Question 1

What is the difference between lend and borrow?

Accepted Answer

"Lend" and "borrow" describe the same situation from opposite sides. "Lend" means to give something to someone temporarily — you are the giver: "I lent my sister fifty pounds" (I gave her the money, and she will return it). "Borrow" means to take something from someone temporarily — you are the receiver: "My sister borrowed fifty pounds from me" (she took the money and will return it). Think of it as direction: "lend" sends something out (away from you), "borrow" brings something in (towards you). A helpful memory trick: "borrow" and "bring" both start with B — you borrow something and bring it to yourself.

Question 2

Why is "Can you borrow me your pen" wrong?

Accepted Answer

This sentence mixes two different patterns into one incorrect sentence. "Borrow" means to receive, so the sentence would mean "Can you receive me your pen?" which makes no sense. The correct versions are: "Can you lend me your pen?" (asking the giver to give temporarily) or "Can I borrow your pen?" (asking for permission to take temporarily). This error is extremely common among English learners because in many languages a single verb covers both giving and receiving temporarily. A good rule to remember: "you" + "lend" + "me" (you give to me) or "I" + "borrow" + "from you" (I take from you). If the subjects and directions do not match, the sentence is wrong.

Question 3

What are the past tense forms of lend and borrow?

Accepted Answer

"Lend" is an irregular verb: lend — lent — lent. "She lent me her car yesterday" and "I have lent him money before." "Borrow" is a regular verb: borrow — borrowed — borrowed. "I borrowed a book from the library last week" and "She has borrowed my jacket three times." A common spelling mistake is writing "lended" — this form does not exist in English. Another point to note: "lend" can take two objects without a preposition ("lend me the money") or one object with "to" ("lend the money to me"). "Borrow" always uses "from" when mentioning the source: "borrow money from a friend." These forms are tested in A2 and B1 grammar examinations.

Lend vs Borrow — Basic Practice

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