Pagar conjugation

Pagar means "to pay". Here it is in every main tense, with real example sentences and a free checker for your own.

Meaningto pay

Type-ar verb

Gerundpagando

Past participlepagado

Pagar changes form (an irregular, stem-changing or spelling-changing form) in the preterite and present subjunctive. Juntos teaches Latin American Spanish, where ustedes replaces vosotros; the vosotros forms are shown for completeness.

Quick answer. Present: pago, pagas, paga, pagamos, pagan. Preterite: pagué, pagaste, pagó, pagamos, pagaron. All tenses below.

Pagar conjugation tables

Jump to: present · preterite · imperfect · future · conditional · present subjunctive · present perfect · commands (imperative)

Pagar in the present

what happens now or usually

yo	pago
tú	pagas
él / ella / usted	paga
nosotros	pagamos
vosotros (Spain)	pagáis
ellos / ustedes	pagan

Pagar in the preterite

a finished action at a specific time

yo	pagué
tú	pagaste
él / ella / usted	pagó
nosotros	pagamos
vosotros (Spain)	pagasteis
ellos / ustedes	pagaron

Pagar in the imperfect

habits, descriptions and background in the past

yo	pagaba
tú	pagabas
él / ella / usted	pagaba
nosotros	pagábamos
vosotros (Spain)	pagabais
ellos / ustedes	pagaban

Pagar in the future

what will happen

yo	pagaré
tú	pagarás
él / ella / usted	pagará
nosotros	pagaremos
vosotros (Spain)	pagaréis
ellos / ustedes	pagarán

Pagar in the conditional

what would happen

yo	pagaría
tú	pagarías
él / ella / usted	pagaría
nosotros	pagaríamos
vosotros (Spain)	pagaríais
ellos / ustedes	pagarían

Pagar in the present subjunctive

after wishes, doubts and requests (quiero que…)

yo	pague
tú	pagues
él / ella / usted	pague
nosotros	paguemos
vosotros (Spain)	paguéis
ellos / ustedes	paguen

Pagar in the present perfect

what has happened, up to now (he comido)

yo	he pagado
tú	has pagado
él / ella / usted	ha pagado
nosotros	hemos pagado
vosotros (Spain)	habéis pagado
ellos / ustedes	han pagado

Pagar in the commands (imperative)

telling someone to do something (habla, no hables)

tú	paga
tú (no)	no pagues
usted	pague
nosotros	paguemos
vosotros (Spain)	pagad
ustedes	paguen

Pagar in real sentences

Example sentences from the Juntos exercise bank, each checked before learners see it.

Present

Pago la renta el primero de cada mes.
I pay the rent on the first of every month.
¿Pagas tú o pago yo?
Are you paying or am I?

Preterite

Pagué la cuenta antes de irnos.
I paid the bill before we left.
¿Cuánto pagaste por los zapatos?
How much did you pay for the shoes?

Imperfect

Antes pagábamos todo en efectivo.
We used to pay for everything in cash.
Mi papá siempre pagaba la cena.
My dad always used to pay for dinner.

Mistakes learners make with pagar

Paying a bill needs no por: pago la cuenta. Por comes in with the amount: pagué diez dólares por la cena.
The yo preterite is pagué, with a u to keep the hard g sound.
In a shop, ¿cuánto es? or ¿cuánto le debo? asks what you owe.

Write your own sentence with pagar

Not sure which past tense to use? The Spanish past tense course explains preterite vs imperfect with practice. Conjugate any other verb with the free Spanish conjugator, browse all 72 verb pages, or check any text with the free Spanish grammar checker.

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Use pagar in real conversation

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Questions people ask

Is pagar irregular in Spanish?

Partly. Pagar changes form in the preterite and present subjunctive, through an irregular stem, a stem change or a spelling change. The other tenses follow the regular -ar pattern.

What is the preterite of pagar?

Yo pagué, tú pagaste, él/ella pagó, nosotros pagamos, ellos/ustedes pagaron.

How do you conjugate pagar in the present?

Yo pago, tú pagas, él/ella paga, nosotros pagamos, ellos/ustedes pagan.

What is the future of pagar?

Yo pagaré, tú pagarás, él/ella pagará, nosotros pagaremos, ellos/ustedes pagarán.

What is the present subjunctive of pagar?

Que yo pague, que tú pagues, que él/ella pague, que nosotros paguemos, que ellos/ustedes paguen.