Verbs: Borrow/lend and Emprestar/Pedir Emprestado

Sometimes an action can be caracterised by one single verb in one language and in another you may have to use 2 or more. It is relatively common between the English and Portuguese languages and it is something that sometimes cause some issues...

This week's examples are one of those cases. In English you use the verb to Borrow if you obtain something from someone temporarily as a loan. But you use the verb to Lend if you provide someone with something and you expect them to return it.

However in Portuguese you only use one verb, Emprestar. Although to help undestand the diferences I will use Pedir Emprestado, as it is the expression that best describes it. It's when you "ask" (pedir) someone to borrow (emprestar) you something.

Here are the definitions:

• To Borrow
  
  verb
  to obtain or receive (something, such as money) on loan for temporary use, intending to give it, or something equivalent or identical, back to the lenderto adopt (ideas, words, etc) from another source; appropriate(not standard) to lend(golf) to putt the ball uphill of the direct path to the hole intr (golf) (of a ball) to deviate from a straight path because of the slope of the ground
  
  noun
  (golf) a deviation of a ball from a straight path because of the slope of the ground ⇒ a left borrowmaterial dug from a borrow pit to provide fill at another
  See living on borrowed time
  Example: "Jack can I borrow your pen?" (Jack emprestas-me a tua caneta?),
  

• To Lend
  
  verb
  tr to permit the use of (something) with the expectation of return of the same or an equivalent
  to provide (money) temporarily, often at interest
  intr to provide loans, esp as a profession
  tr to impart or contribute (something, esp some abstract quality) ⇒ "her presence lent beauty"
  tr to provide, esp in order to assist or support ⇒ "he lent his skill to the company"
  Example: "Anthony needed a car for this weekend so I lent him mine." (O Anthony precisava de carro no fim-de-semana, por isso emprestei-lhe o meu.)
  

• Emprestar
  
  verbo transitivo
  1. to lend; to loan;
  emprestar a juros/ to lend on interest;
  emprestar dinheiro/ to lend money;
  emprestar sob hipoteca/ to lend on mortgage
  
  2. (pedido) to borrow;
  emprestas-me o teu lápis? may I borrow your pencil?
  

Kangas