Pagar Conjugation in Portuguese
pagar means “to pay” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Portuguese learners meet — it sits at number 85 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Portuguese verbs. 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. This page gives you the complete conjugation of pagar — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Eu pago a conta todos os dias.” — “I pay the bill.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: pagar
- English: to pay
- Verb type: Regular -ar verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: pagando
- Present participle: pagante
- Past participle: pagado
- Auxiliary: ter (all perfect tenses are formed with ter + the past participle)
- Ending: -ar verbs; pattern ar in the verified tables
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. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read pagar in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about pagar
- It is regular: every form follows the ordinary -ar pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions. The stem keeps its hard sound by writing qu or gu before e and i, so the eu form is pago and the subjunctive eu form is pague.
- The perfect tenses use ter: the pretérito perfeito composto is formed with ter in the present plus the past participle pagado. The tables on this page give the participle in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- The gerund is pagando, the present participle is pagante and the past participle is pagado: keep all three in mind as you read the tables, because the gerund appears in progressive constructions, the present participle appears as an adjective, and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. If you know those three forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for pagar. Learn the present tense first, then the pretérito perfeito and the pretérito imperfeito, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative (presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | pago |
| tu | pagas |
| ele/ela | paga |
| nós | pagamos |
| vós | pagais |
| eles/elas | pagam |
The present indicative (presente) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Eu pago a conta todos os dias.” — “I pay the bill”
Pretérito perfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | paguei |
| tu | pagaste |
| ele/ela | pagou |
| nós | pagámos |
| vós | pagastes |
| eles/elas | pagaram |
The pretérito perfeito is used for completed actions in the past, especially one finished event. For example: “Eu paguei a conta ontem.” — “I paid the bill”
Pretérito imperfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | pagava |
| tu | pagavas |
| ele/ela | pagava |
| nós | pagávamos |
| vós | pagáveis |
| eles/elas | pagavam |
The pretérito imperfeito is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Eu pagava a conta antigamente.” — “I used to pay the bill”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | pagara |
| tu | pagaras |
| ele/ela | pagara |
| nós | pagáramos |
| vós | pagáreis |
| eles/elas | pagaram |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples is used for an action completed before another past action; in everyday speech the compound form with tinha is more common. For example: “Eu pagara a conta antes do jantar.” — “I had paid the bill”
Futuro do presente
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | pagarei |
| tu | pagarás |
| ele/ela | pagará |
| nós | pagaremos |
| vós | pagareis |
| eles/elas | pagarão |
The futuro do presente is used for what will happen, for predictions and for promises. For example: “Eu pagarei a conta amanhã.” — “I will pay the bill”
Futuro do pretérito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | pagaria |
| tu | pagarias |
| ele/ela | pagaria |
| nós | pagaríamos |
| vós | pagaríeis |
| eles/elas | pagariam |
The futuro do pretérito is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Eu pagaria a conta um dia.” — “I would pay the bill”
Pretérito perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenho pagado |
| tu | tens pagado |
| ele/ela | tem pagado |
| nós | temos pagado |
| vós | tendes pagado |
| eles/elas | têm pagado |
The pretérito perfeito composto is used for actions that started in the past and continue, or have been repeated, up to the present. For example: “Ele tem pagado a conta esta semana.” — “He has paid the bill”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tinha pagado |
| tu | tinhas pagado |
| ele/ela | tinha pagado |
| nós | tínhamos pagado |
| vós | tínheis pagado |
| eles/elas | tinham pagado |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Eu tinha pagado a conta antes do jantar.” — “I had paid the bill”
Futuro do presente composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | terei pagado |
| tu | terás pagado |
| ele/ela | terá pagado |
| nós | teremos pagado |
| vós | tereis pagado |
| eles/elas | terão pagado |
The futuro do presente composto is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Eu terei pagado a conta até amanhã.” — “I will have paid the bill”
Futuro do pretérito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | teria pagado |
| tu | terias pagado |
| ele/ela | teria pagado |
| nós | teríamos pagado |
| vós | teríeis pagado |
| eles/elas | teriam pagado |
The futuro do pretérito composto is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Eu teria pagado a conta ontem.” — “I would have paid the bill”
Presente do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | pague |
| tu | pagues |
| ele/ela | pague |
| nós | paguemos |
| vós | pagueis |
| eles/elas | paguem |
The presente do subjuntivo is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “É importante que eu pague a conta.” — “It is important that I pay the bill”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | pagasse |
| tu | pagasses |
| ele/ela | pagasse |
| nós | pagássemos |
| vós | pagásseis |
| eles/elas | pagassem |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after que, and in se-clauses. For example: “Era importante que eu pagasse a conta.” — “It was important that I pay the bill”
Futuro do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | pagar |
| tu | pagares |
| ele/ela | pagar |
| nós | pagarmos |
| vós | pagardes |
| eles/elas | pagarem |
The futuro do subjuntivo is used after se and quando for a future possibility, where English would use the present. For example: “Se eu pagar a conta, é bom.” — “If I pay the bill, that is good”
Imperativo (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | paga |
| ele/ela | pague |
| nós | paguemos |
| vós | pagai |
| eles/elas | paguem |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Paga a conta!” — “Pay the bill!”
Imperativo (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | não pagues |
| ele/ela | não pague |
| nós | não paguemos |
| vós | não pagueis |
| eles/elas | não paguem |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Não pagues a conta.” — “Do not pay the bill.”
