Look, this one is tricky. I imagine eventually this will evolve to being the same conjugations for both verbs, but for now, here’s the table:
| Infinitive | Definition | Present | Past | Past Participle | Present progressive |
| Lay | to put or place | lay(s) | laid | laid | laying |
| Lie | to reset or recline | lie(s) | lay | lain | lying |
Some examples for illustration:
You need to lie down. (present tense lie)
I lay her gently on the bed. (present tense lay)
I lay down on the carpet to cry. (past tense lie)
He laid me down on the sofa. (past tense lay)
Before I left, I had lain down for an hour. (past perfect lie)
He had laid it down on the table gently before running away. (past perfect lay)
She is lying down. (present progressive lie)
I am laying the sword down now. (present progressive lay)
Then there’s to lie, as in to tell whoppers:
I lie to her regularly, I lied to her yesterday, I will lie to her tomorrow, I have lied consistently, I’m lying to her right now.
See also Brittanica.