Wednesday, 24 November 2010

to borrow -vs- to lend

"Neither a borrower nor a lender be" [William Shakespeare Hamlet]

To borrow та to lend (lent, lent) українською можна перекласти як позичати, але значать вони не одне й те саме.

To borrow — брати в борг, позичати в когось.
To lend — давати в борг, позичати комусь.

— May I borrow as much money as possible from you?
— Sorry, but I can't lend you as much money as you need.

Наступний діалог є ідентичним за змістом до попереднього, відрізняється хіба що емоційним забарвленням.

— Could you lend me as much money as possible?
— Sorry, but you can't borrow as much money as you need from me.

Idioms:

borrow trouble — to take an unnecessary action that will probably engender adverse effects.

living on borrowed time:
a. living an unexpected extension of life
b. close to death

lend a hand — to be of assistance.

lend itself to — to be suitable for or adapt easily to. Example: The play lends itself to performance by children.

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