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I know that 'I'm in bed.' is correct. I also know that 'lie down' is (also) a transfer verb, in that one assumes the horizontal position in bed either when already being in bed, or coming from out of bed.

So please tell me whether I'm right when saying that each of the following is correct for its own meaning:

'Lie down in bed' = assume the horizontal position when already being in bed.

'Lie down into bed' = assume the horizontal position in bed, coming from out of bed.

Many thanks.

cs chaka
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    No, you're mistaken. Lie down into bed is not idiomatically valid. As this usage chart shows, we usually say *Get in/to/into bed* anyway, or more rarely *Lay/Lie down in bed. The main difference is in / into* are normally only used near the bed, whereas *to* can be used when the bed is in another room or even further away. – FumbleFingers Jan 12 '24 at 23:28
  • Thank you, all clear now. – cs chaka Jan 13 '24 at 00:01
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    Related: https://ell.stackexchange.com/q/79964/9161 and https://ell.stackexchange.com/q/59205/9161 – ColleenV Jan 13 '24 at 01:11

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If you used "into" that would mean that you were going into the inside of the bed. "In bed" is an idiom. I have heard people say, "get into bed," which means "go to your bed and get in it."

You didn't ask this, but your use of "lie" reminds me of my memory device to remember whether to use "lie" or "lay" in a sentence: "Lie" has the same vowel sound as "recline," and "lay" has the same vowel sound as "place." So lying down means reclining and laying something means placing it somewhere.

Mama Bear to 4
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