låne

Låne is a verb used in several Nordic languages to describe the temporary use of something. The basic idea is borrowing or lending, but the exact sense depends on the language and the sentence. In many contexts a related noun forms the concept of a loan or borrowing as well. Different languages use small changes in form to indicate tense and mood.

In Norwegian Bokmål, låne is the infinitive. The forms include låner (present), lånte (past), and lånt (supine). The imperative is lån. The verb can mean both to borrow and to lend, depending on context; to emphasize lending one commonly uses the phrasal form låne ut or låne bort.

In Swedish, the corresponding verb is låna. Its forms are lånar (present), lånade (past), and lånat (supine), with the imperative låna. Swedish generally uses låna to mean borrow, while låna ut is used to mean lend out. The noun for a loan is lån.

In Danish, the verb is låne. Its forms include låner (present), lånte (past), and lånt (supine), with the imperative lån. Danish follows a similar pattern where låne ut means to lend out, and lån denotes a loan as a noun in many contexts.

Across these languages, usage typically distinguishes the actor’s role: the borrower receives temporary use, the lender provides it. Common collocations include låne ut (to lend out) in Norwegian and Swedish, or låne af nogen (to borrow from someone) in Danish. Examples in Norwegian: Jeg låner en bok av deg; Jeg låner ut en bok til deg. The terminology and exact forms vary by language, but the underlying concept remains consistent across the Nordic region.