Presente do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenha pagado |
| tu | tenhas pagado |
| ele/ela | tenha pagado |
| nós | tenhamos pagado |
| vós | tenhais pagado |
| eles/elas | tenham pagado |
The presente do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a subordinate clause expressing doubt, wish or emotion. For example: “É importante que eu tenha pagado a conta.” — “It is important that I have paid the bill”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tivesse pagado |
| tu | tivesses pagado |
| ele/ela | tivesse pagado |
| nós | tivéssemos pagado |
| vós | tivésseis pagado |
| eles/elas | tivessem pagado |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a past subordinate clause. For example: “Era importante que eu tivesse pagado a conta.” — “It was important that I had paid the bill”
Futuro do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tiver pagado |
| tu | tiveres pagado |
| ele/ela | tiver pagado |
| nós | tivermos pagado |
| vós | tiverdes pagado |
| eles/elas | tiverem pagado |
The futuro do subjuntivo composto is used after se for a completed future possibility. For example: “Se eu tiver pagado a conta, é bom.” — “If I have paid the bill, that is good”
Gerund
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Gerund | pagando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with estar for the progressive. For example: “Pagando a conta, aprendo muito.” — “While paying the bill, I learn a lot.”
Present participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Present participle | pagante |
The present participle is used as an adjective, describing an ongoing action. For example, the participle pagante is used to describe something that is happening at the same time as the main action, much like an English -ing adjective. You will meet pagante more often as an adjective or a noun than as a verb form, so learn it as a word in its own right.
Past participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Past participle | pagado |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Eu tenho pagado a conta esta semana.” — “I have paid the bill.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with pagar, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Portuguese and try to produce it from the English.
- “Eu pago a conta todos os dias.” — “I pay the bill”
- “Tu pagaste a conta ontem.” — “You paid the bill”
- “Ele pagava a conta antigamente.” — “He used to pay the bill”
- “Eu pagarei a conta amanhã.” — “I will pay the bill”
- “Tu pagarias a conta um dia.” — “You would pay the bill”
- “Ele tem pagado a conta esta semana.” — “He has paid the bill”
- “Eu tinha pagado a conta antes do jantar.” — “I had paid the bill”
- “Tu terás pagado a conta até amanhã.” — “You will have paid the bill”
- “É importante que eu pague a conta.” — “It is important that I pay the bill”
- “Paga a conta!” — “Pay the bill!”
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’s form
✗ Wrong: “Eu pagas a conta.”
✓ Right: “Eu pago a conta todos os dias.”
pagas is the tu form, not the eu form. Match the verb to the subject every time: eu goes with pago.
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 the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito paguei for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the pretérito perfeito composto
✗ Wrong: “Eu sou pagado a conta.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho pagado a conta esta semana.”
The pretérito perfeito composto of pagar is formed with ter plus the past participle pagado: the eu form is tenho pagado. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “É importante que eu pago a conta.”
✓ Right: “É importante que eu pague a conta.”
After é importante que Portuguese needs the subjunctive, so use pague here, not the indicative pago.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Eu tenho pagando a conta.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho pagado a conta esta semana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle pagado, not the gerund pagando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on pagar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the eu form of pagar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) pagas
- B) pago
- C) paga
- D) pagamos
What is the ele/ela form of pagar in the Pretérito perfeito?
- A) paguei
- B) pagaste
- C) pagou
- D) pagámos
What is the nós form of pagar in the Pretérito imperfeito?
- A) pagava
- B) pagavas
- C) pagáveis
- D) pagávamos
What is the tu form of pagar in the Futuro do presente?
- A) pagarás
- B) pagarei
- C) pagará
- D) pagaremos
What is the eu form of pagar in the Futuro do pretérito?
- A) pagarias
- B) pagaria
- C) pagaríamos
- D) pagaríeis
What is the ele/ela form of pagar in the Pretérito perfeito composto?
- A) tenho pagado
- B) tens pagado
- C) tem pagado
- D) temos pagado
What is the ele/ela form of pagar in the Presente do subjuntivo?
- A) pagues
- B) paguemos
- C) pagueis
- D) pague
What is the eu form of pagar in the Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo?
- A) pagasse
- B) pagasses
- C) pagássemos
- D) pagásseis
What is the gerund of pagar?
- A) pagado
- B) pagando
- C) pagar
- D) pago
What does pagar mean in English?
- A) to ask for
- B) to receive
- C) to pay
- D) to buy
Answer key
- B) pago — the correct form is pago. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) pagou — the correct form is pagou. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) pagávamos — the correct form is pagávamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) pagarás — the correct form is pagarás. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) pagaria — the correct form is pagaria. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) tem pagado — the correct form is tem pagado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) pague — the correct form is pague. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) pagasse — the correct form is pagasse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) pagando — the correct form is pagando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- 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”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is pagar regular or irregular?
pagar is regular: it follows the ordinary -ar pattern in every tense. The gerund is pagando and the past participle is pagado.
What are the gerund and past participle of pagar?
The gerund is pagando — use it with estar for the progressive. The past participle is pagado — use it with ter for the perfect tenses, as in tenho pagado.
Which auxiliary does pagar take in the pretérito perfeito composto?
pagar takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto: the eu form is tenho pagado. All seven compound tenses on this page are built with ter plus the past participle pagado.
How do I say “I pay” in Portuguese?
Say “Eu pago a conta todos os dias.” — “I pay the bill” The eu form of the present is pago, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of pagar — every tense of pagar in one place.
- Pagar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Pagar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Portuguese present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Portuguese.
- Comprar conjugation — another everyday Portuguese verb.
- Fechar conjugation — another everyday Portuguese verb.
- Portuguese verbs — the full hub of Portuguese conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Verb Conjugator — practise pagar with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise pagar with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise pagar with the interactive tool.