Question

Is it correct with the verb lie, lay, lain, to say:
My mother has been laying on the couch all day?

Answer 1

No. To lie and to lay are often misused. To lie means to recline and does not take a direct object. It is an intransitive verb. I lie on the couch means I recline on the couch. To lay means to place. She lays the book on the table = She places the book on the table. Notice that this is a transitive verb--it takes a direct object--in this case, the book. You need to know all forms of present and past tense of these two verbs since they can be confusing. In your example, do you wish to say: My mother has been reclining on the couch all day = My mother has been lying on the couch all day, or My mother has been placing on the couch all day? The latter wouldn't make sense. By the way, "lain" is the past participle of to lie (to recline);laid is the past participle of to lay. She had lain on the couch all day vs. She had laid the book on the table. FYI: To lie can also mean not to be truthful. ex. I lied to my teacher about studying the differences between to lie and to lay.