How to Tell the Difference Between Borrow and Lend

Co-authored by Jonathan DeYoe, CPWA®, AIF® and Danielle Blinka, MA, MPA

Last Updated: March 7, 2023 References Approved

The words “borrow” and “lend” can be super confusing, so it’s easy to mix them up. “Borrow” means you want to take something that belongs to someone else, while “lend” means that you're temporarily giving an item to someone.^{[1]
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Research source} While it might be tricky to tell these words apart at first, it will get easier with practice.

Things You Should Know

“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.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using "Borrow" to Take

1
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.^{[2]
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- For example, you’d say, “Can I borrow your pencil?” “Will you borrow the book from him?” or “I need to borrow $50.”
2
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.^{[3]
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- 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.
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3
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.^{[4]
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- 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.”
4
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.^{[5]
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- 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!

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Saying "Lend" to Give

1
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.^{[6]
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- 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!
2
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.^{[7]
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- Say, “Will you lend me your phone?” or “Can you lend me $5 for lunch?”
3
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.^{[8]
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- You’d say, “I lent him $5, “He lent me his jacket,” or “You lent him your book.”
4
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.^{[9]
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- 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?”

Expert Q&A

Question

What would be some common mistakes to avoid for someone that is lending money to a friend?

Jonathan DeYoe, CPWA®, AIF®
Financial Advisor
Jonathan DeYoe is a Financial Advisor and the CEO of Mindful Money, a comprehensive financial planning and retirement income planning service based in Berkeley, California. With over 25 years of financial advising experience, Jonathan is a speaker and the best-selling author of "Mindful Money: Simple Practices for Reaching Your Financial Goals and Increasing Your Happiness Dividend." Jonathan holds a BA in Philosophy and Religious Studies from Montana State University-Bozeman. He studied Financial Analysis at the CFA Institute and earned his Certified Private Wealth Advisor (CPWA®) designation from The Investments & Wealth Institute. He also earned his Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) credential from Fi360. Jonathan has been featured in the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Money Tips, Mindful Magazine, and Business Insider among others.

Jonathan DeYoe, CPWA®, AIF®

Financial Advisor

Expert Answer

So I think the fundamental thing, and I've got a couple friends, through the years, we've lend money to each other back and forth. I think the best recommendation I can make is go in with the best intention that everyone is going to pay everyone back, but don't be surprised if someone doesn't. It's really a gift, it's either a gift, or you really risk the friendship.
Question

Is "Will you borrow me a pencil?" correct?

Community Answer

The correct form would be lend because the person you are talking to is going to give you something. The sentence you would say is "Will you lend me a pencil?" or, you can also say, "Will you let me borrow a pencil?"
Question

I thought that borrow and lend are synonyms.

Blu

Community Answer

Actually, borrow and lend are sort of antonyms. Borrow means to take and use someone else's belongings with the intention of returning it. Lend means to allow someone else to borrow your belongings.