Hi,
Adam: Sorry to hear that you are/have been demoted.
What’s the difference in meaning between the two tenses?
Have been demoted = Some one took this action, and we don’t know who did this.
are demoted = This one tells the state (position )
Regards,
Suresh
No significant difference in that context.
have been demoted - the action has already taken place and you are now in a lower position. (it emphaises the action of demotion (the being) more than the other)
are demoted - the action has already taken place and you are now in a lower position.
Without the ‘sorry to hear’:
You are demoted could imply the person is doing that to you right now.