Lay, Lie, Lied, Lain: When Do We Use Which? | Britannica

Here's where it can get a bit tricky. The past tense of lie is lay, but not because there is any overlap between the two verbs. So when you say, “I lay down for ... Home Demystified Literature Lay,Lie,Lied,Lain:WhenDoWeUseWhich? Cite verifiedCite Whileeveryefforthasbeenmadetofollowcitationstylerules,theremaybesomediscrepancies. Pleaserefertotheappropriatestylemanualorothersourcesifyouhaveanyquestions. SelectCitationStyle MLA APA ChicagoManualofStyle CopyCitation Share Share Sharetosocialmedia Facebook Twitter URL https://www.britannica.com/story/lay-lie-lied-lain-when-do-we-use-which By KateLohnes ©AlenaOzerova/Shutterstock.comAh,theEnglishlanguage.It’ssofullofextraneouswordsandrules,sofantasticallycomplicatedandconfusing.Oneofthemanycommonmisunderstandingswithinthelanguagestemsfromtheconfusionbetweenlayandlie.Layisaverbthatcommonlymeans“toputorset(something)down.”Lieisaverbthatcommonlymeans“tobeinortoassumeahorizontalposition”(or“tomakeanuntruestatement,”butwe’llfocusonthefirstdefinition).Inotherwords,laytakesadirectobject,andliedoesnot.Asforthemisconceptions,well,whenyoulookatthetwoverbsnexttoeachotherindifferenttenses,itbecomesabitmoreobviouswheretheconfusionis.PresentTense:Lay:Unfoldtheblanketandlayitonthefloor.Lie:Thisstuffisprettygroundbreaking;you’dbetterliedown.Thedifferenceinthepresenttenseseemsprettystraightforward:layreferstoadirectobject,andliedoesnot.PastTense:Lay:ShelaidtheblanketonthefloorwhenIasked.Lie:Ifeltsick,soIlaydown.Here’swhereitcangetabittricky.Thepasttenseoflieislay,butnotbecausethereisanyoverlapbetweenthetwoverbs.Sowhenyousay,“Ilaydownforanap,”you’reactuallyusingtheverblie,notlay,despitethewayitsounds.PastParticiple:Lay:Shehadlaidtheblanketdownbeforesheleft.Lie:Ihadlainthereforsometimebeforegettingup.Thepastparticipleformisacommonpointoferror.Manypeopleaccidentallyuseliedinsteadoflainwhenusingtheverblie.Lied,however,referstothepasttenseandpastparticipleformofliewhenitmeans“tomakeanuntruestatement.”Presentparticiple:Lay:Iwaslayingtheblanketonthefloor.Lie:You’vebeenlyingdownallday.Yourbestbetwhendecidingbetweenthevariationsoflayandlieistodeterminewhetherthereisadirectobjectyou’rereferringto.Ifthereis,thenuseaformoflay.Aclassroomtrickistosaythewordoutloud.Theasoundinlaysoundsliketheoneinplace,asintoplaceanobject,whereastheisoundinliesoundsliketheoneinrecline,asintoreclineonasofa.Anotherwaytohelpyoudecideistorememberthatlaywilltypicallybefollowedbyanoun,whereasliewilltypicallybefollowedbytheworddown. RelatedStories Literature WhyDoLanguagesDie? Literature WhyIsThereanRinMrs.? Literature WhereDoestheConceptofa“GrimReaper”ComeFrom? SeeAllDemystifiedStories LoadMore