Emprunter vs prêter in French: borrow or lend?

French uses two different verbs for the same exchange. The right one depends on whose point of view you are describing.

Quick answer: use emprunter when someone receives something temporarily (“to borrow”), and prêter when someone gives it temporarily (“to lend”). The person after à changes roles: emprunter quelque chose à quelqu’un means “borrow something from someone,” while prêter quelque chose à quelqu’un means “lend something to someone.”

The difference at a glance

Point of viewFrench patternEnglish meaning
The receiveremprunter quelque chose à quelqu’unborrow something from someone
The owner or lenderprêter quelque chose à quelqu’unlend something to someone

Imagine that Léa gives Paul her bicycle for the afternoon. The event is the same, but each sentence chooses a different viewpoint:

Paul emprunte le vélo de Léa.

Paul borrows Léa’s bicycle.

Léa prête son vélo à Paul.

Léa lends her bicycle to Paul.

How to use emprunter

The thing received is the direct object. The person or institution it comes from is introduced by à:

emprunter + thing + à + source

J’ai emprunté un livre à la bibliothèque.

I borrowed a book from the library.

Elle a emprunté de l’argent à sa sœur.

She borrowed money from her sister.

When the source is a pronoun, à Paul becomes lui and à mes voisins becomes leur:

Je lui emprunte sa voiture.

I’m borrowing their car from them.

Emprunter also means “to take/use” a route and “to borrow” a word or idea:

Nous avons emprunté un petit chemin.

We took a small path.

Le français a emprunté ce mot à l’anglais.

French borrowed this word from English.

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How to use prêter

With prêter, the direct object is the thing given temporarily. The recipient follows à:

prêter + thing + à + recipient

Tu peux me prêter ton chargeur ?

Can you lend me your charger?

La banque leur a prêté de l’argent.

The bank lent them money.

With two pronouns, the thing and the recipient can both appear before the verb:

Je prête le livre à Emma. → Je le lui prête.

I lend the book to Emma. → I lend it to her.

Useful shortcut: if English naturally uses from, choose emprunter. If it naturally uses to, choose prêter. French uses à in both patterns, so the verb—not the preposition—tells you the direction.

Common mistakes and useful contrasts

“Can you borrow me your pen?”

Some English speakers use borrow where standard English uses lend. French still requires the lender’s verb:

Tu peux me prêter ton stylo ?

Can you lend me your pen?

Do not say Tu peux m’emprunter ton stylo ? unless you mean that the other person will borrow your pen from you—which reverses the roles.

Emprunter is not louer

Louer means “to rent” or “to hire,” usually in exchange for payment. A library book is normally emprunté; a holiday car is normally louée.

Nous avons loué une voiture pour trois jours.

We rented a car for three days.

Fixed expressions with prêter

In these expressions, nothing is literally being lent:

  • prêter attention à — to pay attention to
  • prêter serment — to take an oath
  • prêter main-forte à quelqu’un — to give someone a hand

Mini practice: choose the viewpoint

Complete each sentence with the correct form of emprunter, prêter or louer.

  1. Est-ce que tu peux me ______ ton dictionnaire ?
  2. J’ai ______ ce roman à mon collègue.
  3. Nous allons ______ un appartement pour les vacances.
  4. La banque nous a ______ 20 000 euros.
  5. Pour éviter l’autoroute, ils ont ______ une petite route.
  6. Je ne peux pas te ______ ma voiture aujourd’hui.
Check the answers

1. prêter   2. emprunté   3. louer   4. prêté   5. emprunté   6. prêter

Frequently asked questions

Does à quelqu’un mean “from someone” or “to someone”?

It can correspond to either. With emprunter, it identifies the source (“from”). With prêter, it identifies the recipient (“to”).

How do I ask to borrow something in French?

Ask the owner to lend it: Tu peux me prêter… ? or, more formally, Est-ce que vous pourriez me prêter… ?

Can emprunter be used for money?

Yes. You can emprunter de l’argent à un ami or emprunter de l’argent à une banque. From the lender’s viewpoint, the bank or friend prête de l’argent.

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