The words lie, lye, lay, etc.

Question

Yes, I consider myself to be fluent in English as it is my native tongue, but after reading Gekkosan's post, I find myself questioning the spelling of these words and I know they have to be confusing to some Spanish speakers.

Will somebody please spell out these words and what they mean so that I can finally get them clear in my head. Oddly enough, I never mix up their, there, and they're

Thanks!!

Also, include past tenses

Answer 1

lie, lye, lay

Lie - A lie (also called prevarication, falsehood) is a type of deception in the form of an untruthful statement, especially with the intention to deceive others, often with the further intention to maintain a secret or reputation, protect someone's feelings or to avoid a punishment or repercussion ...

Lye - Lye is a corrosive alkaline substance, commonly sodium hydroxide (NaOH, also known as 'caustic soda') or historically potassium hydroxide (KOH, from hydrated potash). Previously, lye was among the many different alkalis leached from hardwood ashes. ...

Lay - put in a horizontal position; "lay the books on the table"; "lay the patient carefully onto the bed"

Answer 2

there isn't a verb such as "lye" There are "lie and lay"

Lie : (1) make an intentionally untruthful statement

Past form: lied

past participle: lied

continuous form : lying

Lie: (2) be in a horizontal position

Past form: lay

past participle: lain

continuous form: lying

Lay: to put or set down

past form: laid

past participle: laid

continuous form: laying

moreover; Lye (which is not a verb) : a strong solution of sodium or potassium hydroxide

Answer 3

lie = speak something you know is untrue.

lye = caustic substance

lay = to position (horizontally) yourself on a surface, or to place down

Answer 4

an alternate definition of lie: position or situations Examples: You use lie in expressions such as lie ahead, lie in store, and lie in wait when you are talking about what someone is going to experience in the future, especially when it is something unpleasant or difficult. Verb # The lie of an object or area is its position or the way that it is arranged. Noun (singular)

The actual site of a city is determined by the natural lie of the land.

From the Google god dictionary

Answer 5

Lay

lay= transitive verb meaning to place present tense

laid=past tense, past participle

`````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````` Lie

lie=intransitive verb meaning to lie down

lay=past tense of lie

lain=past participle of lie

Sorry, as others have pointed out, "lye" is only a "corrosive, alkaline subtance", not a verb of any kind. - amykay, Jun 18, 2010