Key Facts
- Hangul: 빌리다 (billida)
- Meaning: to borrow
- Level: A2
- Stem: 빌리
- Conjugation class: regular
- Object marking: transitive
What Does 빌리다 Mean?
빌리다 means to take something for a while with the plan of giving it back: 친구에게 책을 빌리다 (to borrow a book from a friend). It is also the ordinary verb for renting, as in 방을 빌리다 (to rent a room) and 차를 빌리다 (to rent a car).
Particles. The item takes 을/를 and the lender takes 에게, 한테 or 에게서: 친구에게 책을 빌려요 (I borrow a book from a friend). 한테 is the more casual, spoken choice.
Watch the direction. Korean uses one verb for borrowing and another for lending. 빌리다 is you taking; 빌려주다 is the other person giving. That is why the request 빌려 주세요 means 'please lend me (it)': you are asking the other person to do the lending.
How Do You Pronounce 빌리다?
빌리다 is romanized billida. The ㄹ at the end of 빌 and the ㄹ at the start of 리 join into one long, clear l sound, which is why the romanization has ll. In 빌려요 the 려 is a single syllable, so it sounds like bil-lyeo-yo. Forms with other sound changes are listed in the table under conjugation.
How Do You Use 빌리다 in a Sentence?
친구한테 책을 빌려요.
I borrow a book from my friend.
The lender, 친구 (friend), is marked with 한테, and the item, 책 (book), with 을. 빌려요 is the polite present.
어제 우산을 빌렸어요.
I borrowed an umbrella yesterday.
어제 (yesterday) sets the time and 우산 (umbrella) is the item. No lender is named because it is clear from context.
빌려서 읽고 있어요.
I borrowed it and am reading it.
빌려서 links two actions in order: first borrowing, then 읽고 있어요 (am reading). The object is dropped because both speakers know which book they mean.
How Does Billida Conjugation Work?
빌리다 is regular. The stem ends in ㅣ, so 빌리 + 어요 gives 빌려요 and the past is 빌렸어요. The honorific is 빌리세요.
빌리다
| Form | Korean | Romanization | Rule |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polite present | 빌려요 | ||
| Polite past | 빌렸어요 | ||
| Polite future (plan) | 빌릴 거예요 | ||
| Polite future (intention or guess) | 빌리겠어요 | ||
| Formal present | 빌립니다 | ||
| Formal past | 빌렸습니다 | ||
| Formal future | 빌릴 것입니다 | ||
| Casual present | 빌려 | ||
| Casual past | 빌렸어 | ||
| Casual future | 빌릴 거야 | ||
| Want to (polite) | 빌리고 싶어요 | ||
| Honorific polite | 빌리세요 | ||
| Because / and then | 빌려서 | ||
| If (conditional) | 빌리면 | ||
| Present modifier (before a noun) | 빌리는 | ||
| Past modifier (before a noun) | 빌린 | ||
| Future modifier (before a noun) | 빌릴 | ||
| Negative with 안 (short) | 안 빌려요 | ||
| Negative (long form) | 빌리지 않아요 |
Sound Changes
| Form | Korean | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| Polite past | 빌렸어요 | [빌려써요] |
| Polite future (plan) | 빌릴 거예요 | [빌릴꺼예요] |
| Polite future (guess) | 빌리겠어요 | [빌리게써요] |
| Formal present | 빌립니다 | [빌림니다] |
| Formal past | 빌렸습니다 | [빌렫씀니다] |
| Formal future | 빌릴 것입니다 | [빌릴꺼심니다] |
| Casual past | 빌렸어 | [빌려써] |
| Casual future | 빌릴 거야 | [빌릴꺼야] |
| Want to (polite) | 빌리고 싶어요 | [빌리고 시퍼요] |
| Long negative | 빌리지 않아요 | [빌리지 아나요] |
Common Mistake
Wrong: ✗ 친구를 빌려요.
Correct: ✓ 친구에게 빌려요. (With the item: 친구에게 책을 빌려요.)
Why: 을/를 marks the thing you borrow, so 친구를 빌려요 says you are borrowing your friend. The lender takes 에게 or 한테.
How It Differs from Similar Words
| Word | How to tell it from 빌리다 |
|---|---|
| 빌려주다 | 빌려주다 is to lend (the other person gives); 빌리다 is to borrow (you take). |
| 갚다 | 갚다 is paying back what you borrowed, usually money. |
Borrowing Books at a Library
A learner is at the library desk with two books. The librarian explains the loan length, and the learner confirms the plan to borrow both.
Learner
이 책을 빌리고 싶어요.
I chaegeul billigo sipeoyo.
I’d like to borrow this book.
Librarian
네, 이 주 동안 빌릴 수 있어요.
Ne, i ju dongan billil su isseoyo.
Yes, you can borrow it for two weeks.
Learner
그럼 두 권을 빌릴 거예요.
