How To Tell The Difference Between Borrow And Lend 8 Steps

For example, you’d say, “Can I borrow your pencil?” “Will you borrow the book from him?” or “I need to borrow $50. ”

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.

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. ”

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!

You might say, “I’ll lend you my book” or “I can lend you $10. ”

Say, “Will you lend me your phone?” or “Can you lend me $5 for lunch?”

You’d say, “I lent him $5, “He lent me his jacket,” or “You lent him your book. ”

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?”