I would also like to know how you can tell just by personal experience. As one mentioned, just check under "About this Mac"
If you still feel unsure, you can tell what gen your MBP is just by looking at physical queues. For example, on the older ones (2.16, 2.33) the iSight camera is very close to the top edge of the screen bezel and the top and bottom sections of the bezel are very disproportional (the top is very wide compared to the bottom). In contrast on the new ones the iSight is more centered and the bezel width on top and bottom are much more evenly sized, though the top is still thicker.