lend,loan
这一对词都表示“借出”的意思,但词性和使用场合有所不同。
Lend是动词,它的过去式和过去分词是lent.用作转义时,可作“帮助”解。例:
Please lend me one thousand dollars.
请你借一千元给我。
I neither lend nor borrow.
我既不借出,也不借入。
由上列最后一例可见,“借物给人”是lend,“问人借物”是borrow.
Please lend me a hand in lifting this desk.
请帮我抬一下这张桌子。
We will lend you all the assistance in our power.
我们愿意尽力帮助你。
Loan是名词,用起来较lend正式。
He received a loan of one million dollars from the bank to tide over his financial difficulty.
他得到银行贷款一百万元以度过财务困境。
This bicycle is a loan,not a gift.
这自行车是借给你的,不是送给你的。
Many paintings in the art gallery are on loan from private collections.
艺术馆内不少油画是从私人珍藏中借来的。
但在现代美式英语里loan已用作动词,相当于lend,如:
The library loans out many books a day.
I lent him my tuxedo.(英式英语)
I loaned him my dinner coat.(美式英语)
注:tuxedo等于dinner coat.前者是British English;后者是 American English.
Loan 除了“出借”之意外,尚可表示“公债”、“借款”等义。如:public loan是“公债”,foreign loan 是“外债”。