Lie vs. Lay
The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation
Lie vs. Lay
To support your effort to solve lie vs. lay once and for all, we have prepared the following table. You can bookmark this page and revisit it whenever you find yourself stuck on lie vs. lay. With repetition and time, you may find yourself advancing from a lie vs. lay trainee to a lie vs. lay master.
As a starting guideline, remember that lie means either “to recline” or “to tell a falsehood.” It also is an intransitive verb (i.e., it does not take a direct object).
The verb lay means “to put or place.” It is a transitive verb (i.e., it takes a direct object).
Lie vs. Lay Usage Chart
|
Present |
Past |
Past Participle |
|
|
To recline |
lie, lying |
lay |
has/have/had lain |
|
To put or place |
lay, laying |
laid |
has/have/had laid something |
|
To tell a falsehood |
lie, lying |
lied |
has/have/had lied |
Examples: lie (“to recline”)
I lie down for a nap at two o’clock each day. (present tense)
I am lying down for a nap at two o’clock today. (present tense)
Yesterday I lay down for a nap. (past tense)
I have lain down for a nap each day this week. (past participle)
Examples: lay (“to put or place”)
Lay the book on the desk, please. (present tense)
You are laying the book on the desk. (present tense)
You laid the book on the desk. (past tense)
You have laid the book on the desk. (past participle)
Examples: lie (“to tell a falsehood”)
I am tempted to lie about being late. (present tense)
I am lying about being late. (present tense)
I lied about being late. (past tense)
I have lied about being late. (past participle)
Pop Quiz
Reinforce your understanding of lie vs. lay by choosing the correct form of the verb in each sentence.
1. The foundation for the house has been [laid / lain] .
2. I really wish you would stop [laying / lying] about where you put the cookie jar.
3. If you’re looking for Sam, he’s [laying / lying] rolls of new sod in the backyard.
4. Why are all of you just [laying / lying] around when there’s so much work to be done?
5. That cat is known to have [laid / lain] on its favorite pillow for more than four hours straight.
Pop Quiz Answers
1. The foundation for the house has been laid.
2. I really wish you would stop lying about where you put the cookie jar.
3. If you’re looking for Sam, he’s laying rolls of new sod in the backyard.
4. Why are all of you just lying around when there’s so much work to be done?
5. That cat is known to have lain on its favorite pillow for more than four hours straight.
Are you ready for the quiz?
If the article or the existing discussions do not address a thought or question you have on the subject, please use the "Comment" box at the bottom of this page.
Your information is useful but still does not answer the basic question. Is the book I laid on the table laying or lying. Is the cup I set near the sink setting or sitting? I would most appreciate having this matter clarified.
The book is lying on the table.
The cup is sitting near the sink.
The book is lying on the table. Think of laying as the action of doing something to something else. After laying the book down, it is now lying there.
Also here is another good example: I am lying down for a nap after laying my son down for his nap. He is finallly lying down and sleeping.
What is the past tense of “The book is lying on the table” ? Without it being progressive? Or rather what is the past tense of “The book lies on the table”? Is that right?
The past tense is written “The book lay on the table.” Please see the chart above.
The diamond lies asleep at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.
So, then lies should be replaced with lay?
Present tense: The diamond lies asleep at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.
Past tense: The diamond lay asleep at the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico.
It’s laying because lying is either to tell a falsehood or to rest or recline, but not to lay meaning to set an object down.
You may have misunderstood Theresa’s question. I am laying the book on the table. The book is lying on the table.
I hear people say, “He was laying on the ground.” He is lying on the ground.” I have been lying in the bed all day.” Which or any correct?
I don’t see much about laying or lying in the grammar books.
Correct: He was lying on the ground. I have been lying in bed all day. I have a full explanation on this page: Lay vs. Lie.
If “he is lying on the ground” how can we be sure whether he is telling falsehoods from this place or merely prone? If “he is laying on the ground” is incorrect grammar, then how does correct grammar help clarify the statement and thus justify our attention to it?
Sometimes it is up to the writer to construct the sentence in a way that clarifies the meaning, although you may be one of the only persons in the world who would interpret the meaning of the sentence to be that the person is telling falsehoods on the ground.
I just read a newspaper article on an in-custody death, which stated, “Mr. [X’s] lifeless body can be seen lying on the ground…” That, in my estimation would be correct; however, my question is, if the police placed the body on the ground wouldn’t the correct term be “lay”as in, “The officer lay the lifeless body onto the ground…and the corpse can be see lying there?
If the policeman placed the body on the ground, write “The officer laid the lifeless body on the ground.”
“One of the only”
is a meaningless phrase!
Some people are annoyed by one of the only, but it is an established idiom.
Thank you, Jane.
I laid my head on the pillow. Is this correct? This is confusing.
Yes, it is confusing. And, yes, you are correct. You should write
I lay my head on the pillow. (present tense)
I will lay my head on the pillow. (future tense)
I laid my head on the pillow. (past tense)
As in, “now I lay me down to sleep.” ?
Yes, for more information please see our reply of November 18, 2014, to Mary Moore.
I lay the tree on the car. The car was lying on top of me. Right?
Yes, both your examples are correct.
Not so fast! “I lay the tree on the car” is present tense. “The car was lying on top of me” is past tense. That is confusing. The pairs are (in my view):
I lay the tree on the car. The car is lying on top of me.
I laid the tree on the car. The car was lying on top of me.
Clear as mud?
We interpreted Jinx’s question as asking whether his two sentences were grammatically correct, not whether his sentences were the same tense.
We should all note that “I lay the tree on the car,” while grammatically correct, is an odd sentence.
Why are “things” lying? I thought it would be laying. Is it because there is an object that they are “lying” on?
thanks.
When writing about things rather than people, it is helpful to think of the word lying meaning “resting.” For example, in the sentence “The cards were lying face down,” lying is the correct form of the verb lie, meaning “to recline or rest.” The verb lie does not take an object. The verb lay does take an object, as in the sentence “I was laying the cards face down.” In that sentence, the word cards is an object.
Sorry, still confused. Which is correct?
Know where the sandbars lie.
Know where the sandbars lay.
The verb lie does not take an object. In the present tense, the verb lay does take an object. Examples:
I will lay the book on the table.
The book will lie on the table.
(I, you, we, they) know where the sandbars lie.
I know these comments are old, but nearly every English sentence can be written in a way that is just as clear but avoids these issues.
I will lay the book on the table.
I will put the book on the table.
I will set the book on the table.
The book will lie on the table.
The book will be on the table.
The book will rest on the table.
You will find the book on the table.
(I, you, we, they) know where the sandbars lie.
(I, you, we, they) know where the sandbars are.
Just trying to eschew obfuscation.
(Yeah, I know that wasn’t a complete sentence, but conversational English is very adept at leaving the subject implied.)
That is an interesting observation, but it is our job to help people learn how to use the confusing words correctly. Although rewording a sentence is an easy fix, it is not always acceptable, especially in an academic situation. We prefer not to avoid certain words just because they are difficult.
You are to place objects, anything that will lie flat, on the paper.
Is this use of lie, lay, correct?
Yes, that is correct.
Does one say, “He has a sore back. It hurts to lie on but does not wake him up at night.”
The sentence is fine grammatically, but it’s a bit awkward. You might consider rewording to “He has a sore back. It hurts to lie on it, but it does not wake him up at night.” OR
“He has a sore back. It hurts to lie down, but it does not wake him up at night.”
Which is correct:
Rusty has decided to lay next to me this evening.
Rusty has decided to lie next to me this evening.
Rusty has decided to lie next to me this evening.
Therein lies the opportunity.
Therein lays the opportunity.
which is correct and why?
The verb lie does not take an object. In the present tense, the verb lay does take an object. There is no direct object in your sentence. It is just an inverted sentence. If you turn the sentence around, it reads “The opportunity lies therein.”
Therein lies the opportunity.
Great explanation! I remember “learning” this in grammar class…
I was actually checking out some apostrophe stuff, but saw the link and decided to get some things cleared up once and for all!
Just to make sure I did, is this sentence correct?
“As I lay in bed sleeping, my mother had laid a glass on the table, but she later lied and said it had lain there since before I fell asleep. Now when I lie down to sleep, I lay the glass somewhere she can’t find it, and lie to her, saying she laid it down and lost it!”
Yes, your sentences are correct.
Is it: I am laying in bed or I am lying in bed?
I am lying in bed.
Am i using ‘lie’ correctly here?
In this simple desire of an orphan lie the deep issues of settlement….
Yes.
Is this the correct use of lie?
“…that deep inside lies the nourishment to get us through the struggle.”
Yes, it is correct.
My competitive advantage lays in the breadth of experience and diversity in various roles. Is this correct?