Geureom du gwoneul billil geoyeyo.
Then I’ll borrow two books.
빌리고 싶어요 states a wish; 빌릴 수 있어요 describes what is possible; 빌릴 거예요 states a plan. 권 counts books, so 두 권 means two volumes. The librarian’s line names the permitted period, not a price. Nothing in 빌리다 alone says whether borrowing costs money.
Common Borrowing Phrases
책을 빌리다, 우산을 빌리다 and 돈을 빌리다 all describe taking something temporarily. The expected return differs: you return the same book or umbrella, but repay an equivalent amount of money. 빌리다 describes the borrowing action, without promising that repayment or return has already happened.
도서관에서 책을 빌리다 means borrowing a book from a library. 에서 marks the institution or place. With a person, 친구에게서 책을 빌리다 makes the source explicit. 친구에게 책을 빌리다 is also natural; the verb supplies the direction even though 에게 can mark a receiver with other verbs.
힘을 빌리다 literally means “borrow strength” and means getting someone’s help. You are not borrowing a physical object. 이 자리를 빌려 is a set opening in speeches, meaning “taking this opportunity”. Here 자리 is the occasion or setting, rather than a chair that will be returned later.
Where Will You Hear or See 빌리다?
빌리다 is everyday language at libraries, rental shops and among friends sharing things. 차를 빌리다 can mean borrowing someone’s car or renting one commercially. The verb does not tell you whether there is a fee. A rental counter, a price, or a mention of a friend supplies that information.
Library screens often use 대출 for a loan or checkout and 반납 for returning an item. In banking, 대출 can instead refer to a money loan. Look at the institution before choosing an English translation. The everyday question about borrowing a book and the formal label on its checkout screen can describe the same action with different vocabulary.
With money, 빌리다 tells you who takes the loan. It does not tell you the interest rate, deadline or amount. Naming the lender and amount keeps the direction clear, especially when reporting what happened between two other people. The subject is the borrower even if that subject is omitted in a short conversation.
How Do You Avoid Reversing Borrower and Lender?
Imagine the same book moving from Jisu to Mina. From Mina’s side, the action is 빌리다. From Jisu’s side, it is 빌려주다. Both speakers can use 에게 with the other person, so checking only the particle is not enough. Look at the subject and the full verb together.
A request to the owner changes viewpoint. In 빌려 주세요, you ask the owner to lend; in 빌리고 싶어요, you state your wish to borrow. Both can lead to you receiving the book, but their subjects and grammar differ. The 주다 part belongs in the request because the other person is being asked to give temporary use.
The stem 빌리 is regular, despite containing two ㄹ letters. Its final vowel is ㅣ, so the contracted polite form is 빌려요. In 빌리면 and 빌리는, no 어-ending is present, so 리 stays. It is not an ㄹ-final stem like 살, where certain consonant endings affect the final ㄹ.
| Related word | Meaning | Useful distinction |
|---|---|---|
| 도서관 | library | A place where you can borrow books. |
| 대출 | loan; checkout | Used for library borrowing and bank loans. |
| 반납 | return of a borrowed item | Fits returning a library book. |
| 갚다 | repay | Especially useful for borrowed money. |
See school vocabulary for books, libraries and other study settings.
Mini Drill: Choose the Borrower’s Form
- Give the polite present of 빌리다.
- Report borrowing an umbrella yesterday using the polite past.
- Give the conditional form meaning “if someone borrows”.
- Choose 빌리다 or 빌려주다 when you receive your friend’s book temporarily.
Show drill answers
- 빌려요.
- 어제 우산을 빌렸어요.
- 빌리면.
- 빌리다. Your friend is doing the lending.
Quick Self-Test
- Does 차를 빌리다 always mean renting for money?
- Who is the subject of a sentence using 빌리다: borrower or lender?
- Which library label means returning the book: 대출 or 반납?
Show answers
- No. It can also mean borrowing a car without payment.
- The borrower.
- 반납. 대출 is the loan or checkout.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can 빌리다 Mean Rent?
Yes. 방을 빌리다 (to rent a room) and 차를 빌리다 (to rent a car) both use 빌리다.
What Does 빌려 주세요 Mean?
It means 'please lend me (it)'. It comes from 빌려주다 (to lend), because you are asking the other person to lend. It does not mean 'I borrow'.
How Do I Say 'I Borrowed It and Am Reading It'?
Use 빌려서, as in 빌려서 읽고 있어요.
Which Particle Marks the Lender?
에게, 한테 or 에게서, as in 친구에게 책을 빌려요. Do not use 을/를 for the lender; that particle marks the item.
Which Words Are Related to 빌리다?
What Should You Learn Next?
Read 빌려주다 and 갚다 to complete the borrowing cycle. The rule behind 빌려요 is explained in how to conjugate Korean verbs in the present tense. You can check any form in the Korean verb conjugator or browse the Korean verb dictionary.