Mi compañera me prestó la grapadora porque mi clip no sujetaba bien los folios.

my

Breakdown of Mi compañera me prestó la grapadora porque mi clip no sujetaba bien los folios.

• me: me
• porque: because
• bien: well

Questions & Answers about Mi compañera me prestó la grapadora porque mi clip no sujetaba bien los folios.

What does compañera mean here, and why is it feminine?

Compañera is the feminine form of compañero. It can mean classmate, colleague, coworker, or sometimes just female companion, depending on context.

It is feminine because the person being referred to is female. If it were a man, you would say mi compañero.

So:

• mi compañera = my female classmate / colleague / coworker
• mi compañero = my male classmate / colleague / coworker

Why is it me prestó? What does me mean?

Me means to me.

The verb prestar means to lend, so:

• Mi compañera me prestó la grapadora = My classmate/coworker lent me the stapler

A very common mistake for English speakers is confusing lend and borrow. In Spanish:

• prestar = to lend
• tomar prestado or pedir prestado = to borrow

So this sentence means she gave the stapler to the speaker temporarily.

Why is the pronoun me placed before prestó?