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One is to take temporarily, the other is to give temporarily.
Side-by-side comparison
"Borrow" is done by the person who needs: you take something from someone temporarily with the intention of returning it.
Can I borrow your umbrella?
She borrowed $200 from her friend.
I need to borrow a pen for a second.
Can I borrow your charger for a while? My phone is about to die completely.
She borrowed a dress from her flatmate for the wedding, it fitted her perfectly.
"Lend" is done by the person who has: you give something to someone for temporary use. You are the source. "Can you lend me a pen?" = will you let me borrow a pen?
Can you lend me your notes?
The bank will lend you money at 5% interest.
She lent her jacket to her sister.
Could you lend me a pen? Mine just ran out of ink in the middle of the test.
She lent her umbrella to a colleague who got caught in the unexpected rain outside.
Common mistake
"Can you borrow me your car?" is the most frequent mistake: if you are receiving the item, use "borrow". If you are giving it, use "lend". Correct: "Can you lend me your car?" or "Can I borrow your car?"
Trick to remember it
- •Think about direction: "borrow" = the item comes TO you (you receive it).
- •"Lend" = the item goes FROM you (you give it).
Quick rule
- •"Borrow" = you receive the item (you will use it).
- •"Lend" = you give the item (it is yours and you loan it out).
Did you know?
In informal American English, "loan" is widely used as a verb: "Can you loan me five dollars?" In formal writing, "loan" is only a noun and "lend" is the correct verb. Both are accepted in everyday speech.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
Can I _____ your pen for a second? I need to sign this.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
Could you _____ me €10 until the weekend? I forgot my wallet.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Exercise 4 · Pick the right one
Could you _____ me your pen for a moment? I need to sign this.
Exercise 5 · Pick the right one
Can I _____ your umbrella? I forgot mine at home.
Exercise 6 · Form the word
Related word pairs
One moves something toward you, the other moves it away from you.
"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.
'Currently' means 'at the present time'; 'actually' means 'in reality', not 'nowadays'.
"Actually" corrects or contrasts an assumption; "really" intensifies or confirms.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy