VERBONKSPlay freeLay past tense and past participlelay · laid · laid
The past participle (the 3rd form) of lay is laid and the past simple is laid. The three forms are lay, laid, laid. Not "layed"! lay is an irregular verb, so it doesn't add -ed.
Lay in a sentence
The hen laid an egg on my keyboard.
| Tense | Example |
|---|---|
| Present simple | I lay · she lays |
| Present continuous | I am laying · they are laying |
| Past simple | I laid · she laid · they laid |
| Past simple, negative | I didn't lay · she didn't lay |
| Past simple, question | Did you lay? · Did she lay? |
| Present perfect | I have laid · she has laid |
| Past perfect | I had laid |
| Future | I will lay |
Common mistakes with lay
✗ I layed✓ I laid✗ I didn't laid✓ I didn't lay✗ Did you laid?✓ Did you lay?✗ I have lay✓ I have laid
After didn't and in questions with did, use the base form. After have / has / had, use the past participle.
❓ Test yourself: 10-question quizEn español
lay significa poner, colocar. Pasado: laid. Participio: laid.
💸 lay runs with The Paid Gang
pay · paid · paid
The Paid Gang had a dream: become good citizens and just add -ed. But they could only afford a -d. "Payed"? "Sayed"? Never. They squeeze in the cheap ending: pay → paid, say → said, make → made, have → had, hear → heard. Watch the y: in the past it turns into an i, like a bad disguise.
🔎 How to spot one: Past and participle are twins ending in -d. A y becomes an i: pay → paid.
Irregular verbs come in gangs that change the same way. Learn one and you can guess the rest of the gang:
| Base | Past | Participle |
|---|---|---|
| pay | paid | paid |
| say | said | said |
| lay | laid | laid |
| make | made | made |
| have | had | had |
| hear | heard | heard |
Questions about lay
What is the past tense of lay?
The past simple of "lay" is "laid". Example: The hen laid an egg on my keyboard.
What is the past participle of lay?
The past participle (3rd form, V3) of "lay" is "laid", as in "I have laid".
What are the 3 forms of lay?
V1 lay, V2 laid, V3 laid.
Is lay a regular or an irregular verb?
"lay" is an irregular verb: the past is not "layed" but "laid".
¿Cuál es el pasado y el participio de lay?
"lay" significa "poner, colocar". Pasado: laid. Participio: laid.