Difference Between Having Done Something and Doing Something – Tense Usage Explained

differencetense

Do these two sentences mean the same thing? If not, please elaborate.

  • Growing up in California, I experienced life that was different than most people in Mexico.

  • Having grown up in California, I experienced life different than most people in Mexico.

Best Answer

The two sentences do not mean the same thing. The two phrases in the first sentence are happening at the same time, while the two in the second sentence happen in sequence - one after the other.

(While) growing up in California, I experienced...

The life that was experienced during the time that I was growing up in California was different from that in Mexico.

Having grown up in California, I experienced...

Because I grew up in California, my experience of later life was different from people who had grown up in Mexico.

The first sentence is a comment about the way of life for a growing person in California vs one in Mexico. The second sentence is a comment about the effect on one's point of view of the world from growing up in California vs growing up in Mexico.

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