Pagar Conjugation | How to Conjugate Pagar in Spanish

Pagar means “to pay,” “to pay for,” or “to settle.” You will learn its regular -AR framework, g → gu spelling change before e, payment patterns, compound forms, and commands.

Pagar conjugation at a glance

Verb type: Irregular. Linguistically, pagar keeps regular -AR endings but changes g → gu before e to preserve the hard consonant sound, producing pagué — “I paid” — and pague — “that I pay.”

Pagar gerund, past participle, and infinitive

The infinitive names the verb, the gerund supports progressive constructions, and the past participle combines with haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — in compound forms. The participle pagado remains invariant in those compounds.

Form	Spanish	Natural English guide
Infinitive	pagar	to pay
Gerund	pagando	paying
Past participle	pagado	paid

Pagar meaning and essential uses

Pagar is commonly transitive: Pago la cuenta. — “I pay the bill.” RAE defines its central sense as giving another person what is owed.

A recipient may be expressed with an indirect object: Le pago cien euros a Marta. — “I pay Marta one hundred euros.” Spanish also uses pagar por in contexts emphasizing the price, exchange, or consequence: Pagué mucho por el billete. — “I paid a lot for the ticket.”

Pagar irregular conjugation patterns

Most forms use pag- with ordinary -AR endings. Before e, Spanish writes gu to preserve the /g/ sound: pagué — “I paid,” pague — “that I pay,” and paguemos — “that we pay.”

The present-subjunctive family is pague, pagues, pague, paguemos, paguéis, paguen. The present indicative, imperfect, future, conditional, gerund pagando, and participle pagado otherwise follow the expected pattern.

Pagar indicative and periphrastic conjugations

Pagar present tense conjugation

Present indicative (el presente de indicativo) — Use it for current situations, habits, facts, and contextually near-future reference. The table uses the verified paradigm.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	pago	I pay
Tú — you, singular informal	pagas	you pay
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	paga	he / she pays; you pay (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	pagamos	we pay
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	pagáis	you pay (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	pagan	they pay; you pay (plural)

• Pago la cuenta con tarjeta. — I pay the bill by card.

Pagar preterite conjugation

Preterite (el pretérito perfecto simple / pretérito indefinido) — Use it for completed or bounded past events. The first-person singular is pagué — “I paid,” with g → gu before e.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	pagué	I paid
Tú — you, singular informal	pagaste	you paid
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	pagó	he / she paid; you paid (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	pagamos	we paid
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	pagasteis	you paid (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	pagaron	they paid; you paid (plural)

• Ayer pagué el alquiler. — Yesterday I paid the rent.

Pagar imperfect conjugation

Imperfect (el pretérito imperfecto) — Use it for habitual, descriptive, background, or ongoing past situations. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle pagado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	pagaba	I used to pay / was paying
Tú — you, singular informal	pagabas	you used to pay / were paying
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	pagaba	he / she used to pay / was paying; you used to pay / were paying (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	pagábamos	we used to pay / were paying
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	pagabais	you used to pay / were paying (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	pagaban	they used to pay / were paying; you used to pay / were paying (plural)

• Antes pagaba todo en efectivo. — I used to pay for everything in cash.

Pagar present progressive

Present progressive — This verbal periphrasis focuses on an action or process in progress. Form it with present estar — “to be” — plus pagando — “paying.”

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	estoy pagando	I am paying
Tú — you, singular informal	estás pagando	you are paying
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	está pagando	he / she is paying; you are paying (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	estamos pagando	we are paying
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	estáis pagando	you are paying (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	están pagando	they are paying; you are paying (plural)

• Estoy pagando la factura ahora. — I am paying the bill now.

Pagar near future conjugation

Near future — This verbal periphrasis expresses an intention, plan, or expected event. Form it with present ir — “to go” — plus a — “to” — and pagar.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	voy a pagar	I am going to pay
Tú — you, singular informal	vas a pagar	you are going to pay
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	va a pagar	he / she is going to pay; you are going to pay (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	vamos a pagar	we are going to pay
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	vais a pagar	you are going to pay (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	van a pagar	they are going to pay; you are going to pay (plural)

• Voy a pagar mañana. — I am going to pay tomorrow.

Pagar future tense conjugation

Simple future (el futuro simple) — Use it for future reference and, where useful, probability. The endings attach to the full infinitive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	pagaré	I will pay
Tú — you, singular informal	pagarás	you will pay
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	pagará	he / she will pay; you will pay (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	pagaremos	we will pay
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	pagaréis	you will pay (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	pagarán	they will pay; you will pay (plural)

• Pagaremos el resto la próxima semana. — We will pay the rest next week.

