Borrow or lend? “Can I borrow your pen?”

The rule

Borrow means take something for a short time: Can I borrow your pen? Lend means give something for a short time: Can you lend me your pen? Past forms: borrow → borrowed, lend → lent.

Arabic uses two words from the same root (أعار and استعار), so learners mix them and say Can you borrow me your pen? In English they are two different verbs: the person who gives lends.

Examples

In a conversation

A: Can I borrow your calculator? I forgot mine.

B: Sure. I lent my other one to Karim yesterday.

A: Thanks! I'll give it back after the exam.

Practice

Choose the best answer. The answers are at the end of the lesson.

1. Could you ___ me your notes from yesterday?
   • a) borrow
   • b) lend
   • c) lent
2. Can I ___ your umbrella? It's raining.
   • a) borrow
   • b) lend
   • c) borrow me
3. Yasmine ___ me her laptop last week.
   • a) borrowed
   • b) lended
   • c) lent

Tip

Say borrow from: I borrowed a book from Nora. Say lend to: I lent my car to Omar, or I lent Omar my car.

Answers

1. b) lend. The other person gives, so lend.
2. a) borrow. You take it, so borrow.
3. c) lent. Yasmine gave it, and the past of lend is lent.

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