Lay vs Lie

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Lay and lie are often mixed up, but they have different meanings and uses. The trick? Lay needs an object, while lie doesn’t. In this lesson, you will learn the difference between them with clear rules, examples, and an exercise to practice.

Lay

The verb lay means to put something down carefully or horizontally. Therefore, it must always be followed immediately by an object, the thing that you put down. For example, you lay a baby down in its cot to sleep.

I asked her to lay the baby down for a nap. (The baby is the object.)

You can also lay an item on a table or the floor.

I’ll lay the paper on the table. (The paper is the object.)

When we lay the table, we put forks, knives, etc., on a table in preparation for a meal.

It’s your turn to lay the table this evening. (The table is the object.)

We often use lay when talking about construction. For example, builders lay down bricks, tiles, concrete, foundations, pipes, and flooring when building.

The builders plan to lay the floor tiles tomorrow. (The tiles are the object.)

Lay can also mean to produce an egg, as animals do, because they lay eggs on the ground.

I hope the chicken will lay an egg tomorrow. (An egg is the object.)

Present, past and participle forms of lay

Lay is an irregular verb with the past tense laid and the past participle laid. Its present participle (or gerund) form is laying.

Lay (present):

I lay the book on the table.

Laid (past):

Yesterday, I laid the book on the table.

Laid (past participle):

I have laid the book on the table before.

Laying (present participle/gerund):

I am laying the book on the table.

Lie

Lie means to be or rest in a flat or horizontal position, as you would in bed. Since this action does not involve an object, lie is never followed by one.

I like to lie on my bed and listen to music.

One of the main reasons why lie is often confused with lay is because lie is an irregular verb, and its past simple form is actually lay.

Yesterday, I lay on the grass, enjoying the warm weather.

Present, past and participle forms of lie

Lie is also an irregular verb with the past tense lay and the past participle lain. Its present participle (or gerund) form is lying.

Lie (present):

You should lie down if you’re tired.

Lay (past):

I lay in the sun for an hour yesterday afternoon.

Lain (past participle):

He has lain in bed all day because he isn’t feeling well.

Lying (present participle/gerund):

He is lying in bed.

Take this quiz to check what you know!

Explanation

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