In this mini episode, you will learn something that confuses many native English speakers: how to use the words “lie” and “lay.”
Episode 356 of the Everybody ESL podcast is a mini episode that teaches you something that confuses many native English speakers: how to use the words “lie” and “lay.” Send your questions about English and your comments and suggestions to EverybodyESL@gmail.com! (And let me know if you’d like to record the introduction to a future episode.)
Intro
“Hello, everyone! This is Mia, from South Korea. You are listening to Everybody ESL.”
Welcome to episode 356 of Everybody ESL, the podcast for everybody who wants to improve their English, practice their English, or just learn more English. My name is Ben, and I have a mini episode for you today, where I am going to teach you about one English topic. You can subscribe to the Everybody ESL podcast at Apple podcasts and wherever you find your podcasts. If you like Everybody ESL, leave it a good review so other people can find out about it too. And if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions for me, please send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. Okay! Let’s get on with this mini episode.
The episode
In this episode, I am going to teach you about two very similar but also very different words. These words can be very confusing. They can be confusing even to native English speakers.
The two words are lie and lay. Lie and lay. That’s l-i-e and l-a-y. Lie and lay. Before I get to the really confusing part, let me just quickly explain what these two words mean.
Let’s start with lie. Lie means “to put yourself in a flat position.” Or it can also mean “to be in a flat position.” That’s why you can lie in bed, or you can lie on the sofa, or you can lie on the beach.
Lay is very similar. But instead of putting yourself in a flat position, you are putting something else in a flat position, or you are putting something else on a surface. And that’s why you can say something like, “I will lay the books on the table.” Or “I will lay the baby in the bed.”
When we use lie, we are talking about what someone does to himself or herself. And when we use lay, we are talking about what someone does to something else.
One way we can describe this difference is by saying that lie is an intransitive verb. That means it does not use a direct object. And lay is a transitive verb. It always has a direct object.
You might find that confusing already. And if you do, I think you’re going to find this next part even more confusing. Because when we look at the past tense forms of the verbs lie and lay, things can get confusing.
The past tense form of lie is lay. Lay. The past tense form of lie is lay. L-i-e. That is spelled the same as the present tense form of that other word, lay. And so, in the present tense, we could say, “I often lie on the sofa.” I often lie on the sofa. But, in the past tense, we would say, “When I was a kid, I often lay on the sofa.” When I was a kid, I often lay on the sofa. Because the past tense of the verb lie is lay.
Okay. Well then, what is the past tense of the verb lay? The past tense of the verb lay is laid. And that is spelled l-a-i-d. Laid. “Yesterday, I laid the clean clothes on the bed.” Yesterday, I laid the clean clothes on the bed. The past tense of lay is laid.
And now, just to make things even more confusing, let me tell you about the other forms of these two verbs. This is the form that you will see in these so-called perfect tenses: present perfect, past perfect, and future perfect.
The present perfect form of the verb lie is lain. Lain. L-a-i-n. “I have often lain on this sofa.” I have often lain on this sofa.
I should tell you, I don’t think you will hear very many people use the word lain. I think maybe lain is going away. I think maybe people use a different form for those perfect tenses of the verb lie. I think you will often hear people use the word laid for the present perfect, the past perfect, and the future perfect of lie. “I have often laid on the sofa.”
And finally, the perfect tenses of the verb lay use the word laid. “I have laid the books on the table.” I have laid the books on the table.
Now, let me tell you a little trick. If you really have trouble remembering these different forms, if these two words seem too similar, and it is just so confusing that you would like a different word to use, I have good news for you:
I think often, instead of using the word lay when we are talking about objects—when we are talking about putting objects down—you can often use the word set. In other words, “I will set the books on the table. Yesterday I set the books on the table. I have often set books on this table.”
One good thing about this word is it doesn’t change in those different tenses. It’s always set. Set. And the word put works the same way. It’s always the word put. So, instead of using the word lay with an object, I think you can usually use the words set or put.
That is lie and lay, a very confusing topic that I think you should know.
Outro
This is the end of episode 356 of Everybody ESL. Remember: if you have questions about English, or if you have comments for me, or if you would like to record an introduction that I can play at the beginning of future episodes—the same way Mia recorded the introduction you heard at the beginning of this episode—send an email to EverybodyESL@gmail.com. I’ll be back soon with a new episode. And until then, keep going, keep practicing, and keep learning. I’ll see you soon. Goodbye!