Since your sentence is in the present tense and “lays” does not have a direct object, use the verb lies.
So, which is correct?
Being the inquisitive child that he was, he opened the bag and in it lie a spread of dog-eared sports magazines.
Being the inquisitive child that he was, he opened the bag and in it laid a spread of dog-eared sports magazines
The past tense of lie is lay, therefore write “Being the inquisitive child that he was, he opened the bag and in it lay a spread of dog-eared sports magazines.”
“Cats used to be in charge of the world but put humans in charge so they could lay around.”
That seems wrong to me. Should it be “so they could lie around?”
For some reason I seem to remember that humans lie down, but objects and animals lay down. Now idea where that came from but my mother was a Grammar Nazi, so I’m thinking she is the one who said it. According to what I read now, though, that isn’t correct.
Both humans and animals “lie down” or “lie around,” therefore the word lie is correct in your sentence.
I lie down. I lay the book down. My cat Zoey lies down. The discussion centered on whether lie or lay is correct for animals. What is correct?
While I am asking, “on average” and “went missing” both seem wrong. Is it just my age?
Both humans and animals “lie down.”
The terms “on average” and “went missing” are idioms. An idiom is an expression that might not be understood from the meanings of its separate words but that has a separate meaning of its own. “On average” means “typically” and the definition of “went missing” is “disappeared.” We spent some time in July 2013 exploring the idiom “went missing.” Please see our blogs “The Media Made Me Do It” and “I’ll Be Hanged! Or, Have I Just Gone Missing?”
My impulse is to say “This is where their priorities lie.” but if I’m interpreting your chart correctly, it should say “This is where their priorities lay.”, which sounds awkward to me. Which is the correct use for an abstract such as “priorities”?
Since the sentence is present tense and there is no object, the correct word is lie.
“This is where their priorities lie.”
“Their priorities lie here.”
I don’t understand your response to the question above regarding “priorities lie/lay with…”
Which part of the chart are you using to come to your conclusion?
Thank you!
We are using the first example of present tense in the chart. When writing about things rather than people, it is helpful to think of the word lie meaning “rest or recline.” This is where their priorities lie (rest).
The idea to start a poetry website was laid upon by my brother. Is it correct??
This is an unusual usage of lay/lie and selecting the correct tense is not likely to help this sentence much. Were you thinking of “stumbled upon”? Other alternatives could be:
The idea to start a poetry website was initiated by my brother.
My brother had the idea to start a poetry website.
Please explain grammar rules for : Now I lay me down to sleep… Thank you!
With a little poetic license, the sentence is grammatical, but “myself” would replace “me” in modern English. The verb lay is transitive; “lay myself down” is akin to “lie down.”
Is this correct?
“That means you know what dangers lie in her path.”
Thank you!
Yes, lie is correct.
Which is correct?
The patient was unable to lay flat on his back.
The patient was unable to lie flat on his back.
The patient was unable to lie flat on his back.
Where does the opportunity lie?
Your sentence is correct.
So humans and animals lie, and inanimate objects lay? Are both of the following sentences correct?
“The set of glasses laid unused in the cupboard.”
“The man laid on the couch.”
The determination of usage is not as simple as humans and animals vs. inanimate objects. One must also consider the tense used, as well as whether a direct object follows lie or lay. The following are correct as indicated by the chart in the blog:
The set of glasses lie unused in the cupboard. (“to recline or rest,” present tense, no direct object)
The man lay down on the couch. (“to recline or rest,” past tense, no direct object)
Does a carcass lay or lie?
Use lie for present tense and lay for past tense.
“What lie in her wake did not feel like love.”
or lay?
Use the past tense lay.
They lay there for some time. Does that sound correct?
That is correct.
I was listening to a hockey announcer say about a goalkeeper “he just laid there”
is that correct?
Should it be “he just lay there.”
You are correct. The past tense is lay.
I had always learned that animate objects “lie”, whole inanimate objects “lay”.
“I lay (laid) the book on the table, before lying down for a nap.”
Your sentence is correct with the word laid, however, your theory is incorrect. Consider these examples:
The books lie where you left them.
The chair is lying on its side.
Also, please see our reply of January 27, 2015, to Debbie in this blog for an explanation.
When speaking to the dog do you say
Lay down or lie down as a command
My partner tells the dog to ‘lay down’
Is that correct or is it correct to tell the dog
‘Lie down’ as a command
“Lie down” is correct.
