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¿Me prestas tus apuntes de historia?

¿Me prestas tus apuntes de historia?
Will you lend me your history notes?
From Lesson 196:School in Spain (el bachillerato, el recreo)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about ¿Me prestas tus apuntes de historia?

Why is it prestas (present tense) if the English translation says 'Will you lend'?
In Spanish, the present tense is very commonly used to make informal requests happening right now. While you could use a future or conditional tense, asking ¿Me prestas...? (literally 'Do you lend me...?') is the most natural way to ask 'Will you lend me...?' among friends.
Why use apuntes instead of notas for 'notes'?
Apuntes specifically refers to class or study notes, coming from the verb apuntar (to jot down). In Spain, notas usually refers to your school grades or short memos. If you asked for tus notas de historia, they might think you want to see their report card!
Why is it apuntes de historia and not historia apuntes?
English often puts two nouns together, using the first one to describe the second ('history notes'). Spanish doesn't do this. Instead, you link them with de. So, 'history notes' becomes apuntes de historia (notes of history).
Does prestar mean 'to borrow' or 'to lend'?
Prestar means 'to lend'. The sentence literally translates to 'Do you lend to me your history notes?'. If you want to say 'to borrow' from your own perspective, Spanish uses the phrase pedir prestado (to ask to be lent).

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