Irregular VerbsPast tense of “lie”: lay, lain
The verb “lie” is irregular: its past simple is “lay” and its past participle is “lain”.
Base form (V1)
lie
/laɪ/
Past simple (V2)
lay
/leɪ/
Past participle (V3)
lain
/leɪn/
Meaning
to rest your body flat, like on a bed (its past tense "lay" is spelled just like the verb "lay" — putting something down — but they're different words)
Example
The cat lay in the sun.
Pattern
ABC — all three forms are different
Learn all 200 irregular verbs in Verblex
Short lessons, spaced repetition and audio for every form. Free to download, works offline.
Get it on Google Play