Grammar-ease: Lying vs Laying (Lie vs Lay)

Using lay versus lie has come up quite a bit, so here’s a re-do of my 2013 post on these tricky words.

Lay is an active verb. A person picks up a book and lays it on a chair. A chicken lays an egg. (The person and chicken are active.)

Lie is a still verb. People lie on beds. Cats lie on people. Fleas lie on cats. (The people, cats, and fleas are still.)

——————————————————————————————————

Lay: to place or set something

	Simple	Progressive	Perfect	Perfect progressive (action continues for a while)
Present	I lay You lay He/she/it lays They lay	I am laying You are laying She is laying They are laying	I have laid You have laid She has laid They have laid	I have been laying You have been laying She has been laying They have been laying
Past	I laid You laid She laid They laid	I was laying You were laying She was laying They were laying	I had laid You had laid She had laid They had laid	I had been laying You had been laying She had been laying They had been laying
Future	I will lay You will lay She will lay They will lay	I will be laying You will be laying She will be laying They will be laying	I will have laid You will have laid She will have laid They will have laid	I will have been laying You will have been laying She will have been laying They will have been laying

——————————————————————————————-

Lie: to recline or repose somewhere.

	Simple	Progressive	Perfect	Perfect progressive (action continues for a while)
Present	I lie You lie He/she/it lies They lie	I am lying You are lying She is lying They are lying	I have lain You have lain She has lain They have lain	I have been lying You have been lying She has been lying They have been lying
Past	I lay You lay She lay They lay	I was lying You were lying She was lying They were lying	I had lain You had lain She had lain They had lain	I had been lying You had been lying She had been lying They had been lying
Future	I will lie You will lie She will lie They will lie	I will be lying You will be lying She will be lying They will be lying	I will have lain You will have lain She will have lain They will have lain	I will have been lying You will have been lying She will have been lying They will have been lying

Here are some great tips to help remember the differences, from Painless Grammar, by Rebecca Elliott, Ph.D.:

• Think of to lay the same way as to say and to pay. If talking about today, we say,  “I pay”, “I say.” If it’s about yesterday, we say, “I paid”, “I said”, “I have paid”, “I have said.” To lay works the same way: lay, laid, laid.
• Substitute the word place or put. If the sentence makes sense, you want lay; otherwise, you want lie.
  • Example 1: You place the book on the table. It makes sense. Therefore, You lay the book on the table.
  • Example 2: You place in your bed at night. It doesn’t make sense. Therefore, You lie in your bed at night.
• My favorite: No one ever says that chickens lie eggs. Chickens are active and lay eggs, so visualize the action when you are writing about how you lay out a rug, or lay down your book.
• Lie is a quiet or still word. A fun example from the book: At night, I turn out my light and lie. (I’m going to lie down for a nap.) Whether it’s on a couch, beach blanket, or bed, if you are quietly reclining, you’re lying (not laying).

I still find myself challenged with this pairing at times and need to look back at these notes — if I can’t think of any other words to use in their place.

I hope you have a great week!

Lisa J. Jackson is an independent writer and editor who enjoys working with manufacturing, software, and technology businesses of all sizes. She loves researching topics, interviewing experts, and helping companies tell their stories. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.