Can and could: ability, permission and requests
Use can and could to describe skills, ask permission, request help and suggest a plan. Practice the forms and choose meanings from everyday situations.
Borrow or lend: who gives and who receives?
Choose borrow or lend, use from and to, and ask to use something that you will return.
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Learn
Read the examples, then check each idea as you go.
Use borrow when you receive something for a time. Use lend when you give it to someone for a time. First decide who has the item and who needs it.
Follow the item
Imagine Mina has a charger and Leo needs it for the afternoon. Leo borrows the charger; Mina lends it. The same event has two descriptions because the subjects do different things.
Leo borrows Mina's charger.
Mina lends Leo her charger.
Name the owner with from
Use borrow + thing + from + person or place. From names the source. A library can be the source, just as a friend can.
I borrowed a travel guide from the library.
Can we borrow some chairs from your office?
Give with lend
Lend can have two patterns: lend someone something, or lend something to someone. If the thing is it, the second pattern is usually the clearer choice: lend it to someone.
I'll lend you my camera.
I'll lend it to you until Sunday.
Talk about yesterday
Borrow is regular: borrow, borrowed, borrowed. Lend is irregular: lend, lent, lent. Keep the giving or receiving meaning when you move into the past.
I borrowed a jacket because the evening was cold.
Nora lent me a jacket, and I returned it on Monday.
Make the request clear
Can I borrow and could I borrow both ask for permission. Could often makes the request sound more polite. Could you lend asks the owner to give the item temporarily. Add a time limit when that would help the owner decide.
Could I borrow your umbrella until this evening?
Could you lend me your umbrella until this evening?
Explain what happens next
Borrowing and lending normally include an expectation that the item will be returned. Return it and give it back describe that later action. For money, use pay it back.
You can borrow the book, but please give it back by Friday.
I borrowed twenty dollars and paid it back the next day.
Borrow, buy or rent?
Buying makes something yours. Renting means paying to use something for an agreed time. Borrowing a friend's ordinary item does not normally involve a rental payment. Banks can charge for borrowing money, so the money meaning is different from a free favor.
We rented a van for the weekend.
I bought a lamp for my desk.
Name the people involved
The borrower receives the item or money. The lender provides it. These nouns are especially useful when discussing library rules or money. Use the actual person's name in a simple request when that is clearer.
The borrower must return the book by June 12.
The lender agreed to a later repayment date.
Practice
Try the questions in order. Use a hint when you need one, then read the explanation after checking.
Use it in your own words
Write a message asking a friend to let you use an item. Say what you need, why you need it, and when you will return it. Use borrow or lend.
Write in English, then compare your writing with the checklist. This activity uses self-review, so it does not give a score.
Check your writing
Read an example response
Hi Noor, could I borrow your small suitcase for my trip on Friday? Mine is too large. I'll give it back on Monday evening.
Test
Answer without hints. Your result shows which questions to review; you can change your answers and try again.
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