Borrowing and lending dh can't ever get it right.

[Gorjuss]

My dh continues to use the expression borrow and lend the wrong way round, claiming in front of dds that it doesn't make a difference and I am being awkward by pointing it out.

You just can't learn some people

[cant stand mix up of lend/borrow and teach/learn]

It is one of those things that makes you want to beat people repeatedly around the head isn't it?
In fairness, in many languages, the word is the same fro both.

It's itch/scratch that drives me bonkers.

Your poor DH.

In my language borrow and lend are the same - you use an equivalent of "to" or "from" to distinguish. But pah! I still get it right in English ALL the time. > On the other hand we don't distinguish "he" or "she". And I get that wrong in English all the time, which is confusing for the listener.

So your DH says ''I will borrow you some money'' instead of ''I will lend you some money''?

Alot of people get it wrong. Don't loose your temper with him.

at alot!!

I can't stand this. That'll learn ye!

^learn me' - that's another one that makes me want to bludgeon

Yeah "borrow me". I know exactly what he means it and I don't get mad over him saying it more so because he refuses to accept they mean different things.

I don't like "I was sat" but appear to be fighting a losing battle with that one.

Get him a dictionary for Christmas

Good idea hollyberry he will have something to put his cup of tea on.

I always get confused which one the 'creditor' is.

YANBU. I used to pull people up on this at work. The conversation would go like this:

Clearly Uneducated Colleague (even if they had a degree): Can you borrow me a ruler?
Me: No, but I can lend one to you, if you like.

I was really popular.

ecclesvet I used to but then I realised that I was never in any doubt about which one was the "debtor". So I just remember that the creditor is the other one.

Did you do that thing, too, MsV where someone says, "Can I borrow a tissue?" and you say, "No, but I'll give you one if you like." That's not annoying either.

TheSurgeonsMate Oh no, I wouldn't do that. I do set myself some limitations on the 'being irritating' scale.

I hate it. It makes people sound thick and uneducated. I didn't realise that borrow and lend are the same word in some other languages though.

It's reasonably common to both where I grew up and where I live now but drives me insane.

"Remember me to" is another one that irritates. As in

Person A: I'm going to see Claire tonight
Person B: Remember me to her

(Translation: say hello from me)

I don't think it really matters. And it's even more confusing if it's the same word in other languages. But would it help to say the person who owns the object is doing the lending and the person who receives the object is doing the borrowing. And in any case I think it's a bit of a regional thing. It's like a double negative. Used in some regions more than others. That's my theory anyway. I've no proof.

Sometimes you do carry over idiosyncrasies from other languages. For eg (showing off now ) in Japanese I think you don't distinguish the definite and indefinite article, so some Japanese English speakers find it hard to use them correctly in English. Some Chinese speakers also sometimes don't distinguish tenses because there are no such things in Chinese.

I love these kinds of things.

"Remember me to" - Scarborough Fair.

Where I lie (oop North) people are always getting these words mixed up.

Kids are especially afflicted with the won/beat mix up. Makes me twitch.