So after reading the comments I’m guessing one would tell their dog to lie down as in “Fido lie down” or “Fido go lie down”. Is that correct?
The word lie is correct, however, we recommend a comma after the name Fido, as you are addressing him directly.
I have a sentence in which I’m not sure which form is correct. Could you please help?
“We walked until we saw a fire (lain?) beneath the stars.”
I think the structure of the sentence is throwing me off.
Grammatically, “lying” is the choice over “lain.” But we see no reason for any form of the verb to lie between “fire” and “beneath.” We would instead write “flickering,” “burning,” or “blazing.”
The easiest way to distinguish between lay and lie: The former is a transitive verb that takes a direct object (noun or pronoun); the latter is intransitive. Lay the book down (transitive). Lie down for a nap (intransitive).
That is not always the case. When used as the past tense of lie, the word lay is not a transitive verb that takes a direct object. Example: Yesterday he lay around watching movies until noon.
Is this correct usage?
“My head now lays very low while I wait”.
The context is coming from earlier on the page: “My head was in the clouds but life has brought me crashing down”. The “head” got to its current state by a mix of life happenings and the character’s realizations.
Thank you!
In the present tense, the verb lay is used with a direct object. Therefore, write “My head now lies very low while I wait.”
Which one is correct?
1. The book was laid on the table.
2. The book was lain on the table.
Thank you.
The book was laid on the table.
Jane, you wrote that: Jane says:
June 11, 2009, at 9:26 am
Correct: He was lying on the ground.
Here,”lying” is in the past tense. Why not use “laying”?
Just trying to understand.
The present participle of lie is lying. We were/we are/we will be lying on the ground. Whether past, present, or future, the correct verb is lie, not lay.
I’m proofing a court transcript and cannot change the verbiage, only the spelling. The person is saying “I lied down in my sleeping bag, I lied there.” Is this the spelling I should use or “lyed”? Neither seems right but, as I said, I can’t change their usage. Please help!
Grammatically speaking, we cannot recommend either choice.
I had just lain down for the evening.
Your sentence is grammatically correct.
Are these correct?
The remains of a half-eaten dinner and the daily mail lie forgotten on the table.
Dark and shapeless, the blank landscape lie before Dianna.
Two bodies lie prone on the ground.
Your first and third sentences are correct in the present tense. Your second sentence’s verb should either be “lies” (present) or “lay” (past).
Is “lied” ever correct in usage of anything but to tell a falsehood? Is it ever correct to say someone lied down if it’s in the proper tense and context?
No, lied is only correct as the past tense of lie, to tell a falsehood.
please tell me are these sentences correct?
i lay down on the bed all day.
i lay down in the bed all day.
Thanks
They are both grammatically correct if you are referring to the past. We would delete “down”: I lay on the bed all day (yesterday). Place a capital letter at the beginning of your sentences. We would make the second sentence I lay in bed all day (yesterday).
I’m a songwriter from the Netherlands and I’ve been writing in English for over 35 years now. Still sometimes even I get confused about the right way of using words in a sentence. For example I have just written a song in which the words lie and lay are confusing me. Also because I’m not using them directly, like Lie down or Lay down but in a suggestive kind of way. Maybe you could help me out. The lines are as follows: It’s fine if you want to lay/lie your head next to mine. It’s okay if you want to lay/lie beside me this way. I’d appreciate your input.
It’s fine if you want to lay your head next to mine.
It’s okay if you want to lie beside me this way.
Thank you. That’s the way I originally wrote it so that’s how it’s going to stay.
Action occurred in past. Which statement is correct?
I read your email this morning, but I had to lay down before responding.
I read your email this morning, but I had to lie down before responding.
I read your email this morning, but I had to lie down before responding.
Which one?
Jesse is lying in the hammock on the front porch.
Jesse is laying in the hammock on the front porch.
Jesse is lying in the hammock on the front porch.
Which one is correct?
The things were laying on the floor.
Or
The things were lying on the floor.
The things were lying on the floor.
And while he lay there sleeping, they gathered at his feet.
Correct?
Yes, the past tense of lie is lay.
Which is correct?
Lily the Cat is being a beautiful queen and keeps laying on the bed.
or
Lily the Cat is being a beautiful queen and keeps lying on the bed.
Lying is correct.
When knitting, are stitches to lie flat or lay flat?
This was a new query to me — so thought I would rush here to ask you folks!
The following is correct in present tense:
The stitches lie flat.
