lend · German (leihen) — Event-Structure Dictionary

Arguments

Lender, Recipient, Theme · borrow numeration on the same lemma · Duration and Interest open · German cloth · working claim, revisable

Lend · Voice[Lender] + Appl_HAVE(Recipient_DAT, Theme_ACC) · Duration unranked · mit/zu-MeasureP_Interest where a rate is printed

Borrow · same lemma · Voice[Borrower_i] + refl.DAT_i + Theme_ACC + von/bei+DAT_Source

A lending, on this reading, has a Lender, a Recipient, and a Theme that the definitions describe as given for a time against a promise of return. A stretch of time may be named in the same clause. Where the Theme is money, a dictionary may add a rate. They are not five equal sisters of leihen. Voice adds the Lender. Low Appl_HAVE introduces the Recipient and relates the Recipient to the Theme. The root’s object is that Theme, accusative. A time expression is printed and is not ranked as an argument or as an adjunct. A rate, where a source prints one, sits in mit or zu. It is not a second accusative.

What is different from the English gloss. English splits the direction onto two lemmas. Lend has the lender as subject. Borrow has the borrower as subject. Duden, the WDG text that DWDS hosts, Langenscheidt, PONS, and Barron’s 501 German Verbs (fourth edition) print both directions on leihen. The lend frame is jemandem etwas leihen: the Recipient is dative. The borrow frame is sich (dative) plus the Theme, with the source in von or bei. The reflexive dative is co-indexed with the subject. Duden’s brackets and Langenscheidt’s parentheses print that reflexive as omissible. This page does not open a second lemma for the borrow numeration.

Places · who wears which marking

Duden’s lend sense and the WDG’s jmdm. etw. line print the Recipient and the Theme. They do not print Lender, Recipient, Theme, a time expression, and a rate in one clause. Duden’s money line with a rate has the Recipient, the money, and mit, zu 5 % Zinsen, and no time expression. Duden’s [bis morgen] sits in a different money line, with no rate. Langenscheidt prints bis morgen with a book, and prints zu Wucherzinsen as its own line.

Printed lend frame · dative Recipient · accusative Theme · no rate and no time expression in this line

✓ jemandem ein Buch, den Staubsauger, sein Auto leihen Duden online · leihen sense 1

to someone · a book, the vacuum cleaner, his car · lend

Printed borrow frame · reflexive dative · source von or bei · accusative Theme

✓ er lieh sich von, bei ihr ein Buch, fünf Mark DWDS · WDG text · the comma joins von and bei

he · borrowed · reflexive · from her (von or bei) · a book, five marks

Places of leihen: introducer, German marking, case status, English marking
Place	Introduced by (working)	German marking	Case status	English marking
Lender	Spec,Voice on the lend numeration · von/bei on the borrow numeration	subject of the lend frame · von + dative or bei + dative when the subject is the borrower	structural subject, or oblique source · the two prepositions are alternatives in the lines that print both · not a bare dative of the lender beside the reflexive	subject of lend · from of borrow
Recipient	low Appl_HAVE on the lend numeration	dative (jemandem, jmdm., mir, ihm, ihnen, jdm)	structural dative · not a second accusative · an + accusative is unprinted on leihen	bare object of lend me the book · to in Langenscheidt’s English gloss of the same dative
Borrower	Spec,Voice on the borrow numeration · reflexive dative co-indexed with that subject	subject, and sich / mir · Duden brackets [sich] and [mir] · Langenscheidt parentheses (sich) and (mir)	the reflexive is dative · co-indexed with the subject in the printed pairs er … sich, ich … mir · the brackets print it as omissible	subject of borrow · no reflexive in the English glosses
Theme	complement of √LEND- (Theme of e_HAVE)	accusative (ein Buch, zwanzig Euro, das Geld, fünfzig Mark, dein schönes Kollier)	structural · a money theme is one MeasureP in that object position · the rate is not that object	direct object of lend and of borrow
Duration	unranked	[bis morgen] in Duden · bis morgen in Langenscheidt · neighbour lines für zwei Tage (WDG borgen), kurz-, langfristig and für ein paar Wochen (WDG ausleihen)	printed as a time expression · argument versus adjunct unprinted · not given a seat in the formula	till tomorrow in the Langenscheidt gloss · same open status
Interest	mit or zu selects one rate phrase where a source prints it · money themes	mit, zu 5 % Zinsen (Duden) · zu Wucherzinsen (Langenscheidt)	oblique when the rate is printed · one phrase · not a second theme · mit and zu are the comma’s alternatives in the Duden line and are not ranked	unprinted as a required piece of English lend in the entries checked

Marking map. One letter can belong to several heads. Read the head, then the marker.

