Why You Misuse ‘Borrow’ and ‘Lend’ (And How to Fix It)

One of the most commonly misused verbs in English is ‘borrow’, both in verbal and written communication. Interestingly, the difference between them is quite simple, and it is high time we discussed them with relatable examples from the dictionaries as usual. I have listened to many speakers of the English language who claim that understanding the verbs was quite challenging for them, particularly because they had been using ‘borrow’ for a long time, while ‘lend’ sounds so unusual to them.

Today’s lesson was inspired by one of the students who was also overly concerned about their accurate usage. I thoroughly explained the distinction and ensured that he gained clarity to avoid errors in his expressions. I felt fulfilled to know that he perfectly understood the topic after our informal interactive class.

According to the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary, “borrow” is both a transitive and intransitive verb that means ‘to take and use something that belongs to somebody else, and return it to them at a later time”.

The following examples are extracted from the reference:

Borrow something:

Can I borrow your umbrella?
How much did you have to borrow to pay for this?

Borrow something from somebody/something:

Members can borrow up to ten books from the library at any one time.
She borrowed $2,000 from her parents.
The company had borrowed heavily from state-owned banks.

Borrow something off somebody (British English, informal):

I borrowed the tools I needed off my brother.
I had to borrow the money off a friend.

‘Lend’, which is a transitive verb, means “to give something to somebody or allow them to use something that belongs to you, which they have to return to you later”. Regarding a bank or financial institution, it means “to give money to somebody on condition that they pay it back over a period of time and pay interest on it”.

Lend something:

They will lend you equipment free of charge.
The bank lends money at very cheap rates.

Lend something to somebody:

I’ve lent the car to a friend.
They refused to lend us money.

Lend out something:

The gallery has been willing to lend out works of art in the past.

Lend out something to somebody:

The charity lends out laptops to support learning at home.
Banks are less willing to lend in these uncertain times.
There are a large number of financial providers lending to businesses across the country.

Lend somebody something:

Can you lend me $10?
Can you lend me your car this evening?
Has he returned the book you lent him?
She very kindly lent me her bicycle.
The bank refused to lend the money to us.

For better understanding, your friend ‘borrows’ money from you, but you ‘lent’ it to her. This means that the verbs cannot be used interchangeably.

More examples:

Sam, can I borrow your friend? (borrow)
I lent my best friend my second phone. (lend)

Femi and Bisola borrowed a car from the automobile company for their wedding in July.
Segun asked, “Will you lend me your shoes for the graduation ceremony?”

“Every day” and “Everyday”

A popular multinational telecommunication company in Nigeria sent a message that reads “Subscribe to …. everyday”. I was taken aback because such an error should have been spotted by their editorial committee (if they have) because the information they post online can also be educative to learners of the English language. First off, the above phrases/words do not have the same meaning. Therefore, using them together is grammatically wrong, and I hope no reader of this weekly column will use them wrongly, especially after today’s class.

The example sentences are drawn from the Cambridge Dictionary:

Everyday is an adjective. It is used to mean ‘ordinary’ or ‘typical’. We use it for the description of what is seen or used every day.

The everyday lives of ordinary Russian citizens.
Death was an everyday occurrence during the Civil War.
The movie is about the everyday lives of working mothers.

Every day, on the other hand, means “each day”.

Study the following sentences:

We go to school every day.
They discuss the benefits of eating good food in the nutrition class every day.

ASSIGNMENT

Choose the correct answers to each of the following questions:

1. _______ crime is common in the world. (a) Every day (b) Everyday (c) Daily day
2. Does Chioma ______ money from her friend when she is broke? (a) borrow (b) lend (c) lent
3. _________ simply means each day. (a) Every day (b) Everyday (c) Every hour

______________________

Samuel Tolulope Alimi is the founder and lead scholar at English TV, an online platform dedicated to teaching the English language on various social media platforms. He earned a BA (Ed) from the prestigious Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ogun State, where he majored in English and Education.

As a Grammar Columnist at Peoples Daily newspaper, one of the foremost and trusted national newspapers, he writes about Nigerian English on Page 23 of every Saturday's publication, with his column titled "Common Errors in English with Samuel Alimi." His writings have attracted considerable readership across several states, with over 30 detailed articles published.

Samuel is a goal-oriented ambassador of Scholarship IQ, promoting its mission to build the world's largest African student directory in two local governments in Nasarawa State, Nigeria. He has also gained hands-on experience in ghostwriting autobiographies, community service, and research through his internship at SO41 Educational Consultancy, Ogun State.

LinkedIn: Samuel Tolulope Alimi
samueltolulopealimi@gmail.com