Which is correct? (I wish I understood the rule! I struggle with lie/lay and set/sit.)
The book and papers were laying on the arm of the chair. The book and papers were lying on the arm of the chair.
The book and papers were setting on the arm of the chair. The book and papers were sitting on the arm of the chair.
It is helpful to think of the word lying meaning “resting.” Therefore, write “The book and papers were lying on the arm of the chair.”
Set means to place something somewhere. Sit means to be positioned or take a seat. “The book and papers were sitting on the arm of the chair” is correct.
In addition to the chart contained in this post, please see Set, Sit in our Confusing Words and Homonyms section.
What about the hard ones i have trouble with Come came, Goes went, have had, eat ate, woke wake,
It appears that you are asking about irregular verbs in general. You may wish to begin by reading our posts Irregular Verbs and Irregular Verbs Can Be a Regular Pain. We have a number of other instructive posts dealing with irregular verbs.
The culprit for the confusion between lie and lay is our Nobel Prize winner Bob Dylan with his song Lay, Lady, Lay!
You are correct that Bob Dylan did not help the case for good grammar with that song. Please see our September 26, 2016, blog Pop Tunes and Grammar for more.
The chart was a great idea; may I use it when tutoring a student?
What about an example of parallelism?
Yes, we think the chart would be a useful tool for tutoring.
If you mean parallel construction, please see our Rule 5 of Effective Writing.
My 6th grade teacher, Mrs. Bolte, taught us this poem (a VERY long time ago: estimate 1960-1961):
Here I sit and
there you lie.
We are comfy
you and I.
But I am wondering
where to lay
this big book
or set this tray.
This is a clever way to help students learn and remember the difference between lie and lay.
I have lain down on the sofa all week.
I lay the cold washer over my hot forehead.
Am I grammatically correct?
Yes, your sentences are grammatically correct.
Question. Is it, “He lays down in the graveyard” or “He lies down in the graveyard”? I am stumped with the plural in present tense. The more I read the more stumped I become. Thanks.
To recline in present tense: I/you/we/they lie. He/she lies.
I saw a children’a song, with lyrics like “as I lay in my bed, I close my eyes.” Not past tense in this case but used “lay”. Is it grammatically incorrect?
It is incorrect in the present tense.
How about “As I lay on my pillow.” Would it be correct to use lay in this case? Since pillow is only for the head, can we use lay in this sentence assuming I’m laying (my head) on the pillow.
No, in your first sentence there is no object. The correct form of the verb is lie. In the present tense, the verb lay does take an object. Therefore, you can write “I lay my head on the pillow,” since the word head is the object.
What is the past progressive form of “lie”?
We were asked to write the past progressive form of “lie” in this sentence:
Alana _____________________ on the floor playing cards.
Our instructor told us the correct answer was “was lying”. Is this correct?
Yes.
That answer is incorrect. Even professors don’t always know the correct answer.
We remain on the side of the instructor. But we’d love to hear the reasoning behind your pronouncement if you can provide it.
Which is correct:
The bag is lying flay on the bed. OR
The bag is laying flat on the bed?
The bag is lying flat on the bed.
Is there any difference if “laid” is next to “out” in a sentence? For instance if I wrote, “Everything was laid out clearly in the document,” is “laid” correct here or should it be “lay” since “[e]verything” comes earlier in the sentence?
Thanks!
The past participle was laid is correct in your sentence.
The double-sided tape does not lie flat, as it is larger than the space provided for it.
The double-sided tape does not lay flat, as it is larger than the space provided for it.
Is the first sentence the one with the correct usage?
Yes, the first one is correct.
Can you say “…some day…..when the wolf lays down with the bear…”
Or is it “lies down”?
“Lies down” is correct.
Piles of raked leaves lie in every yard. Correct?
Your sentence is correct in the present tense. If you are referring to past tense, write “Piles of raked leaves lay in every yard.”
Is the use of “lay” correct? “He slipped into his sleeping-bag. He needed to think, and his thinking was always clearer when he lay on his back.”
Yes, because your two sentences are written in the past tense, the past tense lay is correct.
If you are telling someone to put their head down, are you telling them to lie their head down or lay their head down ?
Since you are referring to the present tense and head is a direct object, write “Lay your head down.”
Is this use of laying correct?
Due to weather conditions and excess water laying on grass.
The correct form of the verb in your incomplete sentence is lying.
