period of time in the past or future. But that's just my impromptu analysis: it would be interesting to hear others' thoughts. – TrevorD May 31 '16 at 16:57
  • The answer below from @DJClayworth suggests that "*when learning" refers to "an ongoing process". Perhaps that links in with the suggestion in my previous comment that "on learning*" refers to a single an instantaneous event, as opposed to an ongoing process. – TrevorD May 31 '16 at 17:07

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Both are correct, but they mean slightly different things.

I hope you will feel reassured when you learn that your daughter is safe.

'when you learn' refers to a single event, and implies that you will reassured after it. After you learn your daughter is safe you will continue to feel reassured.

I hope you will feel reassured when learning your daughter is safe.

This implies an ongoing process of learning that your daughter is safe, and hopes that you will feel reassured during it. It says nothing about what is hoped after the completion of the process.

From context you probably mean the first.

DJClayworth
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