Describe something you borrowed from others
Examples of situations when people might borrow something from others
Examples of useful things people might borrow from other people
- A friend's car when yours is in the shop
- A neighbor's lawnmower when yours is broken
- A coworker's stapler when you can't find yours
- A family member's clothes when you need something to wear
- A stranger's phone charger when your battery is dying
- A friend's laptop when yours is not working
- A library book when you want to read something new
- A classmate's notes when you missed a lecture
- A neighbor's dog when you need a walking buddy
- A friend's bike when you want to go for a ride.
Describe a time you borrowed something from your family or friend
I borrow a lot of things from my friends and family. I'm always borrowing books from my mom, and tools from my dad. I even borrow clothes from my sister sometimes. It's really convenient to be able to borrow things from people you know and trust. Plus, it saves you a lot of money!
Describe a time when you borrowed something
I borrowed a book from my friend the other day. I needed something to read on my commute and she recommended this great book that she just finished. I was so grateful that she let me borrow it, and I ended up loving it!
Other variants of this prompt:
In general, it can be extremely useful to borrow things from other people when you need them. Whether it's a physical item or something more abstract like knowledge or skills, borrowing from others can help us get by in a pinch and sometimes even learn new things.
People are usually happy to lend out useful items to other people when they need them. This act of kindness can help build strong relationships and foster a sense of community.
This is an example of an IELTS Cue Card question asked recently about something you borrowed from a person you know.
You should say:
- what you borrowed
- when you borrowed it
- why you borrowed it
And when you returned it.
Describe a thing that you borrowed from someone
IELTS Cue Card Sample AnswerA while back, I borrowed something from a friend. She wanted me to go cycling with her on a Sunday morning, but as I was visiting her, I didn't have my bike with me.
So she lent me her spare bike so that we could cycle together that day. It was very nice of her to do that, and we had a great couple of hours cycling from where she lives to a small village about 2 hours away - we were feeling very energetic.
When we stopped, we had something to eat, and then after resting for a while, we set off back to her house.
I thought that using her spare bike might be a bit uncomfortable for me because she's a little bit taller. But we managed to adjust the saddle to the perfect height for me, and after riding it for a while, I began to feel comfortable and confident.
It was still a bit different from riding my bike – the feel of it – but it was still a good ride we had.
After we got back to her home, I returned her bike and thanked her for lending it to me so that we could go riding together.
We had a lovely weekend, and riding and chatting together was a big part of it. We're both keen cyclists and love it when we can do it together. We used to do it quite often but nowadays we live in different places - it's not so easy.
It was nice of her to allow me to borrow her bike because it's an expensive model. But then I would do the same for her if she visited me and we wanted to go riding together.
Follow up question:
Do you borrow things often?
No, not really. My friend's bike is the last thing I can remember borrowing recently. I've borrowed other things in the past, from people I know, like books and clothes, but I generally don't borrow things very often.
Can you describe a useful thing that you once borrowed?
I once borrowed a friend's backyard grill for a party. It was useful because I didn't have to worry about buying or installing a grill at my house. Plus, it was nice to be able to grill food for a large group of people in one go.
What was the occasion?
The occasion was an end-of-summer party. I invited a bunch of friends over to my house, and it just so happened that I didn't have any patio furniture outside because the previous owners had taken it when they sold the house.
How long were you borrowing it?
We borrowed the grill for one day. The next day I returned the grill to my friend, but she said I could borrow it again any time I needed it.
Why did you borrow this instead of buying/finding your own?
I didn't want to bother choosing which grill was best or trying to figure out how to install one. Plus, I knew my friend had a fantastic grill that was perfect for larger gatherings!
How did your friend feel about lending you their grill?
My friend was happy to let me borrow their grill. It made cooking and serving dinner much easier for me, so they were glad to help - and I invited them to come round and join the party!
How was your experience using this item? What did you like about it?
I enjoyed using the grill. The food was cooked very quickly and tasted great! There was also plenty of space, so if I decide to buy a grill in the future, I'll probably get a similar model.
How to answer: Describe a time you borrowed something from friends or family
10 Common things people borrow from friends and family:
- Clothes
- Shoes
- Books
- Music
- Movies
- Money
- Jewelry
- Cars
- Houses
The prompt asks about a personal experience. You could describe:
I remember one time when I was a teenager, I really wanted to go to this concert with my friends. But I didn't have enough money to buy a ticket. So I went to my parents and asked if I could borrow some cash. They were happy to help me out and gave me the money I needed.
I needed to borrow a car from my friend because my car had broken down and I had to get to work. It was really embarrassing because I had to ask my friend for help, but thankfully they were really understanding and let me borrow their car for the day. I was really grateful to them.
I had to borrow clothes from my sister because I had nothing to wear to my friend's birthday party. I was really embarrassed because I had to ask her for help, but thankfully she was really understanding and let me borrow some of her clothes. I was really grateful to her.
Talk about something that you borrowed from your friend
Talk about something you borrowed from your friend
Talk about something you borrowed from someone
How to introduce your 1-2 minute talk about something you borrowed from a friend/someone
How would you answer this IELTS question about something you borrowed?