Past Tense of Lie | Definitions, Explanation & Examples
Lie is a verb that means “be in a horizontal position.” It is an irregular verb with the simple past tense form lay (e.g., “The cat lay on the mat”) and the past participle lain (e.g., “The snow had lain undisturbed for days”).
Lie is also used with the meaning “be in place” (e.g., “The first aid kit lay ready for immediate use”) or as a synonym for “be” (e.g., “The answer lay in the notebook”).
| Past tense of lie | Past participle of lie |
|---|---|
| The commandos lay hidden in the long grass, waiting for the patrol to appear.
I was so tired I lay down the moment I reached home. The destination lay just over the horizon. |
From the moment he had lain on the bed, he had slept.
The virus had lain dormant for years, but now it was active and dangerous. The guilt had lain on his shoulders for longer than he could remember. |
The QuillBot Paraphraser can help you rephrase sentences to avoid ambiguity and mistakes.
Past tense of lie
The past tense of lie is lay. You will sometimes see “layed” or “lied” used as the past tense, but these are always incorrect in this context.
The route home lay to the east into the teeth of a freezing wind.
As advised by his handlers, the senator went home and lay low for a few days.
- Yesterday I lay the pen on the table.
- Yesterday I laid the pen on the table.
- I laid down to sleep.
- I lay down to sleep.
Past participle of lie
The past participle of lie is lain. You quite often see or hear “laid” or “layed,” but these are always incorrect for the verb lie.
It was a momentous occasion as the submariners first discovered where the wreck had lain undiscovered for so long.
Abigail refused to answer the door once she had lain down for the night.
Frequently asked questions about the past tense of lie
- What is the past tense of lie down?
-
The simple past tense of lie is “lay.” So the past tense of the phrasal verb lie down is lay down (e.g., “Little Timmy came in and lay down on the sofa”).
“Lay” is also the infinitive form of another verb meaning “put down gently.” However, while “lie” (and its past tense form “lay”) is never accompanied by a direct object, “lay” (meaning “put down”) is transitive, so it is always accompanied by a direct object.
The simple past tense of the phrasal verb “lay down,” meaning “put down” or “enforce,” is “laid down” (e.g., “Asmita laid down the rules for the camp”) because “laid” is the past tense of lay.
The QuillBot Grammar Checker can help ensure you’re using phrasal verbs like “lie down” correctly.
- Is it lyed or lied?
-
The simple past tense of the verb lie, meaning “tell an untruth,” is lied.
The simple past tense of lie meaning “place yourself in a horizontal position” is “lay.”
“Lyed” can be used as an adjective that means “prepared with lye,” but it is uncommon.
You can use the QuillBot Grammar Checker to make sure you’re using verbs like “lied” correctly.
- Is it lied down or laid down?
-
The phrase “lied down” is never correct, and “laid down” is only correct if there is a direct object of the verb (e.g., “He laid down the first course of bricks before night fell.”).
Laid is the simple past tense and past participle of the verb “lay” which means “place something or someone in a horizontal position” (e.g., “Suzi made sure she had laid the tiles carefully, as mistakes would be costly”).
This form should not be confused with the verb lay, which is the simple past tense of lie, meaning “be in a horizontal position” (e.g., “I lay down and fell asleep”).
The QuillBot Grammar Checker is an easy way to make sure you’re using phrasal verbs like “laid down” correctly.
