Leihen

Leihen is a German verb with two related meanings depending on the subject: to lend something to someone, and to borrow something from someone. In the common construction it takes a dative recipient and an accusative object: Ich leihe dir ein Buch. When the subject borrows something for themselves, one says sich etwas leihen or sich etwas ausleihen: Ich leihe mir ein Buch aus der Bibliothek.

Conjugation and forms: In the present tense: ich leihe, du leihst, er leiht, wir leihen, ihr leiht, sie leihen. The simple past (Präteritum) is irregular: ich lieh, du liehst, er lieh, wir liehen, ihr lieht, sie liehen. The past participle is geliehen and is used with haben: Ich habe dir mein Buch geliehen. The verb lies at the core of related forms such as ausleihen (to borrow from a source or to lend out in certain contexts) and Ausleihe (the act or period of borrowing, e.g., in a library).

Usage and nuance: Leihen often appears in everyday contexts of circulating objects—books, tools, money, or other items. The phrase jdm etwas leihen means to lend something to someone, whereas sich etwas leihen means to borrow something for oneself. Verbs like verleihen (to grant or award) are related in meaning but distinct in usage.

Noun forms and related terms: Ausleihe denotes the act or period of borrowing, commonly used for library loans. Leih- as a prefix forms adjectives and nouns such as Leihgabe (a loaned item) or Leihfrist (borrowing period).

In finance, synonyms or related terms include Darlehen or Kredit, but leihen remains the everyday term for lending and borrowing of tangible objects.