Accusative of the Theme. Duden prints ein Buch, den Staubsauger, sein Auto, and zwanzig Euro, and das Geld. WDG prints ein Buch, fünf Mark and Geld, sein Fahrrad. Langenscheidt prints etwas, das Buch, Geld. PONS prints 500 Euro. Barron’s fourth edition prints dein schönes Kollier and das Armband. The accusative is the thing given over. A sum in that slot is one MeasureP. It is not the rate.
Dative of the Recipient. Duden’s frame word is jemandem. WDG’s frame is jmdm. etw. Langenscheidt’s frame is jemandem etwas. PONS writes jdm etw. Barron’s example is mir. The DWDS usage line is ihnen. No entry checked here prints a bare accusative Recipient on leihen.
an + accusative. Unprinted on leihen in Duden, in the WDG text, in Langenscheidt, in PONS, and in the Barron’s examples read here. It is printed on the neighbours: Duden ausleihen has ihm/an ihn, Duden verleihen has Geld an ihre Kunden, and the WDG verleihen line has an wen. Those are not a second frame of leihen.
Reflexive dative. WDG writes it in the frame: sich /Dat./. The pair er lieh sich co-indexes the dative with the subject. Duden prints [sich] and [mir] in brackets, and ich habe mir das Geld bei der Bank geliehen without brackets. Langenscheidt prints (sich) and (mir). Barron’s relative das du von mir geliehen hast has von and no reflexive. The brackets are the entries’. This page does not rank omission as a further operation.
von + dative and bei + dative. Both are printed for the source. WDG: von, bei ihr. Duden: bei, von jemandem, and bei der Bank. Langenscheidt: bei oder von jemandem, and the example von ihm. PONS prints [von jdm] and does not print bei in the lines read here. Barron’s example is von mir. The comma and the oder are the entries’. The two prepositions are alternatives in those lines, not two sources. Langenscheidt glosses the pair as English from. No entry ranks von against bei.
Duration. Duden brackets [bis morgen] in kannst du mir [bis morgen] zwanzig Euro leihen? Langenscheidt prints bis morgen without brackets in kannst du mir das Buch bis morgen leihen? Neither line says whether the time expression is an argument or an adjunct. Neighbour wording stays on the neighbour: WDG borgen has für zwei Tage, and WDG ausleihen has kurz-, langfristig and für ein paar Wochen. The question stays open.
Interest, for money. Duden: er hat ihm das Geld mit, zu 5 % Zinsen geliehen. The comma is Duden’s. It joins mit and zu in that line. Langenscheidt’s editorial line is zu Wucherzinsen leihen. Five percent and Zinsen stay inside that one phrase. The money remains the accusative Theme. WDG borgen prints Geld gegen Zinsen. That gegen is the neighbour’s. It is not filed as a third preposition of leihen. Langenscheidt also prints Geld gegen Sicherheit leihen. Sicherheit is collateral in that gloss, not the rate.
werden, bekommen, kriegen. No werden sentence with leihen is in the entries checked. No bekommen or kriegen sentence with leihen is in them either. WDG borgen prints ich habe das Buch selbst nur geborgt bekommen. That promotion is the neighbour’s line. It is not copied onto leihen here. See voice.

EN ⇄ DE valency strip

Each row lines up one English slot with its German slot. The alignment type says what happens to the slot: = (same status), shift (structural ↔ oblique, or a bare English object ↔ a German dative), or a lexical split of the subject’s direction. Printed dictionary lines come first. Every other German sentence is constructed, modelled on a printed line. They show the working alignment, not frequency, and not a bilingual corpus.

