How to Use Borrow and Lend Correctly (with Examples)

• “Borrow” means that you want to temporarily take something or you're letting someone take something that belongs to you; “borrowed” is the past tense.
• “Lend” means you’re giving something to someone or asking someone to give you an item you need; “lent” is the past tense.
• Substitute “take” to check if “borrow” is the right word, and “give” to check if “lend” is the right word.

Using "Borrow" to Take

Ask to borrow when you want permission to take something. When someone has something that you need, ask to borrow that item. This tells them that you need to use the item temporarily and plan to give it back. For example, you’d say, “Can I borrow your pencil?” “Will you borrow the book from him?” or “I need to borrow $50.”

Let someone borrow something that belongs to you. Just like you can borrow from others, people can borrow from you. If you have an item that someone else wants, they’ll ask if they can borrow it. Tell them if they can or can’t take the item. As an example, your friend might say, “I’m cold. Can I borrow your jacket?” You might respond, “Yes, you can borrow my jacket.” In this case, they are taking your jacket, so "borrow" is the correct word.

Say “borrowed” when the action occurred in the past. The past tense form of “borrow” is “borrowed.” Use “borrowed” if you got permission to take something in the past. You might say, “Yesterday I borrowed a pencil from Amy,” “I need to pay you back the money I borrowed,” or “You borrowed my jacket, and I need it back.”

Substitute “take” to check if “borrow” is the correct word. This is an easy trick to figure out if “borrow” is the right word to use. Write or say your sentence using the word “take” instead of “borrow.” If it makes sense, “borrow” is the correct word. As an example, let's say you wanted to use your friend's sweater. You could say, “Can I take your sweater?” This sounds correct, so you'd say, “Can I borrow your sweater?” If “take” doesn’t work, you’ll know to use “lend” in your sentence. For instance, “Will you take me $5 for lunch?” is confusing. However, “Will you lend me $5 for lunch?” makes sense!

Saying "Lend" to Give

Say lend when you’re giving something to someone else. If you have something that someone wants to use with your permission, lend it to them. In this case, you’re the giver and not the receiver. You might say, “I’ll lend you my book” or “I can lend you $10.”Tip: The word “lend” is usually followed by a pronoun, such as me, you, her, him, or us. Looking for a pronoun after the word can help you figure out if “lend” is the right word!

Ask someone to lend you an item that you need. Remember that lending something means to give it. If you want someone to temporarily give you something, ask them to lend it to you. Make sure the other person is the subject of your sentence, since they’re doing the action. Say, “Will you lend me your phone?” or “Can you lend me $5 for lunch?”

Use “lent” when the action occurred in the past. The past tense of “lend” is “lent.” Say “lent” if you gave something to someone in the past or if someone gave you something in the past. You’d say, “I lent him $5, “He lent me his jacket,” or “You lent him your book.”

Substitute “give” to make sure “lend” is the right word. When you lend something, you temporarily give it to someone else. This means that you can easily check if “lend” is the right word by substituting “give” in your sentence. Write or say your sentence using the word “give” to make sure it sounds right. For example, you might say “I’ll give you my book” to make sure it’s correct to say “I’ll lend you my book.” If “give” doesn’t make sense, you’ll know to change the word to “borrow.” For instance, “Can I give your pencil?” doesn’t work, so you’d change it to “Can I borrow your pencil?”