Lie – English Verbs Conjugation

lie lies lying lay

Lie means to be in flat position or say untrue thing. Irregular: lie-lay-lain (recline) OR lie-lied-lied (untruth).

Meanings

To be in flat position
To be located
To say untruth

Common Collocations

lie down lie ahead white lie lie detector let sleeping dogs lie

Tip for Learners

Lie (recline): lie-lay-lain (no object). Lie (untruth): lie-lied-lied. Don't confuse with lay!

Present Simple

I	lie
you	lie
he/she/it	lies
we	lie
they	lie

Examples - Present Simple

I lie on the beach whenever I get the chance.
You lie awake at night worrying about things.
She lies on the couch reading books all weekend.
We lie low when trouble is brewing around us.
They lie in wait for the perfect opportunity.

Present Continuous

I	am lying
you	are lying
he/she/it	is lying
we	are lying
they	are lying

Examples - Present Continuous

I am lying on the sofa watching television now.
You are lying awake thinking about the problem.
He is lying on the grass staring at the clouds.
We are lying low until the situation improves.
They are lying in bed recovering from illness.

Present Perfect

I	have lain
you	have lain
he/she/it	has lain
we	have lain
they	have lain

Examples - Present Perfect

I have lain awake for hours thinking about this.
You have lain on that beach many times before.
She has lain in bed all day with a cold.
We have lain low since the controversy began.
They have lain dormant for centuries until now.

Present Perfect Continuous

I	have been lying
you	have been lying
he/she/it	has been lying
we	have been lying
they	have been lying

Examples - Present Perfect Continuous

I have been lying here for over an hour.
You have been lying awake worrying all night.
He has been lying on the couch since morning.
We have been lying low for several weeks now.
They have been lying in wait for their chance.

Past Simple

I	lay
you	lay
he/she/it	lay
we	lay
they	lay

Examples - Past Simple

I lay on the beach and watched the sunset.
You lay awake all night thinking about it.
She lay on the floor doing yoga stretches.
We lay low during the investigation period.
They lay in the hammocks all afternoon.

Past Continuous

I	was lying
you	were lying
he/she/it	was lying
we	were lying
they	were lying

Examples - Past Continuous

I was lying on the bed when you called me.
You were lying awake when the noise started.
He was lying on the ground after the fall.
We were lying low when the police arrived.
They were lying in the sun all day yesterday.

Past Perfect

I	had lain
you	had lain
he/she/it	had lain
we	had lain
they	had lain

Examples - Past Perfect

I had lain awake for hours before falling asleep.
You had lain there before I even noticed.
She had lain in bed all morning before getting up.
We had lain low before the situation calmed down.
They had lain dormant before being awakened.

Past Perfect Continuous

I	had been lying
you	had been lying
he/she/it	had been lying
we	had been lying
they	had been lying

Examples - Past Perfect Continuous

I had been lying there for hours before help came.
You had been lying awake for days before sleeping.
He had been lying low for months before returning.
We had been lying in wait for the perfect moment.
They had been lying dormant for centuries.

Future Simple

I	will lie
you	will lie
he/she/it	will lie
we	will lie
they	will lie

Examples - Future Simple

I will lie on the beach all day tomorrow.
You will lie awake wondering what went wrong.
She will lie low until the controversy passes.
We will lie in the hammocks and relax.
They will lie dormant until the right conditions.

Future Continuous

I	will be lying
you	will be lying
he/she/it	will be lying
we	will be lying
they	will be lying

Examples - Future Continuous

I will be lying on the beach this time tomorrow.
You will be lying awake thinking about it.
He will be lying in bed recovering from surgery.
We will be lying low during the transition.
They will be lying in wait for their prey.

Future Perfect

I	will have lain
you	will have lain
he/she/it	will have lain
we	will have lain
they	will have lain

Examples - Future Perfect

I will have lain on this beach for a week by then.
You will have lain awake many nights over this.
She will have lain low for months by the time it ends.
We will have lain dormant until the revival.
They will have lain in wait long enough.

Future Perfect Continuous

I	will have been lying
you	will have been lying
he/she/it	will have been lying
we	will have been lying
they	will have been lying

Examples - Future Perfect Continuous

I will have been lying here for hours by then.
You will have been lying awake for days.
He will have been lying low for months.
We will have been lying in wait for years.
They will have been lying dormant for centuries.