Irregular verb
lay
/leɪ/
- Base
- lay
- Past simple
- laid
- Past participle
- laid
Usage
lay takes an object (you lay something down) and its past form is laid — don't confuse it with lie, which takes no object and becomes lay in the past.
Meaning
- to put something down carefully in a flat position
Example
She laid the blanket on the grass.
He laid the plates on the table.
The workers have laid new tiles in the kitchen.
Teaching note
Lay means put something down and normally takes an object. Its forms are lay, laid, laid, which overlap confusingly with the past of lie.
Common mistake
Do not use lay for reclining without an object: ‘I will lay down’ is nonstandard when nothing is being placed.
Correction: Say ‘Lay the book down’ because book is the object, but ‘I will lie down’ when the subject reclines.