What it means
قرض دادن (gharz dâdan) means to lend, to give a loan to someone. Like its pair قرض گرفتن (to borrow), it is a compound verb: قرض (gharz) comes from Arabic qarḍ meaning loan or debt, and دادن (dâdan) is the pure Persian verb meaning to give. The literal sense is to give a loan, and in everyday Persian this is the standard way to say you are lending money or an object to someone. A more formal alternative for institutional lending is وام دادن (vâm dâdan), used by banks and credit organizations.
How to use it
- پول قرض میدی؟ (pul gharz midi?) “Will you lend me money?”
- به برادرم قرض دادم که کارش رو راه بندازه. (be barâdaram gharz dâdam ke kâresh ro râh bendâze.) “I lent my brother money to get his business going.”
- اون هیچوقت پولی که قرض میده رو پس نمیگیره. (un hichvaght puli ke gharz mide ro pas nemigire.) “He never gets back the money he lends.”
- قرض دادن به غریبه ریسکه. (gharz dâdan be gharibe riske.) “Lending to a stranger is a risk.”
Cultural note
The act of lending carries moral weight in Persian culture, shaped both by Islamic teachings encouraging generosity (qardh al-hasaneh, or benevolent loan) and by the practical reality that refusing to lend to a close family member can damage the relationship permanently. There is a widely shared social pressure on those who have money to help relatives in need, which means the boundary between a gift and a loan is often blurry. The saying پول قرض داده رفتنیه (money lent is money gone) reflects a cynical but common experience.