© Geoffrey Kuchera | Dreamstime.com
A common word usage question is when to use “lie” versus “lay.” Here’s a quick tutorial with the meanings and rules for lie and lay.
LIE:
One usage of the verb “lie” means “to recline”
- I am going to lie down on the sofa for awhile.
- Watch the lion lie down on the grass.
However… the past tense of “lie” is “lay”
- I only lay in bed for half an hour.
- The lion lay there until he got hungry.
And… the past participle is “lain”
- I have lain in bed longer than I should have.
- Had the lion lain there all day, he would have missed supper.
LAY:
A common usage of the verb “lay” means “to put or set down”
- I am planning to lay my purse on that table.
Past tense is “laid”
- I laid my purse on that table just ten minutes ago.
Past participle is also “laid”
- I have laid my purse on that table every day for a month.
Of course “lie” also means to fib, but that’s not the one we confuse with “lay.” And we could “lay a bet” or “lay a plan” or “lay the table for dinner,” but these are not confused with “lie.”
Bottom line:
You don’t “lay down” in bed, nor would you have “laid in bed for a nap.”
You LIE down but you LAY something else down, when speaking in the present tense, which is where most of the mistakes come from with the lie-lay situation.
