“Lend” vs. “lent”
The past tense of lend is lent. Lent is the only past tense form of the present tense verb, lend. Lended is not an official word, and now you can avoid using it.
That being said, should you hear lended in conversation, it’s your decision whether to correct them—though, most people don’t appreciate being corrected in their grammar (even if they are demonstrably wrong).
Once you’ve read up on lent and all the ways it can be employed, you’ll be well-equipped to lend yourself to a nice grammar lesson! (Or you may keep the information to yourself, lest your lesson lend itself to hurt feelings.)
My brother lent me his bicycle for the afternoon.
She lended me her notes from the lecture.
Forms of “lend”
The verb lend is defined in the dictionary as “to give for temporary use on condition that the same or its equivalent be returned,” or “to be put at another’s temporary disposal.” See the verb lend in action in sentences:
| Present | Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simple | I lend | I lent | I will lend |
| Continuous | I am lending | I was lending | I will be lending |
| Perfect | I have lent | I had lent | I will have lent |
| Perfect Continuous | I have been lending | I had been lending | I will have been lending |
What’s the past tense of lend? Lended, lend or lent?
The past tense of lend is lent—not lended. Because lend is an irregular verb, its past tense form does not end in “-ed”. Like the simple past tense form, the past participle form of lend is also lent. As a past participle, lent may be used in a number of ways: as an adjective, in a participle phrase, or with an auxiliary verb to form the past perfect tense.
A participle phrase acts like an adjective, only with a few more words. It is a sentence that contains a participle and serves to describe a noun. The past perfect tense describes the order in which events took place in the past. To form the past perfect of lend, pair the past participle form lent with an auxiliary verb, such as had: ‘she had lent me the money the moment I requested it.’
| Word Form | Examples |
|---|---|
| Present Tense (“lend”) |
Don’t worry, I’ll lend you my gloves. We lend our driveway to concert-goers when the parking lot is full. He thinks lending money is a bad idea. |
| Past Tense (“lent”) |
I lent you my stand mixer. He lent me the keys to his truck. They lent her a pair of skates. |
| Past Participle (“lent”) |
I had lent you my umbrella that day, so I was drenched by the time I got home. Just a few days after he had lent me his truck, it was totaled. |
| Adjective Usage (“lent”) |
She had to be careful— she didn’t want to dirty her lent sneakers. |
Examples of “lend” usage in various forms.
That the past tense of “lend” is “lent,” associate “lent” with the past tense of “spend”—both end in “-ent” and describe giving something away.
Synonyms of “lend”/“lent”
- loan
- advance
- supply
- grant
- impart
Origin of the verb lend
late 14c., from past tense of Old English lænan “to grant temporarily, lease out, make loans, lend money at interest,” from Proto-Germanic laihwnjan, verb derived from loikw-nes-, the prehistoric source of Old English læn “gift” (see loan (n.)
Practice: lent or lended?
She ______ me her favorite book to read last week.
Could you please ______ me a hand with these boxes?
I have ______ him money on several occasions.
The bank ______ them more than they could afford.
He always ______ his expertise to the team projects.
FAQs
What is the past tense of lend?
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Are both leaned and leant correct?
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Is lean a regular or irregular verb?
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Give examples of leaned or leant.
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Why should I be consistent in using lean?
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Sources
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“Lean.” Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. 2015. Farlex, Inc 3 Nov. 2023 https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/lean
Yash, D. "Is the Right Word Lent or Lended (Irregular Verbs)." Grammarflex, Aug 24, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/lent-or-lended/.
