Past Tense of Lend | Definition & Examples

The simple past tense of lend is “lent.” The past participle of “lend” is also “lent.”

“Lend” is a verb meaning “give something to someone for a limited period of time.”

Past tense of lend in a sentence examples
Simple past tense of lend Past participle of lend
It was a bit muddy, so Paula lent me some rain boots. I’ve lent him the money to buy a new laptop for college.
Is that the power drill Sue lent you? I thought she needed it back right away. I can’t find my power drill; I must have lent it to someone.
Tip
You can’t use the verb “borrow” instead of “lend” in the examples above.

If you can’t decide whether the word you need is borrow or lend, remember that:

  • When you “lend” something, you’re “giving” it.
  • When you “borrow” something, you’re “taking” it.
  • Paula lent me some rain boots. [Paula is “giving” the boots for a short time]
  • Mikel borrowed some boots from Paula. [Mikel is “taking” the boots for a short time]
  • Paula borrowed me some rain boots.
  • Mikel lent some boots from Paula.

*Lended

The past tense of “lend” is not lended. The simple past and past participle form of the irregular verb “lend” is lent (i.e., you don’t add “-ed” to the end of the infinitive to make these forms).

Other irregular verbs that have the same infinitive, simple past, and past participle forms include “spread,” “cost,” “hit,” and “put.”

Lent (not lended) in a sentence examples
  • Luis lent me one of his old bikes, and we rode to the lake.
  • Luis lended me one of his old bikes, and we rode to the lake.
  • I wanted to borrow Sofia’s ski jacket, but she’s already lent it to someone else.
  • I wanted to borrow Sofia’s ski jacket, but she’s already lended it to someone else.

Frequently asked questions about the past tense of lend

Is it lended or lent?

The correct past tense of lend is lent, not lended.

“Lent” is the simple past tense form of the verb “lend” (e.g, “I didn’t have a pen but the teacher lent me one”). “Lent” is also the past participle form of “lend” (e.g., “The teacher has lent me a pen”).

QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you to avoid verb form errors like “lended” in your writing.

Is it loaned or lent?

Loaned is the past tense of “loan” and lent is the past tense of lend (i.e., The simple past tense and past participle forms of these verbs).

You can use both “loan” and “lend” as verbs to mean “give something to someone for a limited time” (e.g., “Grabriel loaned/lent me his copy of the book”).

“Loan” is often the preferred choice of verb in the context of money and finances (e.g., “The bank loaned her the money).

Some usage manuals recommend using “loan” only as a noun (e.g., “She took out a bank loan”) and using “lend” instead of “loan” as a verb (e.g., “She lent her daughter the money”).

It is more common to use “loan” as a verb in American English than it is in British English.

QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker will help you to use “loaned” and “lent” correctly in your writing.

Is lended a word?

No, lended is not a word. The past tense of lend is “lent,” not “lended.”

“Lent” is the simple past tense and past participle form of the verb “lend” (e.g., “I forgot to bring a towel but Kim lent me one,” “Kim has lent me one”).

Have you tried QuillBot’s free Grammar Checker? It will help you to avoid using incorrect verb forms like “lended” in your writing.

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Tom Challenger, BA

Tom holds a teaching diploma and is an experienced English language teacher, teacher trainer, and translator. He has taught university courses and worked as a teacher trainer on Cambridge CELTA courses.