lend，loan

这一对词都表示“借出”的意思，但词性和使用场合有所不同。

Lend是动词，它的过去式和过去分词是lent.用作转义时，可作“帮助”解。例：

Please lend me one thousand dollars.

请你借一千元给我。

I neither lend nor borrow.

我既不借出，也不借入。

由上列最后一例可见，“借物给人”是lend，“问人借物”是borrow.

Please lend me a hand in lifting this desk.

请帮我抬一下这张桌子。

We will lend you all the assistance in our power.

我们愿意尽力帮助你。

Loan是名词，用起来较lend正式。

He received a loan of one million dollars from the bank to tide over his financial difficulty.

他得到银行贷款一百万元以度过财务困境。

This bicycle is a loan，not a gift.

这自行车是借给你的，不是送给你的。

Many paintings in the art gallery are on loan from private collections.

艺术馆内不少油画是从私人珍藏中借来的。

但在现代美式英语里loan已用作动词，相当于lend，如：

The library loans out many books a day.

I lent him my tuxedo.(英式英语)

I loaned him my dinner coat.(美式英语)

注：tuxedo等于dinner coat.前者是British English;后者是 American English.

Loan 除了“出借”之意外，尚可表示“公债”、“借款”等义。如：public loan是“公债”，foreign loan 是“外债”。