verb
to lend, to borrow
A2
Leihen means 'to lend' (jemandem etwas leihen) and 'to borrow' when used reflexively (sich etwas leihen). It's a strong irregular verb using haben as auxiliary. Present shows ei->ie (du leihst, er leiht), Präteritum lieh, Partizip II geliehen. Not separable. Common in everyday speech.
Examples
Er lieh mir sein Fahrrad.
He lent me his bicycle.
Ich habe mir ein Auto von ihm geliehen.
I borrowed a car from him.
Der Kollege lieh dem Studenten das Buch, weil der Student es dringend brauchte.
The colleague lent the student the book because the student urgently needed it.
Details
Mnemonics
Imagine handing (lending) a book across a table — the word 'lei-hen' with the book in the middle
sounds like English 'lie' + 'hen' — imagine a hen lending an egg
Notes
German 'leihen' can mean either 'to lend' (give temporarily) or 'to borrow' (receive temporarily) depending on context. For clarity, 'ausleihen' is commonly used and synonyms like 'verleihen' emphasize the lender perspective.