Lay vs Lie

Question

This is from a blog of a friend of mine. I wonder why she first used "lay" and then "lie". Are they used correctly?
" It could almost be a scene from an Indiana Jones movie, but it’s not – what lays before my eyes is real, I can touch it, feel it, and smell it. I stumbled by a pre-Hellenistic stone sarcophagus resting on the forest floor. It had a hole in the front of it, as most that are unearthed do, from grave robbers long ago. Maybe it was the pirates? Or the Greeks? Or the Romans? In these bits of unknown history lies the mystery."

Rover_KE · Accepted Answer

It should be 'what lies before my eyes is real'.

JohnBoz · Answer

what lies before me - is correct as the above poster mentioned.

history lies the mystery - correct

(of something abstract) Reside or be found

- the solution lies in a return to “traditional family values.”

Agarista · Answer

Thank you Rover and JohnBoz!<img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>  I actually looked up the two verbs and their forms and it took me a while to figure it out, but I think I finally understood their use and meaning. I should have done this a long time ago!

Anonymous · Answer

What is confusing about these verbs is that some of the forms are identical, and some forms look similar or sound similar:

Lie (intransitive):

Present tense:

I lie down.
You lie down.
He lies down.

We lie down.
You lie down.
They lie down.

Past tense:

I lay down for a while.
You lay down for a while.
He lay down for a while.

We lay down for a while.
You lay down for a while.
They lay down for a while.

Present Perfect:

I have lain down for a while.
You have lain down for a while.
He has lain down for a while.

We have lain down for a while.
You have lain down for a while.
They have lain down for a while.

Lay (transitive):

Present:

I lay the book on the table.
You lay the book on the table.
He lays the book on the table.

We lay the book on the table.
You lay the book on the table.
They lay the book on the table.

Past:

I laid the book on the table.
You laid the book on the table.
He laid the book on the table.

We laid the book on the table.
You laid the book on the table.
They laid the book on the table.

Present Perfect:

I have laid the book on the table.
You have laid the book on the table.
He has laid the book on the table.

We have laid the book on the table.
You have laid the book on the table.
They have laid the book on the table.

Anonymous · Answer

To further comment on this, it's easy for even native speakers to confuse these verbs - lie, intransitive, meaning to recline, and lay, transitive, meaning to put in place - because there are other verbs that have identical forms or forms that are similar or similar-sounding. For example, there is the verb "to lie," an intransitive or transitive verb, meaning to fib. Its forms are:

Present:

I lie to him.
You lie to him.
He lies to him.

We lie to him.
You lie to him.
They lie to him.

Past:

I lied to him.
You lied to him.
He lied to him.

We lied to him.
You lied to him.
They lied to him.

Present continuous:

I am lying to him.
You are lying to him.
He is lying to him.

We are lying to him.
You are lying to him.
They are lying to him.

Note that the present continuous form is the same as for the verb "to lie," meaning to recline: I am lying on the couch. You are lying on the couch., etc. Thus, the mind can be tricked into subconsciously associating these two verbs as "the same." So this can lead to the error of saying that the past of "to lie (recline)" is laid, like the past of "to lie (fib)" is lied. So people often say: I laid down on the couch. He laid down on the couch. Etc. But these forms are ungrammatical.

However, to confuse things further, if the situation is reflexive, then a direct object is provided, which is the speaker himself, and then the verb is actually "to lay." So in that situation it is correct to say: "I laid myself down on the couch." "He laid himself down on the couch."

Another element of confusion is that there is a noun, "layer," and a transitive verb, "layer." For example:

"I have a hundred layers in the chicken house."

"I'm going to layer her hair. It's the latest style."

"I layered her hair in the latest style."

Thus it's easy for the mind to be tricked into thinking that there is a verb form, "layed." For example:

"He layed brick after brick in successive layers."

"One of my new layers just layed an egg."

But there is no such word as "layed."

Agarista · Answer

Anonymous, thank you so much for the explanations! You should register for the forum.<img class='emoticon' style='Width:19px;Height:19px;' data-delaysrc='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' src='https://uat-englishforward-forums-backend.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/Emoticons/1.gif' alt='Emotion: smile'/>

KJinCali79 · Answer

I agree, the first sentence should have used "lies."

Lay is a transitive verb and takes a direct object. "I will lay the rug onto the floor."
Lie is an intransitive verb and cannot be used with a direct object. "Lie down with me." "Lie in bed all day." Or in the case of your friend's blog... "[Blank] lie(s) before my eyes."

The challenge is that the past tense of "lie" is also "lay", but the past tense of the transitive verb "lay" is "laid." For this reason many native speakers confuse these two words.

Lay vs Lie

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