“To Lend” in Italian
As simple as it is, the English verb “to lend” is translated as prestare in Italian.
Mi puoi prestare il tuo cellulare?
Can you lend me your cell phone?
It is a regular verb that belongs to the first conjugation group, therefore its paradigms is quite easy. Also, notice that it is primarily a transitive verb, meaning it requires a direct object. Remember that direct objects are linked to the verb without the use of any preposition.
I said “primarily” because it is also an intransitive verb, given the fact that it requires an indirect object to express the recipient of the action of lending. Remember that indirect objects do need a preposition instead.
Presto sempre la mia macchina a mia sorella.
I always lend my car to my sister.
Here, la mia macchina is the direct object, while a mia sorella is the indirect one.
Prestare
Conjugation
Here, I will show you the the conjugation of the verb prestare in the four main verb tenses:
| Pronouns | Presente | Imperfetto | Passato Prossimo | Futuro Semplice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Io | presto | prestavo | ho prestato | presterò |
| Tu | presti | prestavi | hai prestato | presterai |
| Lui/Lei | presta | prestava | ha prestato | presterà |
| Noi | prestiamo | prestavamo | abbiamo prestato | presteremo |
| Voi | prestate | prestavate | avete prestato | presterete |
| Loro | prestano | prestavano | hanno prestato | presteranno |
Luigi mi ha prestato 25 euro.
Luigi lent me 25 euros.
Mi puoi prestare la tua penna?
Can you lend me yuor pen?
Quando lo finisco, ti presterò il libro.
When I finish it, I’ll lend you the book.
Da piccoli, mio fratello mi prestava sempre le sue felpe.
When we were little, my brother always lent me his sweatshirts.
Anna mi presta sempre la sua macchina.
Anna always lends me her car.
Expressions
In Italian, the verb prestare is used in a variety of idiomatic expressions beyond its literal sense of lending physical objects. . Here are some expressions with prestare:
- Prestare attenzione (to pay attention):
Durante la riunione, dovrai prestare molta attenzione ai dettagli.
During the meeting, you’ll have to pay close attention to the details.
- Prestare aiuto (to offer help, to lend assistance):
Ha prestato aiuto ai suoi colleghi durante il progetto.
He offered help to his colleagues during the project.
- Prestare servizio (to work):
Lui presta servizio presso una ONG.
He works at an NGO.
- Prestarsi a qualcosa (to make oneself available, to agree to participate in something): notice that this is a reflexive form!
Si è prestato a partecipare all’evento di beneficenza.
He agreed to participate in the charity event.
“To Lend” vs. “to Borrow” in Italian
In Italian, we do not have a direct translation of the verb “to borrow”, rather we use a periphrastic structure. A periphrastic structure in linguistics refers to expressing a grammatical meaning using a combination of words, rather than a single word.
This often occurs when a language doesn’t have a specific single word for a particular concept or action. This is what happens with the English “to borrow” which is translated in Italian as prendere in prestito, literally “to take on loan”.
Posso prendere in prestito il cellulare?
Can I borrow the cell phone?
Mi puoi prestare il cellulare?
Can you lend me your cell phone?