English–German valency alignment for lend / leihen, one row per argument
Slot	EN form	DE form	Align	EN example	DE example
Lender as subject	SUBJ of lend	subject of the lend frame of leihen	= for this direction only	Will you lend me your lovely necklace? Barron’s fourth edition · the book’s English	Leihst du mir dein schönes Kollier? Barron’s 501 German Verbs, 4th ed. · leihen
Borrower as subject	SUBJ of borrow · a different English lemma	subject of the borrow frame of the same leihen	lexical split · two English verbs, one German lemma	to borrow sth from sb PONS · Langenscheidt	sich /Dat./ von jmdm. etw. WDG · [sich] bei, von jemandem etwas leihen Duden sense 2
Theme	OBJ	accusative	=	lend sb sth PONS · Langenscheidt	jemandem ein Buch, den Staubsauger, sein Auto leihen Duden
Recipient (dative)	bare object of the double-object gloss · to in the other English gloss	dative	shift · one German dative · Langenscheidt gives it both English clothes	he lent me (some) money · to lend (or loan) sb sth, or sth to sb Langenscheidt · the or is the entry’s	jemandem etwas leihen · er lieh mir Geld Langenscheidt
Reflexive dative	unprinted in the English borrow glosses	sich / mir · brackets print it as omissible	German cloth · co-indexed with the subject	I borrowed a book from him. Langenscheidt’s English of the next line	ich habe (mir) ein Buch (von ihm) geliehen Langenscheidt · parentheses are the entry’s
Source von	from	von + dative	= oblique · one of two printed prepositions	the bracelet you borrowed from me Barron’s English	das Armband, das du von mir geliehen hast Barron’s 4th ed.
Source bei	from in Langenscheidt’s gloss of the pair	bei + dative	= oblique · the other printed preposition · unranked against von	from her constructed gloss of the WDG comma	von, bei ihr WDG · bei der Bank Duden
Interest	unprinted as its own English slot in the glosses checked	mit or zu + a rate · money	printed oblique · not a second Theme	to lend at extortionate interest Langenscheidt’s English of zu Wucherzinsen	mit, zu 5 % Zinsen Duden · zu Wucherzinsen Langenscheidt
Duration	till tomorrow · status open	bis morgen	printed · argument vs adjunct open	till tomorrow Langenscheidt’s English	[bis morgen] Duden · bis morgen Langenscheidt
an Recipient	to on English lend	unprinted on leihen	no German match in the leihen entries · printed on ausleihen and verleihen	lend something to somebody Langenscheidt · English gloss of the dative	ihm/an ihn ein Buch ausgeliehen Duden · ausleihen, not leihen
Two accusatives	the English double object has no case ending	bare accusative Recipient beside an accusative Theme	unprinted · the printed bare Recipient is dative	—	* Pat hat den Kollegen das Buch geliehen. constructed · not a dictionary line
bekommen / kriegen	unasserted	unprinted on leihen	neighbour only · WDG borgen	—	ich habe das Buch selbst nur geborgt bekommen WDG · borgen · not copied onto leihen

The strip below is a set of small multiples. Each card holds one frame, with English on top and German under it. The subject chip is the lender on the lend frame and the borrower on the borrow frame. The rate card stays inside mit or zu where a rate is printed.

EN · DE · printed Recipient

jemandem etwas

to lend (or loan) somebody something, or something to somebody

jemandem etwas leihen

DE · Langenscheidt · one dative · the English or is the entry’s · no an-phrase in this line

RolesHide roles RecipientTheme

Recipient somebody · jemandem Theme something · etwas

Move one German dative · two English clothes in that gloss

EN · DE · printed borrow frame

sich … von, bei

to borrow something from somebody

er lieh sich von, bei ihr ein Buch, fünf Mark

DE · WDG · reflexive dative · von and bei are the comma’s alternatives · EN gloss is Langenscheidt’s from

RolesHide roles BorrowerSourceTheme

Borrower he · er … sich Source from her · von, bei ihr Theme a book · ein Buch

Move English borrow is another lemma · German stays on leihen

EN · DE · printed rate

mit, zu 5 % Zinsen

He lent him the money at 5% interest.

er hat ihm das Geld mit, zu 5 % Zinsen geliehen

DE · Duden · the comma joins mit and zu · the money stays accusative · EN gloss constructed · Langenscheidt prints a separate rate, zu Wucherzinsen

RolesHide roles RecipientThemeInterest

Recipient him · ihm Theme the money · das Geld Interest at 5% · zu 5 % Zinsen

Move one rate phrase inside mit or zu · not a second Theme

EN · DE · two accusatives

DAT ≠ a second ACC

—

* Pat hat den Kollegen das Buch geliehen.

DE constructed · starred · the printed bare Recipient is jemandem

RolesHide roles RecipientTheme

Recipient den Kollegen · accusative Theme das Buch

Move English has no case ending · German prints a dative

Examples

Argument difference. English lend does not mean borrow. Pat lent Chris the book and Chris borrowed the book from Pat are two verbs. German prints both directions on leihen. Duden sense 1 is jemandem etwas. Duden sense 2 is [sich] bei, von jemandem etwas. WDG numbers the borrow frame first and the lend frame second. The Theme is accusative on both. The Recipient on the lend frame is dative. The source on the borrow frame is a prepositional phrase, von or bei, each with the dative. Langenscheidt glosses that one dative with two English clothes, lend somebody something or lend something to somebody, and does not print a German an-phrase for leihen. PONS glosses the dative only as lend sb sth.

