Lie and lay share their forms, and that is why the pair is famous. Lie means to be in a flat position, and it has no object: "I lie on the sofa." Lay means to put something down, and it always needs an object: "I lay the book on the table."
The trap is the past tense. The past of lie is lay: "Yesterday I lay on the beach." The past of lay is laid: "I laid the book on the table." Three verbs live in this family, because lie also has the meaning to tell an untruth, with lied as its past.
This page puts all the forms in one place, gives eight examples, and ends with 15 sentences that test both the meaning and the form.
What each word means
lie
lie (verb, no object): to rest flat on a surface. Forms: lie, lay, lain, lying. A separate verb lie means to tell an untruth, with lied as its past.
lay
lay (verb, needs an object): to put something down carefully or flat. Forms: lay, laid, laid, laying.
The rule
Lie means to recline
- No object follows: "She lies on the sofa." Nothing is being put anywhere.
- The past is lay: "Yesterday she lay on the sofa for an hour."
- The past participle is lain, used after have: "She has lain there all morning."
- The -ing form is lying, not lieing: "The cat is lying in the sun."
Lay means to put something down
- An object follows: lay the baby down, lay the table, lay a carpet.
- The past and the past participle are both laid: "He laid his keys on the desk."
- The -ing form is laying: "The workers are laying a new floor."
- Lay the table is a fixed phrase that means to prepare it for a meal.
The object test
- Ask: what is being placed? If the sentence answers that question, use lay.
- If nothing is being placed and someone simply rests, use lie.
- Lay it down has an object, so it is correct. Lie down has no object, so it is also correct.
- A person lies down, and a person lays a baby down. The baby is the object.
The three past forms
- Today I lie on the bed. Yesterday I lay on the bed. I have lain on the bed. (recline)
- Today I lay the book down. Yesterday I laid the book down. I have laid the book down. (place)
- Today I lie about my age. Yesterday I lied about my age. I have lied about my age. (untruth)
- Never write layed. The past of lay is laid, with no e.
How to remember
The trick: Lie down needs no object; lay something down needs one. Remember the pair "I lie down" and "I lay it down".
Examples
- I need to lie down for a few minutes.There is no object, so lie is correct.
- The cat lies on the windowsill every afternoon.The cat rests by itself, so the verb is lies.
- She laid the baby on the bed.The baby is the object of the past verb laid.
- He laid his keys on the table.The keys are placed, so lay is used and the past is laid.
- Yesterday I lay on the beach all morning.Lay is the past of lie, with no object.
- The hens have laid six eggs.Eggs are the object of the past participle laid.
- The book lay open on the desk.Lay is the past of lie; the book rests with no object.
- Lay the towels flat in the sun.The towels are the object, so the verb is lay.
Common mistakes
- Wrong: I am going to lay down. Right: I am going to lie down.
- There is no object, so the verb is lie. Lay needs something to put down.
- Wrong: She laid on the sofa. Right: She lay on the sofa.
- The past of lie is lay. Laid belongs to lay, which needs an object.
- Wrong: He lay the book on the table. Right: He laid the book on the table.
- The book is the object and the past of lay is laid.
- Wrong: The dog has laid there all day. Right: The dog has lain there all day.
- The dog rests with no object, so the past participle is lain.
- Wrong: I lied on the beach yesterday. Right: I lay on the beach yesterday.
- Lied is the past of lie meaning to tell an untruth. For resting, the past is lay.
Practice drill
Answer all 15 questions. Each answer is marked at once, and the rule is explained under the question.
I need to ___ down for a while.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. lie There is no object, so the base verb lie is correct.
She ___ the baby on the bed.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. laid The baby is the object and the past of lay is laid.
The cat ___ on the sofa all afternoon.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. lies The cat rests by itself with no object, so the present verb is lies.
He ___ his keys on the table last night.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. laid The keys are the object, and the past of lay is laid.
Yesterday I ___ on the beach all morning.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. lay Lay is the past of lie, and no object follows.
The hens have ___ six eggs this week.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. laid The eggs are the object of the past participle laid.
Please ___ the towels flat in the sun.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. lay The towels are the object, so the verb is lay.
The book ___ open on the desk.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. lay The book rests with no object, and the past of lie is lay.
The dog ___ there for hours.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. has lain The dog rests with no object, so the past participle of lie is lain.
He is ___ on the grass.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. lying There is no object and the person rests, so the -ing form of lie is lying.
The workers are ___ a new carpet.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. laying The carpet is the object, so the -ing form of lay is laying.
She ___ about her age.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: D. lied This lie means to tell an untruth, and its past form is lied.
I ___ down after lunch every day.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: A. lie There is no object in this habit, so the present verb is lie.
He ___ down and fell asleep.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: B. lay No object follows, and the past of lie is lay.
___ the book on the shelf, please.
Show answer and explanation
Answer: C. Lay The book is the object being placed, so the verb is lay.
Questions learners ask
Why is the past of lie the same as the present of lay?
English kept two old verbs with similar forms. Lie (rest) became lie, lay, lain, and lay (put down) became lay, laid, laid. The overlap in the middle is real, and native speakers check the object to keep the meaning clear.
What does lay the table mean?
Lay the table is a fixed phrase that means to put plates, cutlery and glasses on the table before a meal. It comes from the idea of laying each item down, so it takes an object: the table.
Is "I am lying" about resting or about telling a lie?
Both are possible, so the situation decides. "I am lying on the sofa" is about resting. "I am lying about the money" is about telling an untruth. Add the place or the topic to remove the doubt.
More confusing words
Practice vs practise
In British English, practice with a c is the noun and practise with an s is the verb. American English uses practice for both.
Speak vs talk
Speak is for languages and formal or one-way moments. Talk is for conversation and friendly exchange.
Learn vs teach
Learn means you receive knowledge or a skill. Teach means you give that knowledge to someone else.
Browse all the confusing word pairs or take the free A1 to C2 level test to find your starting point.