Past Tense of Lend
“Lend” follows the pattern lend → lent → lent. The same inflected form serves a finite simple-past clause and a past-participle construction; surrounding grammar identifies the role. Keep this inflection task separate from lend/borrow and lend/loan word-choice questions. Capitalized “Lent” is also a separate noun/proper term.
The simple past and past participle of “lend” are both “lent.”
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| completed action in simple past | lent | Use “lent.” |
| past participle after have/has/had | lent | Use “lent.” |
| present/base-form context | lend | Use “lend” when a past form is not required. |
Quick tests
Verb-form test
Do you need the simple past or past participle of “lend”?
If yes: Use “lent.”
If no: Use “lend” or the appropriate present form when the sentence is not past.
Caveat: Both simple past and past participle are “lent.” Keep this inflection task separate from lend/borrow and lend/loan word-choice questions. Capitalized “Lent” is also a separate noun/proper term.
Examples
Maya lent me her charger yesterday.
“Lent” is the simple past of the verb.
The library has lent the copy to another reader.
“Lent” is the past participle after “has.”
I lend my notes only when I have a spare copy.
The present form is “lend.”
Further guidance
Core difference
Use “lent” for both the simple past and the past participle.
Fast Test
If the sentence needs a past form or participle, choose “lent”; use “lend” or the appropriate present form in present-time contexts.
Usage Boundary
Both simple past and past participle are “lent.” Keep this inflection task separate from lend/borrow and lend/loan word-choice questions. Capitalized “Lent” is also a separate noun/proper term.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- LEND Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster (opens in a new tab)Merriam-Webster · Merriam-Webster records lent as the inflected past form of lend.
- LEND | English meaning - Cambridge Dictionary (opens in a new tab)Cambridge University Press · Cambridge records lent as both the past tense and past participle of lend.