amos

Does your native language use the same words or different words for "borrow" and "lend"?

And do you struggle with that distinction in English? (if English native, answer "diff words")

Same words, yes struggle
14.7%
Same words, no struggle
33%
Diff words, yes struggle
4.8%
Diff words, no struggle
47.5%
Poll ended at .
May 13, 2024 at 4:37pmWeb
Show threadNiklas KorzMay 13, 2024

@fasterthanlime
borrow: etwas von jemandem ausleihen
lend: jemandem etwas ausleihen
🇩🇪

(but no struggle for me in English)

Show threadSuperIluMay 13, 2024
@niklaskorz @fasterthanlime oder „leihen“ und „verleihen“…
Show threadsjolsen (MP3 & JPEG compatible!)May 13, 2024
@fasterthanlime nb "lease" works this way in English and it's confusing too
Show threadMikiP0May 13, 2024

@fasterthanlime same word, but grammatically different sentence structure so it's obvious

I do struggle with 2 different words for renting 😅

Edit: Croatian, forgot to mention 😅

Show threadamosMay 13, 2024
@miki_p0 which language?
Show threadMikiP0May 13, 2024
@fasterthanlime Croatian, edited for clarity 😅
Show threadanilmcMay 13, 2024
@fasterthanlime in north eastern english borrow and lend switch colloquially but most get the distinction academically
Show threadskagedalMay 13, 2024

@fasterthanlime In Swedish, the word "låna" would be used for both but with different grammar (so "lend" will be "låna ut", "borrow" would be "låna [av]". I've mixed this up before in English, probably not so much more any more but still voted "same words, yes struggle".

Anyway, is this about the Lend Checker in Rust??

Show threaddr. fennec  May 13, 2024
@fasterthanlime even though i say i'm fluent in english i still make this mistake (and get frustrated because there aren't any distinction between a positive yes and a refuting negativity yes)
Show threadMike AbneyMay 13, 2024
@fasterthanlime What about local variations such as the US areas where folks will ask the owner to “borrow me some” rather than “lend me some”? It sounds wrong to me, even though I grew up around it, but it’s definitely a thing.
Show threadMusharraf May 13, 2024
@fasterthanlime
Different words, but they use the same stem.
Ironically, In some Arabic accents, they use the exact same word for "selling" and "buying".
Show threadbew ​May 13, 2024
@fasterthanlime I honestly don't understand the difference (except for the inversion in the way it's used).
Is there an actual semantic difference?
Show threadamosMay 13, 2024

@bew the inversion _is_ the difference.

If someone let you use their car, you "borrowed their car", or they "lent you their car", but under no circumstance did they "borrow you their car" (which I've heard Polish people say).

Show threadMegabot#33  May 13, 2024
@fasterthanlime @bew So *technically*, we have 3 words, there is "pożyczyć", which means both "lend" and "borrow", there is "użyczyć" which would translate to "lend" and there is "wypożyczyć" which would mean "borrow". Depending on the prefix it changes the meaning. Polish "lend" is rather uncommon (I don't think I've hear it more than once or twice in my life except for like literature). Polish "borrow" might sound very tiny bit more formal, and the "lend"/"borrow" one is most common since it's easy, portable and everyone understands what author means which might be the reason why Polish people don't *try* to say it properly in English.
Show threadbew ​May 13, 2024
@fasterthanlime Ah thanks!
I never really used 'lend' in english yet (I'm french)
And I remember of 'borrow' thanks to Rust ^^
Show threadVancha May 13, 2024
@fasterthanlime we have the same root word, but with a prefix, borrow would be "liene", and lend would be "útliene". Basically lend for borrowing, and "outlend" for lending in frisian.
Show threadTudorMay 14, 2024
@fasterthanlime i have this struggle with many other concepts: my native language doesn't have different words for sitting, standing, and laying, there is no specific word for thumbs (they're called "big fingers"), and there is no difference between fingers and toes (fingers vs "feet fingers"). the lack of specific words for sitting, standing, and laying is the worst for me. ah, and there's less of a distinction between the equivalents for "making" and "doing".
Show threadAndy WangMay 14, 2024
@fasterthanlime related: I (native mandarin speaker) mix up gendered pronouns when speaking fast, and I’ve observed multiple Finnish people doing the same. I suspect this is universal for native speakers of languages without gendered pronouns.
Show threadKarcsesz  May 15, 2024

@cbeuw
Can confirm, I (Hungarian) have to put in extra effort not to use the wrong gendered pronoun. Though it is becoming easier with time.

I usually just default to "they" even if I know someone's pronouns.