Neighbouring lemmas, frames only, not pages. verleihen sense of lending out: Duden prints die Bank verleiht Geld an ihre Kunden and Boote, Fahrräder, DVDs verleihen, and the grammar verleiht, verlieh, hat verliehen. The award sense is a different reading: Duden jemandem einen Orden, Titel, Preis verleihen. It is not developed here. borgen is Duden’s leihen (1) and leihen (2), marked veraltend, weak (borgt, borgte, hat geborgt). ausleihen is separable (leiht aus, lieh aus, hat ausgeliehen) and prints both directions; the lend direction adds ihm/an ihn.

Dictionary frames and lines · checked · quoted as printed

(gegen das Versprechen der Rückgabe) vorübergehend aus seinem Besitz zur Verfügung stellen; ausleihen (2) Duden online · sense 1 · the promise of return is the definition’s wording · this page does not turn it into an aspect claim

jemandem ein Buch, den Staubsauger, sein Auto leihen · kannst du mir [bis morgen] zwanzig Euro leihen? · er hat ihm das Geld mit, zu 5 % Zinsen geliehen · 〈auch ohne Objekt:〉 er leiht nicht gerne (verleiht nicht gerne etwas) Duden online · sense 1 · brackets and the comma are Duden’s · [bis morgen] and the rate are different lines

sich (gegen das Versprechen der Rückgabe) etwas aus dem Besitz oder dem Verfügungsrecht eines anderen erbitten, ausleihen (1) · ich habe [mir] den Frack geliehen · [sich] bei, von jemandem etwas leihen · ich habe mir das Geld bei der Bank geliehen Duden online · sense 2 · the reflexive brackets are Duden’s

jemandem seine Hilfe, seinen Beistand leihen · jemandem seine Stimme leihen Duden online · sense 3 · gehoben · not the returnable-theme frame · not developed

sich /Dat./ von jmdm. etw. l. · er lieh sich von, bei ihr ein Buch, fünf Mark · das Fahrrad habe ich nur, ist nur geliehen · jmdm. etw. l. · er lieh ihm Geld, sein Fahrrad · kannst du mir bitte dein Taschenmesser l.? DWDS · WDG text · l. is the entry’s abbreviation · the comma joins von and bei

jemandem etwas leihen · kannst du mir das Buch bis morgen leihen? · er lieh mir Geld · (sich Dativ) etwas (bei oder von jemandem) leihen · ich habe (mir) ein Buch (von ihm) geliehen · zu Wucherzinsen leihen · Geld gegen Sicherheit leihen · jemandem etwas leihen gegen Entgelt Langenscheidt German–English · editorial examples · parentheses, oder, and gegen Entgelt are the entry’s · the gegen Entgelt gloss is rent/hire · no numeral price is printed on leihen · external example sentences on that page are marked there as unchecked and are not quoted here

jdm etw leihen · sich Dat etw [von jdm] leihen · könntest du mir eventuell 500 Euro leihen? PONS German–English · editorial · bei is unprinted in these lines · principal parts leiht, lieh, geliehen

✓ Leihst du mir dein schönes Kollier? · Das Armband, das du von mir geliehen hast, hast du mir noch nicht zurückgegeben. Barron’s 501 German Verbs, 4th ed., Henry Strutz · verb page leihen · gloss on that page: to lend; borrow from; hire · the front-matter ablaut row glosses the same principal parts as “to lend” only · leihen, lieh, geliehen, leiht

✓ Der Mann im Büro lieh ihnen sogar ohne weiteres fünfzig Mark. DWDS usage · Sten Nadolny, Selim oder Die Gabe der Rede, as DWDS prints the line, Piper 1997 [1990], S. 113 · dative ihnen · accusative fünfzig Mark

Grammar line: leiht, lieh, hat geliehen. Duden · DWDS · PONS · Barron’s 4th ed. Strong verb. The participle is geliehen. There is no separable particle. ausleihen is the separable neighbour: leiht aus, lieh aus, hat ausgeliehen. Duden verleihen keeps ver- on the stem: verleiht, verlieh, hat verliehen. Duden

Strings below are constructed, modelled on the printed lines. They are not spontaneous-speech citations and not dictionary lines. Pat / einem Kollegen continue the named-participant series on vermieten. A name does not spell dative. einem Kollegen does. zwanzig Euro follows Duden’s sum. zu 5 % Zinsen is one side of Duden’s comma. Stacking a time expression with that rate is not one printed line.

✓ Pat hat einem Kollegen das Buch geliehen.

RolesHide roles LenderRecipientTheme

Lender Pat Recipient einem Kollegen Theme das Buch

constructed · dative modelled on Duden’s jemandem and WDG’s jmdm. · the book is Duden’s ein Buch

✓ Pat hat ihm zwanzig Euro bis morgen geliehen.

RolesHide roles LenderRecipientTheme

Lender Pat Recipient ihm Theme zwanzig Euro

constructed · Duden prints mir [bis morgen] zwanzig Euro in one line · the subject here is not Duden’s du · bis morgen stays unranked

✓ Pat hat ihm das Geld zu 5 % Zinsen geliehen.

RolesHide roles LenderRecipientThemeInterest

Lender Pat Recipient ihm Theme das Geld Interest zu 5 % Zinsen

constructed · zu is one side of Duden’s mit, zu · Langenscheidt prints zu on a different rate · mit is not in this string

✓ Chris hat sich von einem Kollegen ein Buch geliehen.

RolesHide roles BorrowerSourceTheme

Borrower Chris … sich Source von einem Kollegen Theme ein Buch

constructed · reflexive and von modelled on WDG er lieh sich von, bei ihr ein Buch · bei is the other printed preposition and is not in this string

✓ Chris hat sich bei der Bank das Geld geliehen.

RolesHide roles BorrowerSourceTheme

Borrower Chris … sich Source bei der Bank Theme das Geld

constructed · modelled on Duden’s ich habe mir das Geld bei der Bank geliehen · the subject here is not Duden’s ich

* Pat hat den Kollegen das Buch geliehen.

RolesHide roles RecipientTheme

Recipient den Kollegen Theme das Buch

constructed · two accusatives · the printed bare Recipient is jemandem · an + accusative is a neighbour cloth, on ausleihen and verleihen, and is not starred here because leihen does not print it

✓ jemandem ein Buch, den Staubsauger, sein Auto leihen Duden · dative · accusative Theme
✓ kannst du mir [bis morgen] zwanzig Euro leihen? Duden · dative mir · time expression bracketed · money theme
✓ er hat ihm das Geld mit, zu 5 % Zinsen geliehen Duden · rate · money stays the accusative
✓ er lieh sich von, bei ihr ein Buch, fünf Mark WDG · reflexive · von or bei
✓ [sich] bei, von jemandem etwas leihen Duden sense 2 · brackets are Duden’s
✓ Leihst du mir dein schönes Kollier? Barron’s 4th ed. · dative mir
✓ Der Mann im Büro lieh ihnen sogar ohne weiteres fünfzig Mark. DWDS usage · Nadolny, as printed there
✓ er leiht nicht gerne Duden · no accusative

leihen does not split · passives unprinted

V2 and the participle are operations on the same places. They do not add a participant.

One prefield. The finite verb is in C: leiht, lieh, hat. Exactly one phrase sits in front of it. A paradigm of those orders is not printed in the entries checked here. Order is not starred.

No particle on leihen. Present 3sg is leiht. Preterite is lieh. Perfekt is hat … geliehen. There is no right-edge particle. ausleihen is the separable neighbour: Duden leiht aus, lieh aus, hat ausgeliehen. ver- on verleihen stays on the stem, the same inseparability as ver- on verkaufen. borgen is weak: hat geborgt.

werden is unprinted. No line checked here promotes the Theme, and none promotes the Recipient. Nothing is constructed, and nothing is starred, for a werden clause of leihen. On vermieten a werden line that promotes the property is printed. That line is not in the leihen entries read here.

bekommen and kriegen are unprinted on leihen. No sentence is constructed. The one bekommen line in the neighbours is WDG borgen: ich habe das Buch selbst nur geborgt bekommen. The subject there is the holder of the book. kriegen does not appear in the entries checked. The line is not evidence about leihen.

Derivations · working sketches, revisable

Each sketch is a working drawing, not a locked analysis. The point of the drawing is one accusative Theme, a Recipient that is dative on the lend numeration, and, on the borrow numeration, a reflexive dative co-indexed with the subject plus a source PP. Open one sketch at a time. Which theta role is the object in this low Appl_HAVE domain is the revisable note Causative templates and argument selection. This page does not edit that note.

Voice · the external argument changes with the numeration

Constructed · hat in C · two numerations of one lemma

[CP Pat_1
  [C' hat
    [TP t_1
      [VoiceP t_1 Voice                     ← Lender = Spec,Voice
        … lend numeration … ]
      T ]]]

✓ Pat hat einem Kollegen das Buch geliehen. constructed

[CP Chris_i
  [C' hat
    [TP t_i
      [VoiceP t_i Voice                     ← Borrower = Spec,Voice
        … borrow numeration …
        sich_i … von … ]
      T ]]]

✓ Chris hat sich von einem Kollegen ein Buch geliehen. constructed · the index is the working co-index, not a dictionary diacritic

On the lend numeration the external argument is the lender. On the borrow numeration the external argument is the borrower. English puts those external arguments on lend and borrow. leihen has no separable particle for either numeration.

