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.)

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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