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- "Kot leży przed telewizorem."
"Kot leży przed telewizorem."
Translation:The cat is lying in front of the television set.
40 Comments
It says the correct translation is "the cat is laying before the television" but in English we would almost never say this. Only perhaps in poetic speech or some other outdated mode of language. While "przed" may technically mean "before" also, in most contexts (or at least a simple one like this) I think certainly we would always say "in front of". (I am aware Duolingo accepts this, I'm merely clarifying the usage)
Also, who says television set? This should say television as an acceptable answer
I agree too! I left off "set" to see if would be marked wrong, and it was.
It was marked wrong? It shouldn't be, it's an accepted answer. You can even just write "tv".
1215
I have checked in Fowler's Modern English, and the present participle is "lying", which also quotes the OED in stating that "lay" 'is only dialectical or an illiterate substitute for "lie".'
Yes, it's incorrect. "I'm laying the cat in front of the TV." "The cat lies/is lying in front of the TV." See the difference?
He lays/is laying something [usually "down"].
After he laid/has laid something [down],
That something lies/is lying [down there].
Laying is old fashioned or colloquial usage. You might hear it in the north of England, for example. But not standard English.
That's incorrect. "Laying" is not old fashioned. "To lay [down]" is an active verb. You lay something, an object, usually down. For example, "I'm laying the television down while I connect the brackets to it."
"Lying," "to lie" is a passive verb. "The cat lies/is lying in front of the television."
Where it gets confusing is that the past tense of "lying/to lie" is "lay." "Yesterday, the cat lay in front of the TV all day." But the past tense of "to lay [down]" is "laid." "Yesterday, I laid down the TV on its back."
Kot leży/jest/znajduje się przed telewizorem - The cat is in front of the TV
If the cat "lays" then it is placing something. If it "lies" then it is resting on its back or stomach.
"leży" confuses me. It is not a normal 3rd person verb. I could not find it in any table of conjugations.
The verb is leżeć.
Ja leżę
Ty leżysz
On/ona/ono leży
My leżymy
Wy leżycie
Oni/one leżą
I use this website for verb conjugation. The globe in the top right of the page will change the page language and the flag on the left allows you to choose the language of the you want to conjugate.
https://pl.bab.la/koniugacja/polski/leżeć
It is laid by whom? That's incorrect.
The cat lies or is lying in front of the TV.
I always think of a hen lays an egg, it isn't lying an egg. Yes the past tense does confuse it.
"The cat is laying i from of the television "... Is this wrong because I misspelled "lying"? or because I didn't add "set" as in "television set"?
"laying" is considered an incorrect word, not a misspelling. Also, if you wrote the sentence exactly like you wrote it here, then it's very wrong! "The cat is LAYING I FROM OF the television"?!?
What if the cat was lying through the tv (poor cat), would it be formulated the same way?
I agree! In Australian and New Zealand we would say we/I am/they are laying in front of the TV simply to avoid confusion with the verb lying/to lie as in to cheat. Also nobody says television anymore and absolutely nobody under the age of 90 would call it a television set.
It doesn't make it correct grammar just because you use it incorrectly. "Laying" requires an object, like "laying an egg" or "laying the cat down." If something is already lying there, then it lies there. Or in the past, it lay there. Not "laid" because "laid" is the past tense of "to lay [something]," and "lay" is the past tense of "to lie"
The cat lies in front of the TV every night. The cat lay in front of the TV yesterday.
The cat lays its toy [down] in front of the TV. The cat laid its toy [down] in front of the TV yesterday.
I'm not saying it's correct you mong. If you read the comment...language always changes. This is why we nolonger say the singular 'you' in English anymore which is thou. Lay and lie are a perfect example of how English language changes over time in a dynamic way with how it's spoken and expressed. Or perhaps you'll need to read more on the history of the English language to understand what I'm talking about.
Except that "thou" is Middle English. Your usage of "lay" incorrectly is still incorrect. A person lays something but himself lies. "Lay" and "lie" are not an example because their use hasn't changed. Wrong is still wrong. What's a mong? Must be an Australian insult. You have no common sense if you think Middle English is the same as making a mistake of word usage
I'm afraid that you, ajdedinburgh, are the one who needs to do a bit of reading on the history of the English language, and while you're at it, I suggest you also take a refresher course in good manners!
Only if the cat is laying a dead mouse in front of the TV. Otherwise, the cat is lying in front of the TV.
You will very occasionally hear English speakers using lay to mean lie but it's technically incorrect. It may be a regional or colloquial usage but it's probably not good practice to teach them as interchangeable at this stage as it just leads to unnecessary confusion for students.
A hen will lay an egg, therefore is laying an egg. A cat will lie down, therefore is lying down.
Also, the past tense of "to lie" is "lay."
The cat lies in front of the TV every night.
The cat lay in front of the TV yesterday.