Low Appl_HAVE · dative Recipient, or a reflexive dative

Lend numeration · one Recipient · dative · not a second accusative

[VoiceP Pat Voice
  [ApplP_LOW [einem Kollegen]_DAT Appl_HAVE     ← Recipient · HAVE the theme for the time the definitions name
    [VP √leih-
       [Theme das Buch ]_ACC ]]]                ← Theme · one accusative

The borrow numeration, working and revisable, co-indexes the dative with the subject and puts the source in a PP. The PP is not a second dative argument.

[VoiceP Chris_i Voice
  [ApplP_LOW sich_i Appl_HAVE
    [VP √leih-
       [Theme ein Buch ]_ACC
       [PP von [ einem Kollegen ]_DAT ]]]]      ← Source · von or bei · not ranked

✓ jemandem ein Buch leihen Duden · lend numeration · no rate

✓ er lieh sich von, bei ihr ein Buch WDG · borrow numeration · one source, two prepositions in the comma

* Pat hat den Kollegen das Buch geliehen. constructed · the Recipient is not a second accusative

MeasureP · money is the Theme · a rate is a different phrase

One accusative MeasureP when the Theme is a sum · the rate is inside mit or zu · the time expression is not ranked inside either

[Theme [ MeasureP [ Amount zwanzig ] [ N Euro ] ] ]_ACC
mit / zu  [ 5 % Zinsen ]     ← printed rate · mit and zu unranked
bis morgen                   ← printed beside a sum or a book · argument vs adjunct open

✓ zwanzig Euro Duden · one money theme

✓ mit, zu 5 % Zinsen Duden · one rate · the comma is the entry’s

✓ zu Wucherzinsen Langenscheidt · one rate · no numeral

zwanzig Euro = one MeasureP in object position. n and the unit compose inside that phrase. Orthography is not extra arity. There is no further argument “currency name.” 5 % Zinsen = one rate phrase. It does not compose as a second object. Composition of the rate, where it is printed, is mit(rate) or zu(rate), not V(money)(Zinsen). bis morgen is printed next to a sum in Duden and next to a book in Langenscheidt. It is not given a MeasureP, and it is not classified as an argument or as an adjunct. Nothing here is a claim about aspect.

English counterpart · two lemmas, and two clothes of lend

Working · no English lend page is opened

[VoiceP Pat Voice                                  ← Lender
  [ApplP_LOW Chris Appl_HAVE                        ← Recipient
    [VP √LEND
       [Theme the book ]]]]                         ← lend Chris the book
                                                     · Langenscheidt also glosses lend the book to Chris
                                                     · German: one dative, no an-phrase printed

[VoiceP Chris Voice                                 ← Borrower
  [VP √BORROW
     [Theme the book ]
     [PP from Pat ]]]                                ← borrow the book from Pat
                                                     · German: leihen, reflexive dative, von or bei

English keeps the two directions on two verbs. German prints them as two numerations of leihen. Langenscheidt’s or maps the German dative onto the English double object and onto to. That to is English. The German an-cloth is printed on ausleihen and on verleihen, not on leihen.

Layer-by-layer parallel: English lend, English borrow, German leihen, German vermieten
Layer	lend (EN) · no page	borrow (EN) · no page	leihen · lend numeration	leihen · borrow numeration	vermieten
Spec,Voice	Lender	Borrower	Lender	Borrower	Lessor · the other direction is mieten
other party	bare object, or to	from	dative Recipient · an unprinted	reflexive dative, optional in the brackets · source von or bei	dative, or an+ACC
accusative	the theme	the theme	the theme · a sum is one MeasureP	the theme	the property
rate / price	unprinted in the glosses checked	unprinted in the glosses checked	mit or zu where a rate is printed	unprinted on the borrow lines read	für + a sum where a sum is printed
passive of the other party	unasserted here	unasserted here	bekommen/kriegen unprinted · werden unprinted	unprinted	werden promotes the property · bekommen unprinted

On the lend numeration, the colleague comes to HAVE the book, or the sum, for the stretch the definitions call temporary. On vermieten, the subject is only the lessor, and the other direction is the other lemma mieten. On bezahlen, the accusative is the money and für is Consideration. On leihen the accusative can be that money, and the rate, where printed, is mit or zu, not für.

Notes

Working paper · October 2026 · German micro-entry · Beyond Index 2

Temporary transfer in German: one lemma, two directions. Lender (Voice, subject of the lend frame), Recipient (dative), Theme (accusative). The borrow frame of the same leihen has the borrower as subject, a reflexive dative co-indexed with that subject, and the source in von or bei plus dative. A time expression is printed and is not ranked. A rate is printed for money inside mit or zu. English lend and borrow are two lemmas. an + accusative is unprinted on leihen.

