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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Bought vs Brought

286 replies

Curiosity101 · 29/02/2020 22:43

AIBU to cringe every time someone uses 'brought' when they mean 'bought'?

"I went to the shop and brought a ^^"

I don't normally care about things like this. Never ever correct anyone (even in this case). But for some reason this one really makes me cringe.

Is brought rather than bought always wrong? Or AIBU and it's regional or something?

OP posts:
LellyMcKelly · 29/02/2020 22:44

Jeez

TheMustressMhor · 29/02/2020 22:47

YANBU - but "with regards to" is worse.

I am also outraged by "I'm going for a lay down."

WorraLiberty · 29/02/2020 22:48

I think some people just get confused between the two words, or perhaps they hear them differently.

I work with someone who actually says bought instead of brought (whereas I normally only see it written/typed). She's an intelligent woman with lots of knowledge about various things but I guess that's just how she speaks.

LaPoesieEstDansLaRue · 29/02/2020 22:49

I find it annoying too. Not a regional thing as far as I know. The only thing that annoys me more is people writing "loose" instead of "lose".

Samcro · 29/02/2020 22:49

I have always struggled with this, my dear dad had a saying the helped. But for the life of me I can't remember it

19lottie82 · 29/02/2020 22:49

This really makes my teeth itch........

Judashascomeintosomemoney · 29/02/2020 22:50

The one that gets me grrrrring is ect. No. No. NO. It’s etc. FFS.

AlCalavicci · 29/02/2020 22:50

It is something I notice but it doesnt bother me that much .
however mt DH always said he borrowed somebody xyz instead of loaned, lent or gave, that tended to grate a bit but I never said anything to him about it when anyone else was within earshot

Pentium85 · 29/02/2020 22:52

@Samcro

You BUY something, buy does not have the letter ‘r’ in so it’s ‘bought’ because bought also doesn’t have the letter r, if that makes sense?

Lose is when you lose something because lose is a smaller word than loose and smaller things are easier to lose, whereas loose is a bigger worse and bigger things are more loose

Totally random and makes no sense probably but it’s how I remember!

TinselTitsMcTree · 29/02/2020 22:52

Annoys me, but I assumed a regional thing. I don't understand why people get the two mixed up otherwise!

YouFellAsleeep · 29/02/2020 22:53

The one that really annoys me is “borrowed” instead of “loaned”. For example, “I borrowed my friend £10” instead of “I loaned my friend £10”.

TheGreatWave · 29/02/2020 22:53

It is something I have to consciously think about.

Samcro I remember it because of the letter R in bring and brought was the rhyme something to do with that?

Judashascomeintosomemoney · 29/02/2020 22:53

Sheesh, whilst I’m MNing, DH is watching a Pointless episode with, supposedly intelligent people on it, and someone just said ‘off my own back’. Bat, it’s bat. Arrrrrgggghhh.

june2007 · 29/02/2020 22:53

buy it..You bought it.
You bring it so you brought it?

ChelseaCat · 29/02/2020 22:54

Drives me nuts.

I also hate when people say ‘arksed’ Angry

JuanSheetIsPlenty · 29/02/2020 22:54

Does my head in too.

Original poster
Curiosity101 · 29/02/2020 22:54

but I never said anything to him about it when anyone else was within earshot

I get that. I'd never correct anyone on anything grammatical or otherwise. The way I figure - if I can understand what they meant then it doesn't really matter. And we all make mistakes.

But this one really gets me, and it's got to the point now where I hear it that regularly that I was starting to wonder if actually I was wrong, and perhaps it was the correct word depending on where you were from.

OP posts:
ChelseaCat · 29/02/2020 22:55

Also ‘gifted’ - they gifted her a...

JuanSheetIsPlenty · 29/02/2020 22:55

I also hate when people say ‘arksed’

Yep. And “Carnt”.

Sleepyquest · 29/02/2020 22:55

This annoys me so much! They mean different things aghhh

billy1966 · 29/02/2020 22:56

What makes my teeth itch is pronouncing ....."er"instead "a".....as

Emmer...instead of Emma..

Can't think of examples but it makes me itch for sure.

FlamingoAndJohn · 29/02/2020 22:56

I feel your pain, op.
One women I worked with didn’t realise they were two different words. She honestly though it was one word with regional variations in pronunciation.

YourStarlessEyes · 29/02/2020 22:56

Annoys me too!

user127819 · 29/02/2020 22:57

It does make me cringe a bit, though I'd never correct anyone on it. I see it a lot from people who otherwise have good spelling and grammar.

lottiegarbanzo · 29/02/2020 23:00

It's really strange, bring and buy are such different words and concepts.

I've only started hearing and seeing brought for bought in the last five years, so think it's a trend of some sort.

Likewise 'lay in' for 'lie in', lay down for lie down, is recent, at least as a widespread thing.

But then so is 'I was sat' instead of 'I was sitting', which used to be a localised dialect phrase and that's spread so far that newspapers and BBC presenters use it now.