verleihen

Verleihen is a German verb with two principal meanings: to lend something to someone for a limited time and to confer or bestow an award, title, or privilege. In the lending sense, it describes providing an item for temporary use, with the expectation of return. In the conferment sense, it denotes officially granting an honor or qualification to a person or organization. The verb typically governs a direct object for the thing given and, when used in the conferment sense, a dative recipient.

Formally, the present tense yields er verleiht, while the past tense is er verlieh; the past participle is verliehen, used in compound tenses and in passive constructions. For example: Die Bibliothek verleiht Bücher. Die Jury hat dem Gewinner den Preis verliehen. Der Preis wird dem Gewinner verliehen. A possessed or honorary sense can be seen in attributive usage: eine verliehene Auszeichnung.

Nouns derived from the verb include der Verleih (the act or business of lending) and die Verleihung (the act of conferring an award). The verb is distinct from ausleihen, which means to borrow rather than to lend.

In usage, the lending sense appears with libraries, banks, or individuals lending items or money. The conferment sense is common in awards ceremonies, academia, or official honors. The passive is frequent: etwas wird verliehen. German style generally keeps the recipient in the dative and the thing awarded in the accusative.