Lay vs lie
Lay needs an object: you lay something down, like a book or a towel. Lie has none: a person or thing lies somewhere. The past of lie (rest) is lay, and the past of lay is laid. Lie (say something untrue) becomes lied.
Lay and place both have an a. Lie and recline both have an i. Past of lie (rest): lay. Past of lie (untruth): lied.
lay verb
To put something down, often in a flat position.
- Lay the documents on the table before the meeting starts.
- She laid the baby gently in the crib.
lie verb
Of a person or animal, to rest with the body flat on something. Of a thing, to rest in a place.
- After the long hike, they wanted to lie down and rest.
- I like to lie on the grass and watch the clouds.
Watch out
- The past tense of lie (rest) is lay, and its past participle is lain. Lay becomes laid in both. So lay can mean rested flat in the past, not only put down.She was so tired that she lay on the sofa and fell asleep.
- Lie also means to be in a place. Use the verb lie (past tense lay), not laid, for where towns, ruins, or rivers are.The ancient ruins lie just beyond the river.
- In casual speech, many people say I'm going to lay down to mean lie down. Dictionaries call this nonstandard, so use lie in careful English. Yesterday I lay down, the past of lie, is correct.
Test yourself
Please blank the towels on the bed.
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lay. You are putting the towels down, so use lay.
I feel sick, so I need to blank down for a while.
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lie. You are resting your own body, so use lie.
Yesterday I blank on the couch all afternoon.
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lay. The past tense of lie (rest) is lay. You rested your own body, in the past.
The dog likes to blank in the sun after lunch.
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lie. The dog rests its own body flat, so use lie.