Course: How to... Speak English / Unit 1 / Session 26 / Activity 1

A couple of months ago, unfortunately I'd locked myself out of my flat.I'd just popped downstairs, wearing my slippers, to put the rubbish out, and the door banged shut behind me and I was left outside. But I'd left my upstairs window open.So I went and asked my next-door neighbour to see if he had a ladder that I could borrow, to see if I could reach this window. And he offered to lend me his.So I borrowed it and I said I'd get it back to him as soon as I was in, but he said not worry and to keep it until the next morning because his young children were already asleep in bed and he didn't want me to come back and ring the doorbell again.CallumThat was Elena telling us about a time when she had to borrow something. What was it? It was a ladder. Why did she need to borrow a ladder? Because she had locked herself out of her flat.When talking about borrowing, there's a related verb we also need to think about: to lend.Listen to Elena again and compare the way these two verbs are used.ElenaHe offered to lend me his. So I borrowed it.

Elena needed to borrow a ladder. She borrowed one from her neighbour. Her neighbour lent her a ladder.To borrow is to take something; to lend is to give something. You borrow something from someone and someone lends something to you.You can use both these verbs when asking to borrow something but the structure for each is a little different.First let's look at to borrow. This is generally the most polite way to ask. You'll notice also in a number of these examples, the speakers give a reason why they need to borrow something and also how long they want to borrow it for.EXAMPLES Can I borrow your pen for a moment, please? I've forgotten my purse; could I borrow some money until tomorrow? Could I borrow your bike? I need to nip to the shops at lunchtime. Have you got a pair of scissors I could borrow for a second?

Let's listen to these examples again. Pay attention to the tone of voice and intonation. When you want to borrow something you are asking someone to do you a favour, so it's a good idea to sound friendly and polite.

EXAMPLES Can I borrow your pen for a moment, please? I've forgotten my purse; could I borrow some money until tomorrow? Could I borrow your bike? I need to nip to the shops at lunchtime. Have you got a pair of scissors I could borrow for a second?CallumToday we're looking at the language of borrowing. We've seen how we can use the verb to borrow to ask for something. Now let's look at another way, using the verb to lend.

EXAMPLES Could you lend me your pen for a moment, please? I've forgotten my purse; could you lend me some money until tomorrow? Could you lend me your bike? I need to nip to the shops at lunchtime. Have you got a pair of scissors you could lend me for a second?

Listen again.

EXAMPLES Could you lend me your pen for a moment, please? I've forgotten my purse; could you lend me some money until tomorrow? Could you lend me your bike? I need to nip to the shops at lunchtime. Have you got a pair of scissors you could lend me for a second?

Both of these ways of asking - using lend or borrow - are fine.Now before we go, there's one more piece of language to talk about. When you borrow something it's only temporary - you plan to return it - so it's often a good idea when asking to say how long you need something for. In the examples above we heard some of ways of doing that.

EXAMPLESFor a momentCould you lend me your pen for a moment, please?Until tomorrowCould I borrow some money until tomorrow?For a secondHave you got a pair of scissors I could borrow for a second?CallumAs well as saying how long you might need something for, there's also a useful phrasal verb you can use to say when you will return something. Listen to this passage from Elena's story again. What phrasal verb does she use to talk about when she will return the ladder?

EXAMPLEElenaSo I borrowed it and I said I'd get it back to him as soon as I was in.