Global Breaking News - Monday, October 12, 2026

 It is sometimes said that borrowing money from a friend can harm or damage the friendship. Do you agree? Why or why not? Use reasons and specific examples to explain your answer.

I don't think it's a very good idea to borrow money from a friend. It can cause resentment and awkwardness in the relationship. How do you approach your friend without making him feel he has to do this for you? It's unlikely he'll feel as if he can turn you down. Can he turn you down without insulting you? Probably not.
* borrow = 빌리다 / resentment = 분노, 적개 / awkwardness = 어색함, 거북함 / relationship = 관계 / approach = 다가가다, 접근하다 / unlikely = 잘 될 것 같지 않은, ~할 것 같지 않은 / turn you down = 거절하다 / insult = 모욕하다

How do you know whether your friend can afford to lend you the money? He may be embarrassed to admit he's a little short of  funds himself. Or he might not want to disappoint you. So he lends you the money and then he needs money, too.
* afford = 여유가 되다, 형편이 되다 / lend = 빌려주다 / embarrassed = 어색한, 당황스러운, 난처한 / admit = 인정하다 / be short of = 부족하다, 모자라다 / fund = 돈, 자금 / disappoint = 실망시키다

There's also the question of when you'll pay back the loan. It's awkward for your friend to ask for a deadline for repayment. Besides, if you're short of funds, you may not be able to predict when you'll pay him back. What about interest on the loan? If it's a small amount of money, this doesn't matter. However, if large funds are involved, and you won't be paying it back for a while, should you offer to pay interest? Should your friend ask you to pay interest? All these issues can result in hurt feelings and can harm the friendship.
* pay back = 갚다, 돌려주다, 상환하다 / loan = 대출, 융자, 빌려줌 / awkward = 어색한, 곤란한, 불편한 / deadline = 기한, 마감일자 / repayment = 상환 / besides = 게다가 / predict = 예측하다 / interest = 이자 / for a while = 한동안, 잠시 동안 / offer = 제공하다 / result in = 야기하다, ~의 결과를 초래하다 / feel hurt = 감정이 상하다, 불쾌하다 / harm = 상하게 하다, 해를 끼치게 하다 / friendship = 우정

It's possible, of course, that if you borrow money from a friend and pay it back in a timely fashion, this will create a special bond between the two of you. You'll know that you can count on your friend when you need help. He'll know you're trustworthy.
* in a timely fashion = 적절한 시기에 / bond = 유대, 유대감, 결속 / count on = 의지하다 (=depend on = rely on) / trustworthy = 신뢰할 수 있는, 믿을 수 있는

However, more often than not, money issues between friends are an embarrassment. If you need money, it's better to go to a bank for a loan.
* more often than not = 대개, 자주 / money issue = 돈 문제 / embarrassment = 곤란한 상황, 난처한 상황, 골칫거리