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lay and lie

There are three similar verbs that can be confused: lay (regular except for spelling), lie (irregular) and lie (regular).

lay​

Lay is a regular verb except for its spelling. Its forms are:

  • infinitive: (to) lay
  • past: laid
  • -ing form: laying
  • past participle: laid

Lay means ‘put down carefully’ or ‘put down flat’. It has an object.

  • Lay the tent down on the grass and I’ll see how to put it up.
  • I laid the papers on the table and sat down. (not I lay …)

Note the expressions lay a table (= put plates, knives, etc on a table) and lay an egg (a bird’s way of having a baby).

lie (irregular)​

The forms of the irregular verb lie are:

  • infinitive: (to) lie
  • past: lay
  • -ing form: lying
  • past participle: lain (used mostly in a formal/literary style)

Lie (irregular) means ‘be down’, ‘be/become horizontal’. It has no object.

  • Don’t lie in bed all day. Get up and do some work. (not Don’t lay …)
  • I lay down and closed my eyes. (not I laid down …)

lie (regular)​

The regular verb lie (lied) means ‘say things that are not true’.

  • You lied to me when you said you loved me.

Dialect forms​

In many British and American dialects, different forms of lay and irregular lie are used. Lay is often used in cases where standard English has lie.

  • I’m going to lay down for a few minutes. (Standard English … lie down …)