I was brought up vs I have been brought up

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'I was brought up' is used to talk about the past, while 'I have been brought up' is used to talk about the present result of the action of being brought up. They are not directly comparable as they refer to different time frames.

Last updated: April 06, 2024 • 938 views

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to talk about someone's upbringing in the past.

"I was brought up"

This phrase is used to talk about how someone was raised or educated in the past. It refers to the action of being brought up in the past.

Examples:

I was brought up in a small town.
She was brought up by her grandparents.
He was brought up in a strict household.

Show examples from the web [+]

I was brought up... speaking both Czech and German.
I was brought up on Guinness.
I was brought up on goat's milk.
I was brought up in a tribe full of women.
That's because I was brought up by women.
I was brought up to be polite to strangers.
So, I was brought up in a workhouse.
So, I was brought up in a workhouse.
So I was brought up in a workhouse.
It's not the way I was brought up.
Paul: I was brought up 25 miles from London.
That's where I was brought up, kids.
I was brought up by you and Commander Kondo.
I was brought up in an Iberian civilization where honour is still respected.
I was brought up in a house called Angelfield.
I was brought up in an orphanage near Cherbourg - it was destroyed on D-day.
I was brought up to believe all vampires are evil,
I was brought up on army life, so when I give an order, I expect to get it obeyed.
I apologize for my frankness, but I was brought up to speak the truth.
I know of poor single parents in Ely in Cardiff, where I was brought up, who do not have a car.

Alternatives:

I grew up
I was raised
I was nurtured
I was reared
I was educated

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English to talk about the present result of someone's upbringing.

"I have been brought up"

This phrase is used to talk about the present state or result of how someone was raised or educated. It refers to the action of being brought up and the impact it has on the present.

Examples:

I have been brought up to always be polite.
She has been brought up with strong family values.
He has been brought up to value hard work.

Show examples from the web [+]

I have been brought up
I don't know why I have been brought here.
I have been brought back from my holiday in California to sort it out.
For those of you who do not know why you are here: I have been brought to Denmark to clean up after the war.
I have been brought to see how I am -in however distant a way- partly responsible for your... predicament.
My sister and I have been brought up to believe in the importance of sincerity.
BUT, in each case I have never been brought to the point of a satisfactory design with these units.
I understand you have been brought here once before.
I understand you have been brought here once before.
Why have I been brought here a prisoner?
Why have I been brought here in this manner?
Gaius, why have I been brought here?
Why have I been brought to this dreadful place?
The British courts themselves are their only chance of success; in fact I believe actions have already been brought before those courts.
As do I. Why have I been brought out of stasis?
I often think how fortunate I was... to have been brought up in an environment... where music was always present.
I understand charges have also been brought under Section 295-C which is an anti-blasphemy clause.
Doc, don't you think I should have been brought in on this?
I still haven't been brought the ice-cream...
And why have I been brought all the way out to this place?
I see how boys have been brought up, and I see this across the planet: to be tough, to be hardened, to distance themselves from their tenderness, to not cry.

Alternatives:

I have grown up
I have been raised
I have been nurtured
I have been reared
I have been educated

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I was brought up vs I have been brought up

"I was brought up"

"I have been brought up"

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