Confusable pair · B2
Lay or lie?
Lay needs an object: you lay something down. Lie does not: you lie down yourself. The tenses are what trip people up. Lie goes lie, lay, lain, and lay goes lay, laid, laid — so the past of lie is spelled the same as the present of lay. If you can ask "lay what?" and get an answer, you want lay.
Which word, and why
- lay
takes an object: lay / laid / laid
To put something down carefully.
lay the table · lay it down · laid the foundations
- lie
takes no object: lie / lay / lain
To be or get into a horizontal position.
lie down · lying on the sofa · the town lies south of here
Now use it
5 items from this page. Nothing is saved anywhere but your own browser.
Item 1 of 5
Just down for half an hour and see if the headache passes.
Related
C1Elicit or illicit?What is the difference between elicit and illicit?C1Flout or flaunt?What is the difference between flout and flaunt?C1Credible, credulous or creditable?What is the difference between credible, credulous and creditable?C1Notable or notorious?What is the difference between notable and notorious?