Lay and Lie both are commonly used words in the English language but it is also one of the most confused pair of words in English. Let’s try to understand the difference between these two words.Lie means to recline and lay means to put down.
The distinction is simple. Lay needs an object—something being laid—while lie cannot have an object.
For example, you might lay a book on the table, lay a sweater on the bed, or lay a child in her crib. When you feel tired at the end of the day, you may lie down
The different forms of both the verbs lay and lie are:
Verb
Present Tense
Past tense
Past Participle
Present Participle
Lay
Lay
Laid
Laid
Laying
Lie
Lie
Lay
Lain
Lying
Let’s see few examples to understand the usage of the words in different forms:
Lie
I lie here every day. (He/she/it lies here.)
I lay here yesterday.
I will lie here tomorrow.
I am lying here right now.
I have lain here every day for years.
Lay
I lay my book on the table every night before turning out the light. (He/she lays his/her book on the table.)
I laid my book on the table last night.
I will lay my book on the table tonight.
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