Borrowing and Returning (借 and 还)

A particularity of Mandarin is that the verb 借 covers both the opposite meanings of 'borrow' and 'lend' alone.

1. 借 (jiè) : Lend

Often used with 给 (give).
我跟图书馆借了一本书。 (wǒ gēn túshūguǎn jiè le yī běn shū.) (I borrowed a book from the library).

2. 借 (jiè) / 借给 (jiègěi) : Borrow

Often used with 给 (give) to avoid ambiguity.
他借给我一百块钱。 (tā jiè gěi wǒ yī bǎi kuài qián.) (He lent me 100 yuan).

3. 还 (huán) : Return / Repay

Be careful with pronunciation (do not confuse with the adverb 还, meaning 'still').
别忘了还书。 (bié wàng le hái shū.) (Don't forget to return the book).

Nuance exercises