DE micro-entry live Beyond Index 2 Duration unranked DE vermieten live

Sense × language: lend · German (leihen). The returnable-theme sense is the page. Duden sense 3 (Hilfe, Stimme) stays off the frame. Not given a page here: verleihen (award sense noted, not developed), borgen, ausleihen, entleihen. No English lend hub. Geometry neighbors: rent · vermieten · sell · verkaufen · pay_GIVE · bezahlen. Index 2 German Transfer cites tauschen; geben — not leihen.

Places
EN ⇄ DE strip
Examples
Voice
Derivations
Hierarchy
Geometry
Open items
Corpus and sources

Working paper. German-only micro-entry. Dictionary frames were checked on Duden online (leihen, verleihen, borgen, ausleihen), on DWDS (the WDG text and the Nadolny usage line), on Langenscheidt German–English, on PONS German–English, and on Barron’s 501 German Verbs, fourth edition, the leihen verb page. Those sources print one lemma for both directions, a dative Recipient on the lend frame, and von or bei on the borrow frame.

Constructed examples. Dictionary lines, the Barron’s example sentences, and the DWDS usage sentence are marked as printed. Every other full clause is marked constructed. The two-accusative Recipient is starred because the printed bare Recipient is dative. an + accusative is unprinted on leihen and is not starred. werden, bekommen, and kriegen are unprinted on leihen and are not constructed.

Arity. Index 2 does not list leihen. Surface count can name a lender, a recipient, a theme, a time expression, and a rate. The lexicon does not list five co-arguments of one flat V. Voice adds the Lender. Low Appl_HAVE adds the Recipient. The root takes the Theme. mit or zu takes one rate phrase when a rate is printed. A time expression is not filed as a further sister. A currency name is not a further sister. The borrow numeration is not a second verb.

What this page does not do. It does not open verleihen, borgen, or ausleihen. The award sense of verleihen is one printed line and stops there. Duden sense 3 of leihen stops at the citation. No English page of lend is opened. No other language of lend is opened. Langenscheidt’s gegen Entgelt gloss (rent, hire) is recorded and is not given a price frame: no numeral sum is printed on leihen.

Hierarchy

Not a flat grid of five sisters. A flat grid would give the verb two accusatives, or a rate that is a second object, or two lemmas whose subjects are the two parties. leihen shows one accusative, the Theme, a Recipient in the dative on the lend numeration, and a source in von or bei on the borrow numeration.

zwanzig Euro = one MeasureP. See the MeasureP sketch. Duden’s zwanzig Euro, PONS’s 500 Euro, and the Nadolny line’s fünfzig Mark are that one object when the Theme is money. 5 % Zinsen is the rate phrase beside das Geld. It is not a second object.

What German changes, against the English gloss, is where the direction lives. English uses lend or borrow. German uses two frames of leihen. What the printed lend cloth does not show is an an-phrase alternating with the dative. Langenscheidt’s English to is a gloss of the dative.

Geometry · leihen beside the live German roots

In the constructed Pat hat einem Kollegen das Buch geliehen, the colleague comes to HAVE the book. The definitions call that having temporary. This page quotes that wording and does not add an aspect label.

English lend and borrow. Two verbs. Lend takes the lender as subject. Langenscheidt glosses the German dative as a bare object or as to. Borrow takes the borrower as subject and from for the source. No English page is opened.
vermieten. The lessor is the subject. The lessee is a dative or an + accusative. The other direction is the other lemma mieten. leihen keeps both directions on one lemma and does not print an on that lemma. Duden lists leihen among the synonyms of mieten. The rental page does not give leihen a frame.
verleihen, borgen, ausleihen. verleihen prints an + accusative for money lent by a bank, and a separate award frame jemandem einen Orden, Titel, Preis verleihen. borgen repeats the two directions of leihen; Duden marks it veraltend; WDG prints gegen Zinsen, für zwei Tage, and geborgt bekommen. ausleihen is separable and prints ihm/an ihn on the lend direction. None of the three is a page.
verkaufen. The buyer is a dative or an, the goods are the accusative, and für is the Price. The definitions of leihen checked here are the temporary transfer, not that sale.
bezahlen. The accusative is the money. für is Consideration. On leihen a money accusative is the Theme, and a printed rate is mit or zu.
Omission. Duden prints er leiht nicht gerne with no accusative. Omission does not demote a phrase that is present, and it does not turn the rate into a second accusative.

