Introduction

Pagar means “to pay”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Pagar is the verb for paying for things: the bill, the rent, a ticket. The thing paid for is the direct object, with no preposition. Pagar a + person means to pay someone: a worker, a teacher, a friend. The personal a appears because the person is paid. This page shows pagar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo pago la cuenta.” — I pay the bill.

Pagar in real example sentences

The twelve sentences below are grouped by how pagar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.

In the present: everyday use

These sentences use pagar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.

  1. “Yo pago la cuenta.” — I pay the bill.

  2. “¿Tú pagas con tarjeta?” — Do you pay by card?

  3. “Mi jefe paga a los empleados el viernes.” — My boss pays the employees on Friday.

  4. “Nosotros pagamos con tarjeta.” — We pay by card.

Talking about the past

The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show pagar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.

  1. “Ayer yo pagué la cuenta.” — Yesterday I paid the bill. (preterite)

  2. “Mi jefe pagaba a los empleados cada viernes.” — My boss used to pay the employees every Friday. (imperfect)

Plans and things already done

These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of pagar stays the same.

  1. “Nosotros pagaremos el alquiler mañana.” — We will pay the rent tomorrow. (future)

  2. “¿Tú has pagado ya la cuenta?” — Have you paid the bill yet? (present perfect)

More everyday uses

Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.

  1. “Vosotros pagáis el alquiler a principios de mes.” — You pay the rent at the beginning of the month.

  2. “Ellos pagan a plazos.” — They pay in instalments.

  3. “Yo pago en efectivo.” — I pay in cash.

  4. “El cliente paga al final.” — The customer pays at the end.

Pagar in context

Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how pagar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.

A short dialogue

  • Sara: “¿Tú pagas con tarjeta?” — Do you pay by card?

  • Diego: “Sí, yo pago la cuenta.” — Yes, I pay the bill.

  • Sara: “Nosotros pagamos con tarjeta.” — We pay by card.

  • Diego: “Y ellos pagan a plazos.” — And they pay in instalments.

  • Sara: “Vosotros pagáis el alquiler a principios de mes.” — You pay the rent at the beginning of the month.

  • Diego: “Sí, y mi jefe paga a los empleados el viernes.” — Yes, and my boss pays the employees on Friday.

A short paragraph

Sara paga la cuenta, y su jefe paga a los empleados el viernes. Nosotros pagamos con tarjeta, y ellos pagan a plazos. Yo pago en efectivo, y el cliente paga al final. Pagar is part of every purchase, because paying the bill, paying someone and paying by card are all part of the same verb.

Common mistakes with pagar

These are the errors learners actually make with pagar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Yo pago por la cuenta.” Right: “Yo pago la cuenta.” Why: Pagar takes a direct object with no preposition: pago la cuenta, not pago por la cuenta. Por appears in pagar por algo only when you mean to pay for someone else's benefit, which is a different structure.

  • Wrong: “Ellos paga a plazos.” Right: “Ellos pagan a plazos.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form pagan. The singular paga belongs with él, ella or a singular noun such as el cliente.

  • Wrong: “Yo pago la cuenta ayer.” Right: “Ayer yo pagué la cuenta.” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished payment yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to pagué, with the spelling change g → gu before e.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros pagas con tarjeta.” Right: “Nosotros pagamos con tarjeta.” Why: Nosotros needs pagamos. The tú form pagas belongs with tú.

  • Wrong: “Ellos pago todos los días.” Right: “Ellos pagan todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form pagan, not the yo form pago. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.

Quiz: pagar in use

Ten questions on pagar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.

1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ el alquiler a principios de mes.” (You pay the rent at the beginning of the month.)

  • (a) pagas
  • (b) pagáis
  • (c) pago

Answer: pagáis — The vosotros/as form of pagar in the present tense is pagáis.

2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ a plazos.” (They pay in instalments.)

  • (a) pagan
  • (b) pago
  • (c) pagas

Answer: pagan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of pagar in the present tense is pagan.

3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ la cuenta.” (Yesterday I paid the bill.)

  • (a) pagaste
  • (b) pagó
  • (c) pagué

Answer: pagué — In the preterite, the yo form of pagar is pagué.

4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “Mi jefe ______ a los empleados cada viernes.” (My boss used to pay the employees every Friday.)

  • (a) pagabas
  • (b) pagaba
  • (c) pagaba

Answer: pagaba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of pagar is pagaba.

5. Complete the sentence (future): “Nosotros ______ el alquiler mañana.” (We will pay the rent tomorrow.)

  • (a) pagaremos
  • (b) pagaré
  • (c) pagarás

Answer: pagaremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of pagar is pagaremos.

6. What does pagar mean in English?

  • (a) to finish, to end
  • (b) to serve
  • (c) to pay

Answer: to pay — Pagar means “to pay”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.

7. Which sentence is correct?

  • (a) Yo pago la cuenta.
  • (b) Yo pago por la cuenta.
  • (c) Ellos paga a plazos.

Answer: Yo pago la cuenta. — “Yo pago la cuenta.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.

8. How do you say “I pay in cash.” in Spanish?

  • (a) Yo pagan en efectivo.
  • (b) Yo pago en efectivo.
  • (c) El cliente paga al final.

Answer: Yo pago en efectivo. — “Yo pago en efectivo.” is the correct translation. The second option means something different, and the third uses the wrong person's form.

9. What is the nosotros form of pagar in the present tense?

  • (a) pago
  • (b) pagas
  • (c) pagamos

Answer: pagamos — The nosotros form is pagamos.

10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?

  • (a) Ayer yo pagué la cuenta.
  • (b) Nosotros pagaremos el alquiler mañana.
  • (c) Yo pago la cuenta.

Answer: Yo pago la cuenta. — “Yo pago la cuenta.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.

Frequently asked questions

How do you say 'I pay the bill' in Spanish?

Say 'Pago la cuenta'. The bill follows directly with no preposition. In a restaurant, you can also say 'La cuenta, por favor' to ask for it.

How do you say 'to pay by card' in Spanish?

Say 'pagar con tarjeta'. In the present: 'Nosotros pagamos con tarjeta'. For cash: 'Pago en efectivo'.

How do you say 'to pay in instalments' in Spanish?

Say 'pagar a plazos'. In the present: 'Ellos pagan a plazos'. It means the payment is spread over several months.

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