Introduction
Pagar means “to pay”, and this page covers exactly one thing: pagar in the present tense. The present is the tense Portuguese 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 pagar, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the pretérito perfeito, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about pagar in the present. 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. For example: “Ele paga a conta todos os dias.” — “He pays the bill.” Everything on this page uses the forms of pagar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.
Pagar in the Present — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | pago |
| tu | pagas |
| ele/ela | paga |
| nós | pagamos |
| vós | pagais |
| eles/elas | pagam |
| Gerund: pagando · Past participle: pagado | |
| The gerund is pagando, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Pagando a conta, aprendo muito.” — “While paying the bill, I learn a lot.” The past participle is pagado, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho pagado is the pretérito perfeito composto, 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 pagar is used. | |
| 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. |
How the present of pagar is formed
The present tense of pagar has six forms: eu pago, tu pagas, ele paga, nós pagamos, vós pagais, eles pagam. Say them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. pagar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings — -o, -as, -a, -amos, -ais, -am for -ar verbs; -o, -es, -e, -emos, -eis, -em for -er verbs; and -o, -es, -e, -imos, -is, -em for -ir verbs — 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 the stem keeps its hard sound by writing qu or gu before e and i, the eu form is pago and the subjunctive eu form is pague.
Two things about the present of pagar are worth noticing. First, the nós and vós forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its nós and vós forms from the same stem, so learning pagamos and pagais pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Portuguese 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 pagar is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -ar endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar 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 pagar
The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use pagar 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 pagar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos os dias, sempre or todas as semanas to make the routine explicit. Example: “Eu pago a conta todos os dias.” — “I pay the bill.”
2. General truths
Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about pagar does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Ele paga a conta todos os dias.” — “He pays the bill.”
3. What is happening right now
The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Portuguese often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with pagar in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nós pagamos a conta todos os dias.” — “We pay the bill.”
4. Scheduled future events
Portuguese 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 pagas a conta todos os dias.” — “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 pagar in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Eles pagam a conta todos os dias.” — “They pay the bill.”
Present Tense vs Pretérito Perfeito: how to choose
The closest tense to the present is the pretérito perfeito, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the pretérito perfeito 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 todos os dias or sempre, while the pretérito perfeito sentences use ontem or na semana passada. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.
- Present Tense: “Ele paga a conta todos os dias.” — “He pays the bill”
- Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele pagou a conta ontem.” — “He paid the bill”
- The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
- Present Tense: “Eu pago a conta todos os dias.” — “I pay the bill”
- Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu paguei a conta ontem.” — “I paid the bill”
- The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
- Present Tense: “Tu pagas a conta todos os dias.” — “You pay the bill”
- Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu pagaste a conta ontem.” — “You paid the bill”
- The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
Example sentences: pagar 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.
- “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”
- “Eu pago a conta todos os dias.” — “I pay the bill”
- “Ele paga a conta todos os dias.” — “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: “Eu pagas a conta.” Right: “Eu pago a conta todos os dias.” Why: The eu form is pago, not pagas. pagas is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
- Wrong: “Nós pago a conta.” Right: “Nós pagamos a conta todos os dias.” Why: Nós needs the nós form pagamos. pago belongs with eu only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
- Wrong: “Eu pago a conta todos os dias ontem.” Right: “Eu paguei a conta ontem.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito paguei for a finished action yesterday.
- Wrong: “Eu pagar a conta.” Right: “Eu pago a conta todos os dias.” Why: The infinitive pagar never takes a subject. After eu 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.
What is the eu form of pagar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) pagas
- B) pago
- C) paga
- D) pagamos
What is the tu form of pagar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) pago
- B) paga
- C) pagas
- D) pagamos
What is the ele/ela form of pagar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) pago
- B) pagas
- C) pagamos
- D) paga
What is the nós form of pagar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) pagamos
- B) pago
- C) pagas
- D) paga
What is the vós form of pagar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) pago
- B) pagais
- C) pagas
- D) paga
What is the eles/elas form of pagar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) pago
- B) pagas
- C) pagam
- D) paga
What is the eu form of pagar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) pagas
- B) paga
- C) pagamos
- D) pago
What is the tu form of pagar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) pagas
- B) pago
- C) paga
- D) pagamos
Answer key
- B) pago — the correct form is pago. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) pagas — the correct form is pagas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) paga — the correct form is paga. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) pagamos — the correct form is pagamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) pagais — the correct form is pagais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) pagam — the correct form is pagam. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) pago — the correct form is pago. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) pagas — the correct form is pagas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
Frequently asked questions
What does pagar mean in English?
pagar means “to pay”. It is a regular -ar verb.
How is the present tense of pagar formed?
The six present forms are: eu pago, tu pagas, ele paga, nós pagamos, vós pagais, eles pagam. pagar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.
When do I use the present instead of the pretérito perfeito?
Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the pretérito perfeito for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
What are the gerund and past participle of pagar?
The gerund is pagando and the past participle is pagado.
Related pages
- pagar conjugation — full tables
- pagar examples and quiz
- Portuguese present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Portuguese.
- Comprar conjugation — another Portuguese verb in this batch.
- Fechar conjugation — another Portuguese verb in this batch.
- Portuguese verbs — the full hub of Portuguese conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise pagar with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise pagar with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise pagar with the interactive tool.