What is the past tense of the word lay?

Question

It seems like layed but I know that that is wrong. Is is she lie down or she lay down or something else?

The sentence is: He pushed him off the bed and promptly ??? down on the spot where Jimmy had been moments before.
The ??? are the lay/lie word.

Answer 1

No, no, no! The only past tense of "to lay" is 'laid'. American Heritage Dictionary says "laid: Past tense and past participle of lay".

But in your sample sentence, you're asking for the past tense of "to lie". THAT past tense is "lay." (Amer. Her. Dic. at http://www.bartleby.com/61/51/L0155100.html )


A bit of explanation:
"to lay" applies when you're putting down some object. "to lie" applies when you're putting YOURSELF to bed, etc.

For "TO LAY" the forms are: 1. You LAY the book on the table. (present tense) 2. You LAID the book on the table. (past tense, which is what you asked for) 3. You HAVE LAID the book on the table. (past participle)

For "TO LIE" the forms are: 1. You LIE down. (present tense) 2. You LAY down. (past tense) 3. You HAVE LAIN down. (past participle)

Answer 2

Past Tense Of Lay

Answer 3

Lay is the simple past tense of the word lie as you're using it. "The concept lay in the mind of the philosopher(for some years, for instance )". "The concept lies in the mind of the philosopher as he takes a walk". Lay is also a present tense, but it means to put something down, that something is acted upon by something or someone else, as in "I lay these gifts at your feet". If I was meaning that I did that yesterday, I'd say "I laid these gifts at your feet". Many people have, understandably, some confusion over those. To lie: Present---you lie down on the floor. Past---you lay down on the floor. The book lies there now, and the book lay there all day yesterday too. To lay: Present---I lay down the book as we speak. Past---I laid down the book as we spoke.

Answer 4

In the sentence you have given, you are looking for the past tense of the verb "to lie", not "to lay".

The word you want is "lay" - ...and promptly lay down...
.

Answer 5

Present: Lie; Past : Lay
Present: Lay(eggs); Past: Laid

Answer 6

This is a bit complicated. If you are talking about a person, you use lie for present and lay for past, like this:

"Right now, I lie on the bed."

"Yesterday I lay on the bed."

If you are talking about setting down an object, you use lay for present and laid for past, like this:

"Right now, I lay my pencil on the table."

"Yesterday I laid my pencil on the table."

See my sources below for more information.

Answer 7

The past tense of lay is laid.

Answer 8

lay
lain
layed
lie
lied
louse

Answer 9

i lie
i lay
i had lain


lay is the past tense of the verb "to lie"

Answer 10

lie, Like "go lie down"