Commonly Confused Words

Borrow vs. Lend

1 min read

Borrow and lend describe the same action but from opposite directions. One is about receiving something; the other is about giving it.

Borrow

Borrow means to take something from someone with the intention of giving it back. The object comes to you.

Can I borrow your pen?
She borrowed my car for the afternoon.
We often borrow books from the library.

Lend

Lend means to give something to someone temporarily. The object goes from you to another person.

I can lend you some money until tomorrow.
He lent his jacket to his friend.
The bank lends money to customers.

💡 Tip

Borrow = the item comes to you.
Lend = the item goes from you.

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Commonly Confused Words

Borrow vs. Lend

1 min read

Borrow and lend describe the same action but from opposite directions. One is about receiving something; the other is about giving it.

Borrow

Borrow means to take something from someone with the intention of giving it back. The object comes to you.

Can I borrow your pen?
She borrowed my car for the afternoon.
We often borrow books from the library.

Lend

Lend means to give something to someone temporarily. The object goes from you to another person.

I can lend you some money until tomorrow.
He lent his jacket to his friend.
The bank lends money to customers.

💡 Tip

Borrow = the item comes to you.
Lend = the item goes from you.

Test your knowledge 📝

Question 1 sur 8Score: 0/8

Can I ___ your notes for the test?

Discover the app: Shaky English

Join 100,000 people who are improving their English skills on the Shaky English app

Other similar rules

Common confusions

Flair vs. Flare

Common confusions

Win vs. Earn vs. Gain

Conjugation

Gerund vs. Infinitive (e.g. enjoy doing vs. want to do)

Agreement rules

Double Negatives (e.g. I don’t know nothing)

Common confusions

Like vs. Such as

A bit of theory

False Friends (Actually, Eventually, Library, Sensible, Sympathetic)

A bit of theory

Bring vs. Take

Conjugation