Introduction

Pagare means “to pay”, and this page covers exactly one thing: pagare in the present tense. The present is the tense Italian speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for pagare, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the passato prossimo, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about pagare in the present. It means to pay for something, and it is regular apart from its spelling: the -gare stem keeps its hard g by inserting h before e and i, so the tu form is paghi and the future is pagherò. For example: “Lui paga il conto ogni giorno.” — “He pays the bill.” Everything on this page uses the forms of pagare exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Pagare in the Present — full table

Person Form
io pago
tu paghi
lui/lei paga
noi paghiamo
voi pagate
loro pagano
Gerund: pagando · Past participle: pagato
The gerund is pagando, which you use with stare to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Pagando il conto, imparo molto.” — “While paying the bill, I learn a lot.” The past participle is pagato, which you use with avere in the perfect tenses: ho pagato is the passato prossimo, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how pagare is used.
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for pagare, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

How the present of pagare is formed

The present tense of pagare has six forms: io pago, tu paghi, lui paga, noi paghiamo, voi pagate, loro pagano. Say them in order — io, tu, lui, noi, voi, loro — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. pagare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb. Because pagare is a -gare verb, the stem keeps its hard g by inserting h before e and i: tu paghi, and the future is pagherò.

Two things about the present of pagare are worth noticing. First, the noi and voi forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its noi and voi forms from the same stem, so learning paghiamo and pagate pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Italian uses where English would often use the continuous form, so pago can mean both “I pay” and “I am paying” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because pagare is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -are endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -are verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of pagare

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use pagare in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and pagare is no exception. Use time expressions such as ogni giorno, sempre or ogni settimana to make the routine explicit. Example: “Io pago il conto ogni giorno.” — “I pay the bill.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about pagare does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Lui paga il conto ogni giorno.” — “He pays the bill.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Italian often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with pagare in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Noi paghiamo il conto ogni giorno.” — “We pay the bill.”

4. Scheduled future events

Italian uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu paghi il conto ogni giorno.” — “You pay the bill.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and pagare in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Loro pagano il conto ogni giorno.” — “They pay the bill.”

Present Tense vs Passato Prossimo: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the passato prossimo, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the passato prossimo describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as ogni giorno or sempre, while the passato prossimo sentences use ieri or la settimana scorsa. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Lui paga il conto ogni giorno.” — “He pays the bill”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Lui ha pagato il conto questa settimana.” — “He has paid the bill”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Io pago il conto ogni giorno.” — “I pay the bill”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Io ho pagato il conto questa settimana.” — “I have paid the bill”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.
  • Present Tense: “Tu paghi il conto ogni giorno.” — “You pay the bill”
  • Passato Prossimo: “Tu hai pagato il conto questa settimana.” — “You have paid the bill”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passato prossimo sentence is one finished event. Ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

Example sentences: pagare in the present

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Io pago il conto ogni giorno.” — “I pay the bill”
  2. “Tu paghi il conto ogni giorno.” — “You pay the bill”
  3. “Lui paga il conto ogni giorno.” — “He pays the bill”
  4. “Noi paghiamo il conto ogni giorno.” — “We pay the bill”
  5. “Voi pagate il conto ogni giorno.” — “You pay the bill”
  6. “Loro pagano il conto ogni giorno.” — “They pay the bill”
  7. “Io pago il conto ogni giorno.” — “I pay the bill”
  8. “Lui paga il conto ogni giorno.” — “He pays the bill”

Common mistakes

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

  • Wrong: “Io paghi il conto.” Right: “Io pago il conto ogni giorno.” Why: The io form is pago, not paghi. paghi is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Noi pago il conto.” Right: “Noi paghiamo il conto ogni giorno.” Why: Noi needs the noi form paghiamo. pago belongs with io only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Io pago il conto ogni giorno ieri.” Right: “Io ho pagato il conto questa settimana.” Why: Ieri points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passato prossimo ho pagato for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Io pagare il conto.” Right: “Io pago il conto ogni giorno.” Why: The infinitive pagare never takes a subject. After io you need the conjugated form pago.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

  1. What is the io form of pagare in the Present indicative?

    • A) paghi
    • B) pago
    • C) paga
    • D) paghiamo

  2. What is the tu form of pagare in the Present indicative?

    • A) pago
    • B) paga
    • C) paghi
    • D) paghiamo

  3. What is the lui/lei form of pagare in the Present indicative?

    • A) pago
    • B) paghi
    • C) paghiamo
    • D) paga

  4. What is the noi form of pagare in the Present indicative?

    • A) paghiamo
    • B) pago
    • C) paghi
    • D) paga

  5. What is the voi form of pagare in the Present indicative?

    • A) pago
    • B) pagate
    • C) paghi
    • D) paga

  6. What is the loro form of pagare in the Present indicative?

    • A) pago
    • B) paghi
    • C) pagano
    • D) paga

  7. What is the io form of pagare in the Present indicative?

    • A) paghi
    • B) paga
    • C) paghiamo
    • D) pago

  8. What is the tu form of pagare in the Present indicative?

    • A) paghi
    • B) pago
    • C) paga
    • D) paghiamo

Answer key

  1. B) pago — the correct form is pago. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) paghi — the correct form is paghi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) paga — the correct form is paga. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) paghiamo — the correct form is paghiamo. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) pagate — the correct form is pagate. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) pagano — the correct form is pagano. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) pago — the correct form is pago. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) paghi — the correct form is paghi. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does pagare mean in English?

pagare means “to pay”. It is a non-reflexive, regular -are verb.

How is the present tense of pagare formed?

The six present forms are: io pago, tu paghi, lui paga, noi paghiamo, voi pagate, loro pagano. pagare is regular: every form follows the standard -are endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

When do I use the present instead of the passato prossimo?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the passato prossimo for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: ogni giorno points to the present, ieri points to the passato prossimo.

What are the gerund and past participle of pagare?

The gerund is pagando and the past participle is pagato.

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