The two words borrow and lend are as different as receive and give, but they often get mixed up.
If you’re confused about the difference between borrow vs lend, we’re about to explain what each word means and how to use them correctly in a sentence. We have included plenty of example sentences, along with some examples of incorrect usage, to make everything clearer to you.
Borrow vs lend: difference in meaning and usage
Definitions
Let’s begin by looking at the definitions of borrow and lend:
to borrow: to obtain or receive (something) for temporary use, without charge, on the condition that it will be returned
to lend: to give or allow the use of (something) temporarily, without charge, on the condition that it will be returned
To simplify this further, we can say that:
borrow = receive or take
lend = give
But, with the extra condition that the item in question (or something of equal value) will be returned.
In this way, you can see that the verbs borrow and lend relate to two sides of the same transaction. You should select the verb based on whether the subject is giving or receiving something.
Why do we specify ‘or something of equal value‘ here? In some cases, especially with money, it’s clear that the person will not receive back exactly the same thing that they lent you. If your friend lends you a $10 bill, you will probably return a different $10 bill to them, but it will still be worth the same.
In other situations, it would be clear that you will return exactly the same thing that you borrowed. For example, if you borrowed your friend’s phone to make a call, they wouldn’t be too happy if you gave back a different phone in return!
We also mentioned in these definitions of lend and borrow that there should be no charge, fee, or interest. If there is money involved, then it would be better described as renting, hiring or loaning. Explore more phrases about money to help with this.
Borrow vs lend example sentences
These pairs of sentences all show two sides of a conversation using the words lend and borrow:
- James, could I borrow your car this afternoon? Mine has broken down and I need to pick my wife up from the airport.
- Yes of course, I’d be happy to lend it to you.
- Does anyone want to borrow a pen? I have some extra ones here.
- I don’t need to borrow one thanks, I already have my own.
- Would you mind lending Sara a raincoat?
- I’m sorry, but I don’t have one to lend her.
- Natasha asked us to lend her $2,000 to pay for her tuition fees.
- I’m not sure she’ll pay back any money that she borrows.
Sentence structures
Now, let’s take a closer look at how to use borrow or lend in a sentence, with the correct prepositions, subjects and objects.
You BORROW something FROM someone
Borrowing (similar to receiving or taking) is an act that you do FROM someone, to obtain or receive something.
See also: Obtain vs attain
In grammatical terms, we can describe this as:
BORROW + DIRECT OBJECT + FROM + LENDER
Here are some examples:
- I borrowed a ruler from Stacey.
- Could Samuel borrow a pair of headphones from the office?
- Raphael borrowed $500 from his parents to pay off his bank loan.
However, you don’t always have to use ‘from someone’ if this part is not important or is already clear from the context. For example, it may be clear that you are requesting to borrow something from the person to whom you are speaking.
- Please could I borrow a pencil? Mine has just broken.
- Why don’t you borrow a library book to help with your project?
- You’d better not borrow a company laptop without asking.
- I had to borrow $8,000 to buy my new car.
You also may use a possessive adjective or noun to indicate from whom the item is being borrowed:
- Justin asked to borrow your phone for a moment.
- I borrowed Yuliana’s jacket.
- Would anyone like to borrow my scissors?
Our articles about the difference between their, there and they’re and your vs you’re might help with forming these kinds of sentences.
You LEND something TO someone
Lending (similar to giving) is an act that you do TO someone.
We can describe this in grammatical terms as:
LEND + DIRECT OBJECT (BORROWER) + TO + INDIRECT OBJECT (BORROWER)
- I lent $30 to Jay.
- Could you lend a towel to Eliza? She got caught in the rain.
- I’ve lent my dress to Leah for the party tonight.
- My dad is thinking about lending his car to my brother.
The only time you would drop ‘to someone’ is when making a general statement such as:
- Libraries lend books for free.
- Banks lend money at high interest rates.
However, we also have the option of inverting the two objects to follow this grammatical structure:
LEND + INDIRECT OBJECT (BORROWER) + DIRECT OBJECT
Note how the preposition ‘to’ disappears in this structure. Here is how the sentences above could be rearranged:
- I lent Jay $30.
- Could you lend Eliza a towel? She got caught in the rain.
- I’ve lent Leah my dress for the party tonight.
- My dad is thinking about lending my brother his car.
Incorrect usage of lend vs borrow
When these verbs are mixed up, we end up with ‘borrow’ being used for an act of giving and ‘lend’ being used for an act of receiving, which is incorrect.
The following are all INCORRECT examples of borrow and lend:
- Can I lend your new game for a few days?
- I need to lend $50 from someone.
- Could you borrow me your pen, please?
Another incorrect use of borrow and lend comes from forgetting that the item in question should be returned. If the item will be consumed or used in some other way that means it cannot (or should not) be returned, try using have, take, use or give instead.
- Please could I borrow some toilet paper? (Are you going to return it after you have used it?)
- Those cupcakes look delicious! May I borrow one? (You can’t borrow something you intend to eat!)
- Could you lend Abby some water? She looks parched.
Borrow vs lend: Summary
Remember these key points about when to use borrow vs lend:
- Borrowing is receiving or taking something temporarily, with permission
- Lending is giving or allowing use of something temporarily
- The correct verb choice depends on whether the person in question (the subject of the sentence) is receiving or giving something
- You BORROW FROM and LEND TO
- Both actions are done on the understanding that the item, or something equivalent, will be returned
We hope this has helped you understand the difference between borrow and lend, so you will be more confident next time you need to use these verbs.
Next, you may want to check the difference between infer and imply, as these two words also make up opposing sides of the same action.
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