The word ‘owe’ means that you are responsible for giving something back to someone because of what they did for you or gave to you. It is commonly used when talking about money, favors, gratitude, or explanations.
When you owe something, it means you are in debt to someone in some way — whether financially, emotionally, or socially. So
If you borrow money, you owe it back.
If someone helps you, you owe them a favor.
If you feel grateful, you owe them thanks.
If you do something wrong or unexpected, you owe an explanation, means you should give the other party an explanation of your act or behaviour.
Now let’s get some examples:
Owing Money – This happens when you borrow money from someone, and you need to pay them back.
If you borrow $10 from your friend, you owe him $10 until you pay it back. For Example:
I owe my friend $10 because he bought my lunch yesterday.
Sarah owes the bank $500 because she took a loan to buy a new phone.
My dad says he finally finished paying off his car loan, so he doesn’t owe the bank any more money!
Owing a Favor – If someone does something nice for you, you may feel like you should return the favor.
If your friend helps you with homework, you might owe them help in return. For Example:
Liam helped me with my homework, so I owe him a favor.
Since Emma gave me a ride to school, I owe her one next time.
Owing Gratitude (Thankfulness) – This happens when you feel deeply thankful to someone for what they did for you. For example:
I owe my parents for always supporting me.
I owe my coach for helping me become a better soccer player.
I owe a lot to my teacher for helping me improve my grades.
Owing an Explanation – If you do something wrong or unexpected, people might say you owe them an explanation for your actions. For example:
If you break your mom’s favorite vase, she might say: ‘You owe me an explanation!’ – This means she wants to know what happened.
If you suddenly change plans, you owe your friends an explanation so they understand why.
Cheers Guys 🙂