Lend and Borrow

‘Lend’ means to give something to someone to be used for a period of time and then returned. ‘Borrow’ means to take and use something that belongs to someone else for a period of time and then return it. In some languages lend and borrow and the same word but borrow is used in the reflexive tense and lend in the active form.

Can I lend or can I borrow?

They have about the same meaning, but each word’s action goes in different directions. “Borrow” means to take something from another person, knowing you will give it back to them. “Lend” means to give something to another person expecting to get it back.

So the sentences you asked about are both correct.

• I can lend you my pen
• And I can borrow your phone

Essentially the person lending is the giver and the person borrowing it is the taker.

What is a loan?

A loan is money borrowed from a bank or financial institution. The borrower agrees to pay back the principal amount of the loan plus interest. There are several types of loans, including car loans, student loans, and home mortgages.

Past tense of lend

Lend is an irregular verb, and lent is the past tense of to lend. As verbs, loan and lend are often used interchangeably. For example, “A bank loans people money to buy a home. It also lends borrowers money to buy a car.”Loan and lend also have identical meanings when they’re used in the past tense

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