Pagar conditional conjugation

Conditional (el condicional simple) — Use it for hypothetical outcomes, softened statements, or related conditional meanings. The endings attach to the full infinitive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	pagaría	I would pay
Tú — you, singular informal	pagarías	you would pay
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	pagaría	he / she would pay; you would pay (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	pagaríamos	we would pay
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	pagaríais	you would pay (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	pagarían	they would pay; you would pay (plural)

• Pagaría más por un servicio mejor. — I would pay more for a better service.

Pagar present perfect conjugation

Present perfect (el pretérito perfecto compuesto) — Use it for completed events connected to a present reference frame; regional distribution varies. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle pagado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	he pagado	I have paid
Tú — you, singular informal	has pagado	you have paid
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	ha pagado	he / she has paid; you have paid (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hemos pagado	we have paid
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habéis pagado	you have paid (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	han pagado	they have paid; you have paid (plural)

• Ya he pagado la reserva. — I have already paid for the reservation.

Pagar past perfect conjugation

Past perfect (el pretérito pluscuamperfecto) — Use it for an event completed before another past reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle pagado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	había pagado	I had paid
Tú — you, singular informal	habías pagado	you had paid
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	había pagado	he / she had paid; you had paid (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habíamos pagado	we had paid
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habíais pagado	you had paid (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habían pagado	they had paid; you had paid (plural)

• Habíamos pagado antes de recibir la factura final. — We had paid before receiving the final bill.

Pagar future perfect conjugation

Future perfect (el futuro perfecto) — Use it for an event expected to be completed before a future reference point. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle pagado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habré pagado	I will have paid
Tú — you, singular informal	habrás pagado	you will have paid
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habrá pagado	he / she will have paid; you will have paid (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habremos pagado	we will have paid
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habréis pagado	you will have paid (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrán pagado	they will have paid; you will have paid (plural)

• Para entonces habrán pagado todo. — By then they will have paid everything.

Pagar conditional perfect conjugation

Conditional perfect (el condicional compuesto) — Use it for a hypothetical completed outcome. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle pagado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	habría pagado	I would have paid
Tú — you, singular informal	habrías pagado	you would have paid
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	habría pagado	he / she would have paid; you would have paid (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	habríamos pagado	we would have paid
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	habríais pagado	you would have paid (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	habrían pagado	they would have paid; you would have paid (plural)

• Habría pagado menos con otro plan. — I would have paid less with another plan.

Pagar subjunctive conjugations

Pagar present subjunctive conjugation

Present subjunctive (el presente de subjuntivo) — Use it in subordinate environments involving wishes, influence, emotion, doubt or denial, evaluation, necessity, possibility, or non-specific reference. The entire present-subjunctive family uses pagu- before the e-based endings.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	pague	that I pay
Tú — you, singular informal	pagues	that you pay
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	pague	that he / she pay; that you pay (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	paguemos	that we pay
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	paguéis	that you pay (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	paguen	that they pay; that you pay (plural)

• Quiero que pagues hoy. — I want you to pay today.

Pagar imperfect subjunctive conjugation

Imperfect subjunctive (el imperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses the -ra series. The accepted -se series is also valid in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle pagado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	pagara	that I paid
Tú — you, singular informal	pagaras	that you paid
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	pagara	that he / she paid; that you paid (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	pagáramos	that we paid
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	pagarais	that you paid (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	pagaran	that they paid; that you paid (plural)

• Preferían que pagáramos por transferencia. — They preferred that we pay by bank transfer.
• Era mejor que pagases la factura completa. — It was better for you to pay the full bill.

Pagar future subjunctive conjugation

Future subjunctive (el futuro de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. It survives mainly in formal, legal, proverbial, literary, or historical contexts. These rare reference forms share the same historical family as the imperfect subjunctive.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	pagare	if / when I should pay
Tú — you, singular informal	pagares	if / when you should pay
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	pagare	if / when he / she should pay; if / when you should pay (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	pagáremos	if / when we should pay
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	pagareis	if / when you should pay (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	pagaren	if / when they should pay; if / when you should pay (plural)

• Quien pagare la tasa deberá conservar el recibo. — Whoever should pay the fee must keep the receipt.