We lay down together just hugging and saying the least words when my daughter walked to my bed and told me that she had breast cancer. We did not shed a tear. Is that correct?
Yes, that is correct.
I found that chart immensely helpful. Wish I had found it years ago.
Mind if I post this chart on a writing site with a link back to this page?
We are glad you found the chart to be valuable. Please feel free to post the chart and link.
Which is correct: The cat is lying down in front of the warm fire,
or
The cat is laying down in front of the warm fire?
Whether the cat is presently in the reclining position or whether it is in the process of reclining, lying is correct.
In the following sentence, I’m confused why it wouldn’t be “lay down” since “Kaysha asked” is in past tense.
“Kaysha asked if she could lie down in the nurse’s office.”
The auxiliary verb could is used in conjunction with the main verb lie. When an auxiliary verb is used, the spelling of the main verb does not change.
When you give the dog the instruction is it correct to say Lie down or lay down?
Please see our reply of April 28, 2915, to Dawn.
“I know you want to lay down here and never get up again.”
“The fact… I’m laying here in your bedroom.”
I got these above two from movie subtitles. So, it’s not lie or lying?
Can you say “I lay back in calm,” or does it have to be “I lie back in calm”?
There is no direct object to use lay right? Lie has me feeling like lying down.
Do not trust movie dialogue or subtitles to always use correct grammar. You are correct that there are no direct objects in any of your examples; therefore, lie and lying are grammatically correct in your first two examples. In your last sentence lay could be correct if you are using the past tense.
Wow, thank you for such a wonderful page. The Blue Book Of Grammar and Punctuation is amazing. Thank you for supporting it. I will keep if for a lifetime until I know it by heart.
I can see that the comma rules on your website have extra rules than your actual print book. An example would be rule 13 for commas. You have two extra letters on your website rules.
You may notice some differences between the contents of the GrammarBook.com website and the hard-copy book. We are able to update the website whenever we see an opportunity for improvement. However, specifically in regard to Rules 13a and 13b of Commas, the website and 11th edition of the book are the same. Perhaps you have an earlier edition. We are looking forward to a 12th edition of The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation that will come out in 2021.
Would you care to explain how “lay low” is correct? Thank you.
I much appreciate the work you do. I hope it brings a lot of happiness to your life.
In regard to the idiom carrying the meaning of “hide out,” either lie low or lay low can be correct depending on the tense:
We will lie low today.
We lay low yesterday.
The phrase lay low is also correct in terms of overcoming an opponent.
He lay low his opponent with a combination of head and body blows.
Have I got this right? If any body part is an object, then saying “I laid my hand on his chest” or “He laid his hand on my chest” would be correct for past tense. “I lay my hand on his chest” would be correct for present tense. “I lay on the bed” would be correct for past tense (because he’s going to lie down). “I have lain in bed all night” is correct for past tense.
You have written and identified the first four examples correctly. The last example is the present perfect tense. The simple past tense would be “I lay in bed all night.”
Is this correct for past tense? “I smiled before laying my hand on her arm.” Or would I have to write “I smiled before I laid my hand on her arm”?
Either one is grammatically correct.
Are Your Texts Passive Aggressive? The Answer May Lay In Your Punctuation.
This is a news headline and I cannot get around their use of “Lay.” Please help.
You don’t need help; the headline writer does. Since the sentence is present tense and there is no object, the correct word is Lie.
When was the linoleum (laid, lain)?
As is indicated on the chart above, the past participle form for lay meaning “to put or place” is laid.
“The end of the day before you lay down.”
How is this correct or wrong? If you may.
There is no direct object in your sentence, and the sentence refers to an action that hasn’t yet happened; therefore, the sentence would apply the present-tense intransitive verb lie.
The cat will purr as it approaches me, as if the sound itself were a bed where it could lay in my lap.
I saw an example structured like this and wondered if the word, could, causes lay to be correct instead of lie.
Since there is no object, lie is still correct.
“A marker and pen lie on Mr. Smith’s desk.” – present tense
“A marker and pen lay on Mr. Smith’s desk.” – past (meaning the items may have been there yesterday, but not today. Correct?)
Yes.
“They lie, these volumes that have cost such weeks of hope and wasted love.”
The context before insinuates that “lie” in this text means to lie down. Is that grammatically correct? Can the volumes “lie”?
The usage chart in this post applies to humans, animals, and inanimate objects. Your sentence does not have a direct object; therefore, the present tense lie is correct. The volumes rest rather than “lie down.”