MENTIR

TUMBARSE

COLOCAR, PONER

1. “to lie” = mentir. It’s a regular verb, so you only have to add -d, as it ends in -e. This one’s the easy one.

2. “to lie” = tumbarse, estar tumbado, yacer. It’s an irregular verb. The most difficult things here are that:

 its infinitive and gerund forms are the same as in “to lie“(mentir).
 its past simple form, “lay“, coincides with the infinitive form of the verb “to lay“(poner)

3. “to lay something” = poner (la mesa), extender, colocar. It’s an irregular verb, although the spelling of the past
simple, past participle and gerund forms are not difficult to remember. Also, as you can see, “to lay something” is the
only transitive verb of the three, meaning that it “affects” an object (i.e. something)

CONFUSIÓN: ECHARSE O TUMBARSE

Se usan ambos verbos lay y lie pero con diferente matiz:

- LIE: es un verbo INTRANSITIVO = implica que yo me tumbo o el animal se tumba pero no pudo tumbar a
alguien, este verbo no acepta un objeto = es incorrecto decir I lie the baby down for a nap. Sí puedo decir “A
baby lies down in a crib”. Puedes añadirle una preposición de lugar como down, on the couch, in bed…
Otro ejemplo: The eggs lie on the ground.

- LAY: es un verbo TRANSITIVO = implica que alguien pone un objeto o persona a hacer algo.
o A mother lays her baby down for a nap often.
o The chicken laid two eggs.
También significa:

 Estar o estar situado: The house lies in the valley.

 Extenderse: Toys were lying all over the bedroom floor.
 Yacer: Her body lies in that cemetery.
 Radicar, consistir: The problem lies in the fact that he doesn't know how to work with people.

Examples:

1. Don’t lie to me! = ¡No me mientas!

He lied to her parents about his addiction to drugs.
He has lied to me.
He is always lying to everybody.

2. The book lay open on his desk. = El libro estaba abierto sobre su escritorio.
I want to lie all day long.
He has lain in bed.
I am lying in bed.

3. It’s usually me who lays the table at home. = Suelo ser yo el que pone la mesa en casa.
He laid the table yesterday.
He has already laid the table.
He is laying the table at the moment.

More examples:

I am dizzy and need to lie down. Explanation: lie means “to recline.”
When I got dizzy yesterday, I lay down. Explanation: lay is the past tense of lie.

My brother lays carpet for a living. Explanation: lay means “to put or place.”

The book has been lying there for weeks. Explanation: lying is the present participle of to lie. Meaning: estar.

We need to lay this baby down for a nap.

We will know when we have laid this issue to rest when we no longer fight about it. Explanation: laid means “put” or
“placed.”

The lions are lying in wait for their prey. Explanation: see Explanation 4.

The lions have lain in wait for their prey. Explanation: lain is the past participle of to lie.

I laid the blanket over her as she slept. Explanation: laid is the past tense of lay.

I will lay my head on my pillow shortly. NO LIE: pq lay es transitivo y puede llevar objeto (head) mientras que lie no.

Para ampliar sobre expresiones y cosas más complicadas seguir leyendo aquí: https://www.grammar-
quizzes.com/lie-lay.html