Pagar present perfect subjunctive conjugation

Present perfect subjunctive (el pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo) — Use it when a completed event appears inside a present- or future-oriented subjunctive environment. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle pagado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	haya pagado	that I have paid
Tú — you, singular informal	hayas pagado	that you have paid
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	haya pagado	that he / she has paid; that you have paid (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hayamos pagado	that we have paid
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hayáis pagado	that you have paid (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hayan pagado	that they have paid; that you have paid (plural)

• Me alegra que hayas pagado a tiempo. — I am glad that you paid on time.

Pagar past perfect subjunctive conjugation

Past perfect subjunctive (el pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo) — The main table uses hubiera; hubiese is an accepted auxiliary alternative in many contexts and is demonstrated after the table. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle pagado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiera pagado	that I had paid
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieras pagado	that you had paid
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiera pagado	that he / she had paid; that you had paid (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéramos pagado	that we had paid
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubierais pagado	that you had paid (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieran pagado	that they had paid; that you had paid (plural)

• Si hubiéramos pagado antes, habríamos recibido el descuento. — If we had paid earlier, we would have received the discount.
• Si hubieses pagado la factura, el saldo sería cero. — If you had paid the bill, the balance would be zero.

Pagar future perfect subjunctive conjugation

Future perfect subjunctive (el futuro perfecto de subjuntivo) — Rare in modern everyday Spanish. Treat it as a formal or historical reference form, not an everyday conversational target. Form it with the appropriate form of haber — “to have” as an auxiliary — plus the invariant participle pagado.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Yo — I	hubiere pagado	if / when I should have paid
Tú — you, singular informal	hubieres pagado	if / when you should have paid
Él / Ella / Usted — he / she / you, singular formal	hubiere pagado	if / when he / she should have paid; if / when you should have paid (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we	hubiéremos pagado	if / when we should have paid
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	hubiereis pagado	if / when you should have paid (plural)
Ellos / Ellas / Ustedes — they / you, plural	hubieren pagado	if / when they should have paid; if / when you should have paid (plural)

• Si hubieren pagado las tasas, deberán presentar los recibos. — If they should have paid the fees, they must submit the receipts.

Pagar imperative and commands

Commands address another person directly. The nosotros/nosotras row is a present-subjunctive form used with exhortative “let’s…” value.

Pagar affirmative commands

Use the verified affirmative command forms for direct instructions when the target meaning supports them naturally.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	paga	pay
Usted — you, singular formal	pague	pay (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	paguemos	let’s pay
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	pagad	pay (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	paguen	pay (plural)

• Paga la factura hoy. — Pay the bill today.

Pagar negative commands

Negative commands use subjunctive-based forms, with no — “not / do not” — before the verb.

Pronoun and English meaning	Spanish	Natural English guide
Tú — you, singular informal	no pagues	do not pay
Usted — you, singular formal	no pague	do not pay (formal)
Nosotros / Nosotras — we; let’s…	no paguemos	let’s not pay
Vosotros / Vosotras — you, plural informal, mainly Spain	no paguéis	do not pay (plural, mainly Spain)
Ustedes — you, plural	no paguen	do not pay (plural)

• No pagues dos veces la misma factura. — Do not pay the same bill twice.

Common constructions with Pagar

These patterns show sentence frames that materially affect how the target verb is used.

• pagar algo. — to pay something, such as a bill, fee, or debt.
• pagar a alguien. — to pay someone.
• pagar por algo. — to pay for something, especially when emphasizing price or exchange.

Example sentences with Pagar

These examples reinforce the target verb across useful forms and contexts already taught in the lesson.

• ¿Has pagado ya la cuenta? — Have you paid the bill yet?
• Pagamos veinte euros por persona. — We pay twenty euros per person.
• La empresa paga a sus proveedores cada mes. — The company pays its suppliers every month.
• Espero que pagues antes del viernes. — I hope you pay before Friday.
• Voy a pagar con tarjeta. — I am going to pay by card.
• Paga solo después de revisar la factura. — Pay only after checking the bill.

Regional and usage notes for Pagar

The core tables retain tú, usted, vosotros/vosotras, and ustedes for project comparability. Voseo changes some second-person singular forms in regions where vos — “you, singular informal” — is used.

• Vos pagás la cuenta hoy. — You pay the bill today. (voseo)
• Pagá la factura antes del viernes. — Pay the bill before Friday. (affirmative vos command)

For pagar, most endings are regular. The crucial spelling rule is g → gu before e, visible in pagué, the present subjunctive, and the command forms derived from that family.