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FRENCH VERB

payer

to pay

  • #49 most used
  • Irregular -er verb
  • Past participle: payé
  • Present participle: payant

Conjugation

Tap any form to hear it. The part that changes is in colour.

Present

Présent · now, habits and facts

  1. je I pay
  2. tu you pay
  3. il, elle, on he/she pays
  4. nous we pay
  5. vous you pay
  6. ils, elles they pay

Past

Passé composé · finished actions

  1. je I paid
  2. tu you paid
  3. il, elle, on he/she paid
  4. nous we paid
  5. vous you paid
  6. ils, elles they paid

Imperfect

Imparfait · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. je I used to pay
  2. tu you used to pay
  3. il, elle, on he/she used to pay
  4. nous we used to pay
  5. vous you used to pay
  6. ils, elles they used to pay

Future

Futur simple · plans; in speech, “je vais parler” is just as common

  1. je I will pay
  2. tu you will pay
  3. il, elle, on he/she will pay
  4. nous we will pay
  5. vous you will pay
  6. ils, elles they will pay

Conditional

Conditionnel · “would”, polite requests

  1. je I would pay
  2. tu you would pay
  3. il, elle, on he/she would pay
  4. nous we would pay
  5. vous you would pay
  6. ils, elles they would pay

Present subjunctive

Subjonctif présent · wishes, doubts, “il faut que …”

  1. je (that) I pay
  2. tu (that) you pay
  3. il, elle, on (that) he/she pay
  4. nous (that) we pay
  5. vous (that) you pay
  6. ils, elles (that) they pay

Imperative

Impératif · requests and orders

  1. tu pay!
  2. nous pay! (let’s)
  3. vous pay! (plural, or formal)

How to use payer

One sentence for each tense, the way people say it.

  1. Present

    Je paie, c'est mon tour.

    I'm paying, it's my turn.

  2. Past

    Vous avez déjà payé ? Le serveur n'a rien dit.

    Have you already paid? The waiter didn't say.

  3. Imperfect

    Avant, on payait le loyer en espèces.

    We used to pay the rent in cash.

  4. Future

    Je paierai la prochaine fois, promis.

    I'll pay next time, I promise.

  5. Conditional

    Je paierais bien, mais j'ai oublié ma carte.

    I'd pay, but I forgot my card.

  6. Present subjunctive

    Il faut que vous payiez avant la fin du mois.

    You have to pay before the end of the month.

  7. Imperative

    Paie à la caisse, là-bas.

    Pay at the till over there.

Good to know

  • Payer par carte, payer en espèces : how you pay comes after par or en.

Where you hear payer

The lessons that teach a form of it, and how they say it.

French · Beginner Level 1

  • Je paie par carte. I'm paying by card.
  • J'ai payé en espèces. I paid in cash.
  • Je vais payer l'addition. I'm going to pay the bill.

French · Beginner Level 2

  • Je paie par carte. I'm paying by card.
  • J'ai payé en espèces. I paid in cash.
  • Je vais payer l'addition. I'm going to pay the bill.
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Dinner by the Port

Beginner Level 1 · payer · vous payez · je paie

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No Hot Water

Beginner Level 2 · j'ai payé

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Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: irregular -er verb.