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ITALIAN VERB

pagare

to pay

  • #48 most used
  • Regular -are verb
  • Past participle: pagato
  • Gerund: pagando

Conjugation

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

Present

Presente · now, habits and facts

  1. io I pay
  2. tu you pay
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she pays
  4. noi we pay
  5. voi you all pay
  6. loro they pay

Past

Passato prossimo · finished actions: “ho parlato”

  1. io I paid
  2. tu you paid
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she paid
  4. noi we paid
  5. voi you all paid
  6. loro they paid

Imperfect

Imperfetto · “used to” and “was …ing”

  1. io I used to pay
  2. tu you used to pay
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she used to pay
  4. noi we used to pay
  5. voi you all used to pay
  6. loro they used to pay

Future

Futuro semplice · plans and guesses

  1. io I will pay
  2. tu you will pay
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she will pay
  4. noi we will pay
  5. voi you all will pay
  6. loro they will pay

Conditional

Condizionale · “would”, polite requests

  1. io I would pay
  2. tu you would pay
  3. lui, lei, Lei he/she would pay
  4. noi we would pay
  5. voi you all would pay
  6. loro they would pay

Present subjunctive

Congiuntivo presente · wishes, doubts, “che …”

  1. io (that) I pay
  2. tu (that) you pay
  3. lui, lei, Lei (that) he/she pay
  4. noi (that) we pay
  5. voi (that) you all pay
  6. loro (that) they pay

Imperative

Imperativo · requests and orders: tu, Lei, noi, voi

  1. tu pay!
  2. Lei pay! (formal)
  3. noi pay! (let’s)
  4. voi pay! (all of you)

How to use pagare

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

  1. Present

    Pago io, tu hai offerto ieri.

    I'm paying, you treated yesterday.

  2. Past

    Abbiamo pagato il conto a metà.

    We split the bill.

  3. Imperfect

    Prima pagavo sempre in contanti.

    I used to always pay cash.

  4. Future

    Pagherò con la carta, se possibile.

    I'll pay by card, if possible.

  5. Conditional

    Pagherei di più per una camera con vista.

    I'd pay more for a room with a view.

  6. Present subjunctive

    È giusto che paghi chi ha rotto il bicchiere.

    It's fair that whoever broke the glass pays.

  7. Imperative

    Paga alla cassa, poi ritira il caffè al banco.

    Pay at the till, then collect your coffee at the counter.

Good to know

  • Pagare keeps its hard g in writing: paghi, paghiamo, pagherò. Pago io! is I'm paying.
  • Pagare in contanti is to pay cash; pagare con la carta, by card.

Where you hear pagare

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

Italian · Beginner Level 1

  • Al mercato pago sempre io, tesoro. At the market, I always pay, sweetheart.
  • Stamattina, al mercato, ho pagato io. This morning, at the market, I paid.
  • Stasera paghi tu, e domani pago io. Tonight you pay, and tomorrow I'll pay.

Italian · Beginner Level 3

  • Al mercato pago sempre io, tesoro. At the market, I always pay, sweetheart.
  • Stamattina, al mercato, ho pagato io. This morning, at the market, I paid.
  • Stasera paghi tu, e domani pago io. Tonight you pay, and tomorrow I'll pay.
5
Half Now, the Rest in December

Beginner Level 3 · Tremila! Pago tutto adesso?

Needs a subscription 14
The Roof Is Done

Beginner Level 3 · Il resto lo paga a dicembre?

Needs a subscription 12
A Letter from the Bank

Intermediate Level 1 · Che non ho pagato il tetto! · Ma tu hai pagato? · Certo! Avevo già pagato tutto a dicembre.

Needs a subscription 23
Payday and the Roof

Intermediate Level 1 · Sì! A marzo pago tutto.

Needs a subscription 6
At the Bank

Advanced Level 1 · E le rate? Quanto si paga al mese?

Needs a subscription 11
Explaining the House

Advanced Level 1 · E chi pagherebbe i lavori? · Pagheremmo noi. Lei dovrebbe soltanto firmare.

Needs a subscription 16
Pietro Reads the Fine Print

Advanced Level 1 · Se paghi in ritardo, paghi di più. · Allora pago sempre in tempo!

Needs a subscription 21
Zio Antonio's Objection

Advanced Level 1 · Le pago io. Ne discutiamo con calma?

Needs a subscription 22
Persuading Zio Antonio

Advanced Level 1 · Vero. Ma il mutuo lo paga Lei? · E se non paga più?

Needs a subscription 24
The Bank Says Yes

Advanced Level 1 · E la prima rata? Quando la pago?

Needs a subscription 6
Pietro's Wheat

Advanced Level 3 · Te lo pago cinquanta, non di meno.

Needs a subscription 12
Opening Day

Advanced Level 3 · Il primo caffè lo pago io.

Needs a subscription

And 1 more lessons.

Verbs like this one

The same pattern, on other verbs: regular -are verb.