"To lay" means "to put something down flat," and "to lie" means "to be flat on a surface." The main distinction is that lay is transitive and requires an object to act upon, whereas lie is intransitive and describes something that is already moving or in position. Because lay is the past tense of lie and laid is the past tense of lay, the pair can be confusing beyond the present tense. If you care about writing and speaking clearly, however, keeping them straight will strengthen your communication skills, so here's the lowdown. "To place (something or someone) down in a flat position" is the most common definition of lay. "To be in a flat position on a surface," is the definition of lie. Lay is transitive; it necessitates the presence of an object; something or someone must be placed: Lay it down. On the other hand, lying is a nontransitive verb. You can lie down there because it's for something or someone moving on their own or something that's already in place. You can lie there all day if you want to.

Nijo Nicholas

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