Open items

von and bei. Both are printed. PONS prints von and does not print bei in the lines read here. No entry ranks the two prepositions.
Reflexive brackets. WDG writes sich /Dat./ in the frame. Duden and Langenscheidt bracket it. Barron’s relative has von mir and no reflexive. Omission is printed. It is not given an analysis beyond the co-index when the reflexive is present.
mit and zu. Duden’s comma joins them. Langenscheidt prints zu on Wucherzinsen. mit is not printed outside that Duden comma. They are not ranked.
Duration and the rate in one clause. Each is printed. The combination is not a dictionary line.
Duration. Printed as bis morgen on leihen. Argument versus adjunct is unprinted. Neighbour für zwei Tage and kurz-, langfristig stay on borgen and ausleihen.
an + accusative on leihen. Unprinted. Printed on ausleihen and on verleihen. Not constructed as a filled frame of leihen, and not starred.
werden. Unprinted. No sentence is constructed.
bekommen and kriegen. Unprinted on leihen. geborgt bekommen is the WDG borgen line. kriegen is absent from the entries checked.
gegen Entgelt. Langenscheidt’s rent/hire gloss. No numeral price on leihen. The für-sum stays on vermieten.
gegen Sicherheit. Langenscheidt prints it. It is collateral in that gloss, not the rate, and it is not ranked against Zinsen.

Corpus filenames and sources checked

Dictionary frames: Duden online leihen, verleihen, borgen, and ausleihen; DWDS leihen (the WDG text and the Nadolny usage line); Langenscheidt German–English leihen, editorial examples only; PONS German–English leihen, editorial examples; Barron’s 501 German Verbs, fourth edition, Henry Strutz, the leihen verb page and the front-matter ablaut row. Constructed clauses put a printed dative on a named lender, or they put the printed reflexive and one printed source preposition on a named borrower. The two-accusative string is the working limit of the printed dative. Index 2 does not list leihen. German Transfer in Index 2 is tauschen; geben.

Duden online · leihen duden.de/rechtschreibung/leihen · sense 1 jemandem … leihen · [bis morgen] · mit, zu 5 % Zinsen · sense 2 [sich] bei, von · leiht, lieh, hat geliehen
Duden online · verleihen duden.de/rechtschreibung/verleihen · an ihre Kunden · award line einen Orden, Titel, Preis · hat verliehen
Duden online · borgen duden.de/rechtschreibung/borgen · veraltend · jemandem Geld, ein Buch borgen · bei ihr / von ihr · hat geborgt
Duden online · ausleihen duden.de/rechtschreibung/ausleihen · [bei, von ihrem Freund] · ihm/an ihn · leiht aus, hat ausgeliehen
DWDS · WDG text of leihen dwds.de/wb/wdg/leihen · sich /Dat./ von jmdm. etw. · von, bei ihr · jmdm. etw. · fünf Mark
DWDS · leihen usage dwds.de/wb/leihen · Nadolny, Selim oder Die Gabe der Rede, S. 113 · ihnen · fünfzig Mark
DWDS · WDG verleihen dwds.de/wb/wdg/verleihen · an wen · award sense separate
DWDS · WDG borgen dwds.de/wb/wdg/borgen · gegen Zinsen · für zwei Tage · geborgt bekommen
DWDS · WDG ausleihen dwds.de/wb/wdg/ausleihen · von meinem Freund · kurz-, langfristig · für ein paar Wochen
Langenscheidt German–English · leihen langenscheidt.com · leihen · jemandem etwas · bei oder von · bis morgen · zu Wucherzinsen · gegen Sicherheit · gegen Entgelt
PONS German–English · leihen pons.com · leihen · jdm etw leihen · sich Dat etw [von jdm] leihen · 500 Euro
Barron’s 501 German Verbs, 4th ed., Henry Strutz leihen verb page · to lend; borrow from; hire · Leihst du mir dein schönes Kollier? · von mir geliehen · principal parts leihen, lieh, geliehen, leiht

Records the dative Recipient of leihen, the accusative Theme, the reflexive borrow frame, and von or bei as the source. Records the direction split against English lend and borrow. Does not open verleihen.

Arguments

Places · who wears which marking

EN ⇄ DE valency strip

jemandem etwas

sich … von, bei

mit, zu 5 % Zinsen

DAT ≠ a second ACC

Examples

leihen does not split · passives unprinted

Derivations · working sketches, revisable

Voice · the external argument changes with the numeration

Low ApplHAVE · dative Recipient, or a reflexive dative

MeasureP · money is the Theme · a rate is a different phrase

English counterpart · two lemmas, and two clothes of lend

Hierarchy

Geometry · leihen beside the live German roots

Open items

Corpus filenames and sources checked

Low Appl_HAVE · dative Recipient, or a reflexive dative