Pagar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

pagar — to pay — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a regular -ar verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to pay, and it is regular apart from its spelling: the -gar stem keeps its hard g by writing gu before e and i, so the pretérito perfeito eu form is paguei. The present is pago, pagas, paga, pagamos, pagais, pagam, and the participle is pagado. It takes the thing paid for as its object — pago a conta. On this page you will find pagar in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the pagar conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the pagar present tense page.

Example sentences with pagar

In the present tense

  • “Eu pago a conta todos os dias.” — “I pay the bill”
  • “Tu pagas a conta todos os dias.” — “You pay the bill”
  • “Ele paga a conta todos os dias.” — “He pays the bill”
  • “Nós pagamos a conta todos os dias.” — “We pay the bill”
  • “Vós pagais a conta todos os dias.” — “You pay the bill”
  • “Eles pagam a conta todos os dias.” — “They pay the bill”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu paguei a conta ontem.” — “I paid the bill”
  • “Tu pagaste a conta ontem.” — “You paid the bill”
  • “Ele pagou a conta ontem.” — “He paid the bill”
  • “Nós pagámos a conta ontem.” — “We paid the bill”
  • “Vós pagastes a conta ontem.” — “You paid the bill”
  • “Eles pagaram a conta ontem.” — “They paid the bill”

In other tenses

The same verb in the pretérito imperfeito, the futuro do presente, the futuro do pretérito, the presente do subjuntivo and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Eu pagava a conta antigamente.” — “I used to pay the bill”
  • “Tu pagarás a conta amanhã.” — “You will pay the bill”
  • “Ele pagaria a conta um dia.” — “He would pay the bill”
  • “É importante que nós paguemos a conta.” — “It is important that we pay the bill”
  • “Paga a conta!” — “Pay the bill!”

How pagar is used

The first thing to know about pagar is its core meaning: to pay. It means to pay, and it is regular apart from its spelling: the -gar stem keeps its hard g by writing gu before e and i, so the pretérito perfeito eu form is paguei. The present is pago, pagas, paga, pagamos, pagais, pagam, and the participle is pagado. It takes the thing paid for as its object — pago a conta. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the pretérito perfeito, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company pagar keeps. The present eu form is pago, and it pairs naturally with the time words todos os dias and sempre for habits, and with agora for what is happening right now. The pretérito perfeito composto eu form is tenho pagado, and it pairs with ontem and esta semana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what pagar does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need pago, never pagar. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho pagado, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle pagado is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Pagar in context

Eu pago a conta todos os dias. Tu pagas a conta todos os dias. Ele paga a conta todos os dias. Nós pagamos a conta todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of pagar is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — pago, pagas, paga, pagamos — while the meaning stays the same: to pay. Eu paguei a conta ontem. Tu pagaste a conta ontem. Ele pagou a conta ontem. Nós pagámos a conta ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of pagar appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to pay — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Eu pagar a conta.”

✓ Right: “Eu pago a conta todos os dias.”

The infinitive pagar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form pago.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu pagas a conta.”

✓ Right: “Eu pago a conta todos os dias.”

pagas is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is pago — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu pago a conta ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu paguei a conta ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito paguei here, not the present pago.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou pagado a conta.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho pagado a conta esta semana.”

pagar takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto. The eu form is tenho pagado — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on pagar across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of pagar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) pago
    • B) pagas
    • C) paga
    • D) pagamos

  2. What is the eu form of pagar in the Pretérito perfeito composto?

    • A) tens pagado
    • B) tem pagado
    • C) tenho pagado
    • D) temos pagado

  3. What is the ele/ela form of pagar in the Pretérito imperfeito?

    • A) pagavas
    • B) pagávamos
    • C) pagáveis
    • D) pagava

  4. What is the nós form of pagar in the Futuro do presente?

    • A) pagaremos
    • B) pagarei
    • C) pagarás
    • D) pagará

  5. What is the tu form of pagar in the Futuro do pretérito?

    • A) pagaria
    • B) pagarias
    • C) pagaríamos
    • D) pagaríeis

  6. What is the eu form of pagar in the Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples?

    • A) pagaras
    • B) pagáramos
    • C) pagara
    • D) pagáreis

  7. What is the nós form of pagar in the Presente do subjuntivo?

    • A) pague
    • B) pagues
    • C) pagueis
    • D) paguemos

  8. What is the gerund of pagar?

    • A) pagando
    • B) pagado
    • C) pagar
    • D) pago

  9. What is the past participle of pagar?

    • A) pagando
    • B) pagado
    • C) pagar
    • D) pago

  10. What does pagar mean in English?

  • A) to ask for
  • B) to receive
  • C) to pay
  • D) to buy

Answer key

  1. B) pagas — the correct form is pagas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho pagado — the correct form is tenho pagado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) pagava — the correct form is pagava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) pagaremos — the correct form is pagaremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) pagarias — the correct form is pagarias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) pagara — the correct form is pagara. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) paguemos — the correct form is paguemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) pagando — the correct form is pagando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) pagado — the correct form is pagado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to pay — the correct form is to pay. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does pagar mean in English?

pagar means “to pay”. You use it whenever you talk about to pay in Portuguese, in the present, the past and the future.

Is pagar regular or irregular?

pagar is regular. pagar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of pagar?

The gerund is pagando and the past participle is pagado. The perfect tenses use ter + pagado.

Where can I see the full conjugation of pagar?

On the pagar conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The pagar present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for pagar, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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