VERBONKSPlay freeLie past tense and past participlelie · lay · lain
The past participle (the 3rd form) of lie is lain and the past simple is lay. The three forms are lie, lay, lain. Not "lied"! lie is an irregular verb, so it doesn't add -ed.
Lie in a sentence
The dog lay in the sun all day.
| Tense | Example |
|---|---|
| Present simple | I lie · she lies |
| Present continuous | I am lying · they are lying |
| Past simple | I lay · she lay · they lay |
| Past simple, negative | I didn't lie · she didn't lie |
| Past simple, question | Did you lie? · Did she lie? |
| Present perfect | I have lain · she has lain |
| Past perfect | I had lain |
| Future | I will lie |
Common mistakes with lie
✗ I lied✓ I lay✗ I didn't lay✓ I didn't lie✗ Did you lay?✓ Did you lie?✗ I have lay✓ I have lain
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
lie significa estar tumbado, yacer. Pasado: lay. Participio: lain.
🤪 lie runs with The Weirdos
each one is its own thing
The Weirdos don't belong to any family, so they made their own. find → found, tell → told, stand → stood, sit → sat, lose → lost. read is the strangest of all: it keeps the same spelling but changes its voice (reed → red). And lie? Its past is lay, which is also a different verb. Nobody trusts lie.
🔎 How to spot one: No shared rule. Each one has its own story, so meet them one by one.
This gang has no pattern: each verb has its own forms, so learn them one by one:
| Base | Past | Participle |
|---|---|---|
| find | found | found |
| tell | told | told |
| hold | held | held |
| stand | stood | stood |
| sit | sat | sat |
| lose | lost | lost |
| read | read | read |
| lie | lay | lain |
Questions about lie
What is the past tense of lie?
The past simple of "lie" is "lay". Example: The dog lay in the sun all day.
What is the past participle of lie?
The past participle (3rd form, V3) of "lie" is "lain", as in "I have lain".
What are the 3 forms of lie?
V1 lie, V2 lay, V3 lain.
Is lie a regular or an irregular verb?
"lie" is an irregular verb: the past is not "lied" but "lay".
¿Cuál es el pasado y el participio de lie?
"lie" significa "estar tumbado, yacer". Pasado: lay. Participio: lain.