Languages › German Conjugating Liegen (to Lie, Recline, Rest) in All Tenses Share Flipboard Email Print Tetra Images / Getty Images German Grammar History & Culture Pronunciation & Conversation Vocabulary By Hyde Flippo Hyde Flippo German Expert Hyde Flippo taught the German language for 28 years at high school and college levels and published several books on the German language and culture. Learn about our Editorial Process Updated on February 24, 2020 The German verb liegen (to lie, recline, rest) conjugated in all its tenses and moods. The irregular/strong verb liegen (lie) is often confused with the regular/weak verb legen (lay). If you have trouble with "lie" and "lay" in English, learning the German distinction will help you! See the legen chart below with examples of the contrast with liegen. Principal Parts: liegen • lag • gelegenImperative (Commands): (du) Lieg(e)! | (ihr) Liegt! | Liegen Sie! LIEGENPresent Tense - Präsens DEUTSCH ENGLISH ich liege I lie/reclineI am lying/reclining du liegst you lie/reclineyou are lying/reclining er liegtsie liegtes liegt he lies/reclineshe is lying/recliningshe lies/reclinesshe is lying/recliningit lies/reclinesit is lying/reclining wir liegen we lie/reclinewe are lying/reclining ihr liegt you (guys) lie/reclineyou (guys) are lying/reclining sie liegen they lie/reclinethey are lying/reclining Sie liegen you lie/reclineyou are lying/reclining Examples:Er liegt immer noch im Bett. He's still lying in bed.München liegt in Bayern. Munich lies [is] in Bavaria.Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch. The book is (lying) on the table. LEGENPresent Tense - Präsens DEUTSCH ENGLISH ich lege I lay/putI am laying/putting du legst you lay/putyou are laying/putting er legtsie legtes legt he lays/putshe is laying/puttingshe lays/putsshe is laying/puttingit lays/putsit is laying/putting wir legen we lay/putwe are laying/putting ihr legt you (guys) lay/putyou (guys) are laying/putting sie legen they lay/putthey are laying/putting Sie legen you lay/putyou are laying/putting Examples:Leg das Buch auf den Tisch. Put [lay] the book on the table. LEGENPast Tenses - Präsens Simple Past Compound Past ich/er legteI/he laid/put ich habe gelegtI laid/putI have laid/put wir/Sie/sie legtenwe/you/they laid/put wir haben gelegtwe laid/putwe have laid/put LIEGENSimple Past Tense - Imperfekt DEUTSCH ENGLISH ich lag I laid/reclined du lagst you laid/reclined er lagsie lages lag he laid/reclinedshe laid/reclinedit laid/reclined wir lagen we laid/reclined ihr lagt you (guys) laid/reclined sie lagen they laid/reclined Sie lagen you laid/reclined LIEGENCompound Past Tense (Pres. Perfect) - Perfekt DEUTSCH ENGLISH ich habe gelegen I have laid/reclinedI laid/reclined du hast gelegen you have laid/reclinedyou laid/reclined er hat gelegensie hat gelegenes hat gelegen he has laid/reclinedhe laid/reclinedshe has laid/reclinedshe laid/reclinedit has laid/reclinedit laid/reclined wir haben gelegen we have laid/reclinedwe laid/reclined ihr habt gelegen you (guys) have laid/reclinedyou laid/reclined sie haben gelegen they have laid/reclinedthey laid/reclined Sie haben gelegen you have laid/reclinedyou laid/reclined LIEGENPast Perfect Tense - Plusquamperfekt DEUTSCH ENGLISH ich hatte gelegen I had laid/reclined du hattest gelegen you had laid/reclined er hatte gelegensie hatte gelegenes hatte gelegen he had laid/reclinedshe had laid/reclinedit had laid/reclined wir hatten gelegen we had laid/reclined ihr hattet gelegen you (guys) had laid/reclined sie hatten gelegen they had laid/reclined Sie hatten gelegen you had laid/reclined Cite this Article Format mla apa chicago Your Citation Flippo, Hyde. "Conjugating Liegen (to Lie, Recline, Rest) in All Tenses." ThoughtCo, Feb. 16, 2021, thoughtco.com/liegen-to-lie-recline-rest-all-tenses-4082200. Flippo, Hyde. (2021, February 16). Conjugating Liegen (to Lie, Recline, Rest) in All Tenses. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/liegen-to-lie-recline-rest-all-tenses-4082200 Flippo, Hyde. "Conjugating Liegen (to Lie, Recline, Rest) in All Tenses." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/liegen-to-lie-recline-rest-all-tenses-4082200 (accessed March 28, 2023). copy citation Featured Video By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies