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

Make vs. Do

Agreement rules

Incorrect Passive Voice Usage

Common confusions

May vs. Might

A bit of theory

The correct use of “anxious”

Agreement rules

Misplaced Modifiers

Agreement rules

Tag Questions (You’re French, aren’t you?)

Agreement rules

Word Order with Adverbs of Frequency (always, never, usually)

Conjugation