The verb to lay · Conjugation
Present Perfect of lay
The answer: have / has laid
B1
A past action with a link to the present.
Quick answer
The Present Perfect of the verb to lay is have / has laid.
Example: I have already laid the table.
Full conjugation in the Present Perfect
| Pronoun | Form | Contraction |
|---|---|---|
| I | have laid | I've laid |
| You | have laid | You've laid |
| He / She / It | has laid | He's / She's / It's laid |
| We | have laid | We've laid |
| You (pl.) | have laid | You've laid |
| They | have laid | They've laid |
Common mistakes to avoid
1. I have seen him yesterday ❌
Do not use the Present Perfect with a finished time (yesterday, last week, in 2020, two days ago). Use the Past Simple: I saw him yesterday. With lay, use laid with a finished time and have laid without one.
2. I live here since 2020 ❌
Some situations started in the past and are still true now. For them, use the Present Perfect: I have lived here since 2020, I have known her for three years. Use since + a starting point (since Monday, since 2020). Use for + a length of time (for two weeks, for a long time).
3. He have laid ❌
With he, she and it, use has, not have: he has laid, my friend has laid. The short form is he's laid. Careful: here 's means has, not is.
Practice quiz
What's next?
Master the Present Perfect of lay when you speak, not just on paper
The conjugation is clear in your head. On PLAY, you practise it in a game, with instant feedback, until it comes out on its own.
Practise the Present Perfect of lay on PLAYFree · No sign-up · 3 minutes
For teachersYour whole class practises the Present Perfect of lay, and you follow each student
The Academy has self-marking activities on this form, with a dashboard for each student: you see at a glance who is falling behind.
Discover the Academy30-day free trial · No bank card needed
English contestThe English contest tests the Present Perfect of lay in real sentences
Instead of a single school exercise, your students meet this tense in context, in a contest that really motivates them.
Register my students5,000 students every year · Primary and secondary
Frequently asked questions
How do you conjugate lay in the Present Perfect?+
Use have or has + the past participle laid. Use has with he, she and it. Use have with I, you, we and they: I have laid, she has laid. Short forms: I've laid, she's laid.
What is the past participle of lay?+
The past participle of lay is laid. You use it after have, has and had. It is the same as the Past Simple: laid.
When do you use the Present Perfect of lay?+
Use it for a past action that is connected to now, with no exact time. Use it for experiences in your life: Have you ever laid…? Use it for a recent action with a result now, often with just: I have just laid… Use it also for a situation that started in the past and continues: I have lived here since 2020.
What is the difference between I laid and I have laid?+
I laid (Past Simple) goes with a finished time: yesterday, last week, in 2020, two days ago. I have laid (Present Perfect) has no finished time, and the result is important now. Signal words: ever, never, already, just, yet.
How do you make the negative and the question of lay in the Present Perfect?+
Negative: I haven't laid, she hasn't laid. Question: put have or has before the subject: Have you laid…?, Has she laid…? The word yet often goes at the end of a negative or a question: Have you finished yet?
Related pages: lay Present Perfect
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/verbs/lay/present-perfect
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.
Keep learning
More forms of the verb to lay are coming soon.