Confusing
Words:
Lend and Borrow
The very common verbs lend
and borrow
are confusing
for many learners of English. One reason this happens
is
because lend
and borrow
have the same basic
meaning,
but are used
for different "directions" in
English.
If B needs
___ and
A gives it to B for
a
limited time
(expecting that B
will return
it), A lends ___ to B (or
A lends B
___ ) and
B
borrows
___ from
A.
Examples:
Anne lent
$150
to Bill. Anne lent Bill
$150.
Bill borrowed $150
from Anne.
Aaron often lends
his car to Brenda. /
Aaron
often lends
Brenda his car.
Brenda often borrows
Aaron's car.
B: May I borrow your
typewriter?
A: Of course. I'll be happy to lend
it to you. /
(Of course.
I'll be happy to lend you my
typewriter.)
_____________________________________________
Remember:
Lend shows that something is (temporarily)
given to
another person. Borrow shows that
something is
(temporarily) taken
from
another
person.
lend
----> someone
someone ----> borrow
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wrong:
right:
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*I borrowed $10 to Jeff
I lent $10
to Jeff.
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wrong:
right:
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*I lent $10 from Jeff.
I borrowed
$10 from Jeff.
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Special Notes
| 1. |
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Both lend
and
borrow are "one time" verbs:
they can be used in simple tenses,
but not
perfect tenses (when the perfect tense has
a time phrase
with
since to show that an
action continued).
Both
lend and borrow
can be used in perfect tenses without time
phrases, however:
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wrong:
right:
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*I've lent him the money
since last Tuesday.
I've lent him the money
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wrong:
right:
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*I've borrowed Bill's car
since this morning.
I've borrowed Bill's car.
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| 2. |
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Lend and borrow
can be used with for;
for shows when the borrowed item is
expected to be returned:
I've
lent
Bill $100
for two weeks.
(I expect
Bill to return the $100 after
two
weeks.)
I've borrowed
Bill's car for a few hours.
(Bill expects
me to
return his car after
a few hours.)
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| 3. |
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Have is also commonly used in
situations
involving lend and
borrow:
I lent Bill
some money a week ago.
Bill borrowed some
money
a week ago.
I've
lent
Bill some money.
Bill's borrowed some
money from me.
Bill's had the money
for
a week.
I borrowed
Bill's car
this morning.
Bill lent me his
car
this morning.
I've borrowed
Bill's car.
Bill's lent me his
car.
I've had Bill's car
since this morning.
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