#320: What’s the Difference? Lend vs Borrow | Remember vs Remind | Bring vs Take

Imagine you’re taking a road trip, and you turn onto a road with a one-way sign. This means you and other drivers can only drive in one direction. You cannot drive in the opposite direction.

Some English verbs are just like that. They describe a similar action but from different perspectives, almost like viewing the action through different lenses. The direction of the action depends on who is performing it and who is receiving it. 

For simplicity, I like to call them One-Way Verbs. These one-way verbs are not interchangeable because the perspective matters.

For example: 

• You can lend a book to a friend, but you can’t lend a book to yourself.

Understanding these perspectives is crucial because it helps you use the correct verb depending on whether you’re the giver or the receiver, the sender or the recipient, the buyer or the seller.

For example, have you ever heard someone say:

• “I learned her how to…” instead of “I taught her how to…”?
• “I borrowed her some money…” instead of “I lent her some money…”?

👉 These are common mistakes that occur when the perspective of the action is misunderstood. 

The verbs “learn” and “borrow” describe the action from the perspective of the person receiving knowledge or an item, whereas “teach” and “lend” describe the action from the perspective of the person giving knowledge or an item.

When you confuse these perspectives, it can lead to misunderstandings in communication. That’s why it’s so important to grasp the concept of one-way verbs.

Knowing one-way verbs is like knowing the rules of the road. It’ll help you navigate English conversations smoothly and avoid any collisions in your daily interactions. When you understand the perspective behind these verbs, you can speak with more clarity and confidence.

In this lesson, we’ll explore several pairs of these one-way verbs. I’ll show you how each pair describes the same action but from different viewpoints. By the end of this lesson, you’ll be able to choose the correct verb with ease, depending on your perspective in the conversation.

What’s the Difference? Lend vs Borrow | Remember vs Remind | Bring vs Take

Lend vs. Borrow

These verbs describe the same action of transferring something, but from different viewpoints.

Lend: From the perspective of the person giving something temporarily.

Borrow: From the perspective of the person receiving something temporarily.

Common Mistake: A common error is saying “I borrowed her some money,” when it should be “I lent her some money.”

For example:

• May I borrow your pen, please? I need to sign this check.
• Could you lend me your pen, please? I just need to sign this check.
• Rachel lent me her dress for the party; I’m so glad I could borrow it!

Give vs. Take

These verbs describe the act of transferring possession, but from opposite sides of the transaction.

Give: From the perspective of the person offering something.

Take: From the perspective of the person receiving or accepting something.

For example:

• Our new neighbors greeted us and gave us some homemade pie.
• I’ll take a few samples to the customer, so they can see the different color options.

Bring vs. Take

These verbs are about movement, but the direction of that movement changes depending on the speaker’s location.

Bring: From the perspective of moving something towards the speaker’s location.

Take: From the perspective of moving something away from the speaker’s location.

For example:

• Our new neighbors greeted us and brought some homemade pie to our home.
• If my brother doesn’t take his car today, I’ll bring cases of water to the picnic myself.
• Could you take the children to soccer practice tomorrow?

Send vs. Receive

These verbs describe the movement of an item or message, but from the sender’s and receiver’s points of view.

Send: From the perspective of the person transmitting something.

Receive: From the perspective of the person getting something.

For example:

• I’ll send you an email with the details later today.
• She received a package from her friend in the mail.
• He sent flowers to his mother for her birthday, and she received them with joy.

Teach vs. Learn

These verbs involve the transfer of knowledge but from the teacher’s and learner’s viewpoints.

Teach: From the perspective of the person imparting knowledge.

Learn: From the perspective of the person acquiring knowledge.

Common Mistake: It’s common to hear “She learned me how to do it” when it should be “She taught me how to do it.”

For example:

• It took me several months, but she taught me how to drive, and I finally got my driver’s license in the U.S.
• My manager asked me to teach my new coworker how to use the photocopier.

Owe vs. Pay

These verbs describe a financial obligation but from the viewpoints of the debtor and the payer.

Owe: From the perspective of the person who has a debt.

Pay: From the perspective of the person settling a debt.

For example:

• I owe the bank some money because of my student loan.
• He still owes me for the lunch I bought him last week, but I’m sure he’ll pay me back soon.

Remember vs. Remind

These verbs describe actions related to memory but from different perspectives.

Remember: From the perspective of the person recalling information or an event.

Remind: From the perspective of the person prompting someone else to recall information or an event.

Common Mistake: A typical error is saying, “Can you remember me to call her?” when it should be, “Can you remind me to call her?”

For example:

• I remember meeting her at the conference last year.
• Can you remind me to call her tomorrow?
• She reminded me about the meeting, but I couldn’t remember the time.

Ready to practice?

Choose a pair of verbs that is challenging for you. Using the examples provided as a guide, create your own sentences. And share them with me in the comments below. 😊

All my best,

~ Annemarie

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