How do you say "borrow" in Russian?

одолжить

odolzhit'

Verb Cyrillic

In Russian, "borrow" is одолжить (odolzhit').

Listen to the pronunciation:

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Pronunciation

Try odolzhit' for the sound, with your voice pushing up on "olz", so the ending comes out almost clipped. Take it slowly the first few times until the rhythm feels natural.

Writing and usage

одолжить is written using cyrillic. It's a verb, part of the vocabulary taught in the Noun Town language learning game.

Example sentence

Можно одолжить вашу ручку?

Mozhno odolzhit' vashu ruchku?

May I borrow your pen?

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How to remember одолжить

Let "olz" in "odolzhit'" act as a shortcut to "borrow" in your memory. Say the mnemonic aloud a couple of times to lock it in.

Related words

Browse all Russian words in the glossary.

Questions about одолжить

How do you pronounce одолжить?

Try odolzhit' for the sound, with your voice pushing up on "olz", so the ending comes out almost clipped. Take it slowly the first few times until the rhythm feels natural.

Is одолжить formal or casual?

одолжить is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech.

How is одолжить used in Russian?

одолжить is used the same way as the equivalent English verb. For example: Можно одолжить вашу ручку? (May I borrow your pen?).

Where can I practice Russian words for free?

You can play free Russian minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, no sign-up required. Every word in the Russian glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Borrow" in other languages

Curated by Callan Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Russian language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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