Lesson 166 · German A1-2

Borrowing & Lending

Leihen und ausleihen

Asking to borrow something from a neighbor or friend - a small tool, an ingredient - is common neighborly interaction. Reuses dürfen (Lesson 49) and dative pronouns (Lesson 18/42).

Today's win: ask to borrow something and offer to lend something in return.

Core vocabulary

leihen / ausleihento lend / to borrowzurückgebento give back

Quick check: what's the German word for "to give back"?

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zurückgeben

Asking to borrow

Kannst du mir deinen Schraubenzieher leihen? (Can you lend me your screwdriver? - reusing Lesson 86.)
Darf ich mir etwas Zucker ausleihen? (May I borrow some sugar? - dürfen, Lesson 49.)

Quick check: "May I borrow some sugar?" - ______ ich mir etwas Zucker ausleihen?

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Darf

Offering and returning

Klar, hier ist er. (Sure, here it is.)
Ich gebe es dir morgen zurück. (I'll give it back to you tomorrow.)

Quick check: "I'll give it back to you tomorrow." - Ich gebe es dir morgen ______.

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zurück
Try it out loud: ask a neighbor to borrow something and promise to return it.

Recap

1. "Can you lend me your screwdriver?" - Kannst du mir deinen Schraubenzieher ______?

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leihen

2. "Sure, here it is." - ______, hier ist er.

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Klar

Primary source

Cross-checked against the official Goethe-Zertifikat A1 Wortliste.

Want to practice asking a neighbor for something specific? Ask your teaching agent.

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