nacido y criado
/naθido i kɾjado/from spelling rules
The English phrase "born and raised" is translated into Spanish as nacido y criado.
This phrase is used to indicate that a person was born and grew up in a specific location.
What does it mean word for word?
The expression is a literal combination of the past participles for "born" (nacido) and "raised/reared" (criado).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, people might use Soy de pura cepa de to mean "I am a true native of" instead of using forms like Soy nativo(a) de.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase must agree in gender and number with the person or people being described. Use the feminine form nacida y criada if the subject is female. Use the masculine plural form nacidos y criados when referring to a group of people that includes at least one male.
How do you pronounce it?
/naθido i kɾjado/
Did you know?
- The word criado in nacido y criado is also the common Spanish word for 'servant'. This is because domestic servants were historically 'raised' or brought up within the homes where they worked.
- The expression de pura cepa is a vivid alternative to nacido y criado that uses the 'strain' or 'stock' of a grapevine to describe a person's roots.
- The word criar in nacido y criado comes from the same Latin root as the English word 'creature'. This reflects the historical idea of 'raising' or 'bringing forth' a living being.
Examples in context
- Soy de toda la vida de BarcelonaI am born and raised in Barcelona
- Nací y crecí en LimaI was born and grew up in Lima
- Soy de pura cepa de GuadalajaraI am a true native of Guadalajara
- Soy oriundo(a) de Buenos AiresI come from Buenos Aires
- Soy nacido y criado en Madrid.I was born and raised in Madrid.
Example conversation
Alejandro and Elena are talking about their hometowns.
- Alejandro¿Eres de esta ciudad, Elena?Are you from this city, Elena?
- ElenaSí, soy nacida y criada aquí.Yes, I was born and raised here.
- Alejandro¡Qué bien! Yo soy de México.That's great! I am from Mexico.
- ElenaEntonces eres nacido y criado allá.So you were born and raised there.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries criado, y, CC BY-SA 4.0.
