Why Pagar Is More Than "To Pay"
Pagar is the verb of restaurants, shops, bills, and even consequences. Its small words matter: the payment method comes after con, the price or reason after por, and the person you pay as an indirect object. It is regular, but the spelling changes before e: pagué, pague.
Learn these six patterns as whole chunks and you will handle checkouts and bills without translating word by word.
Pattern 1: Pagar con tarjeta / en efectivo — "To pay by card / in cash"
At any till, the first question is how you will pay. Use con for the method and en efectivo for cash. In shops the staff ask this with ¿Cómo va a pagar?
- ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? — Can I pay by card?
- Prefiero pagar en efectivo. — I prefer to pay in cash.
- ¿Cómo va a pagar, señor? — How will you be paying, sir?
Chunk to learn:
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta? / Pagar en efectivo
Pattern 2: Pago yo — "I'll pay"
The polite fight over the bill has its own phrases. To ask for it, see [Pedir] Chunks (la cuenta, por favor). To take it on, say pago yo or invito yo. To split it, say pagamos a medias.
- No te preocupes, pago yo. — Don't worry, I'll pay.
- Pagamos a medias. — We'll split it fifty-fifty.
- Hoy pagas tú, ¿vale? — You pay today, okay?
Chunk to learn:
Pago yo / Pagamos a medias / Pagas tú
Pattern 3: Pagar por… — "To pay for…"
Use por for the thing that was bought, the amount, or the reason. It is one of the clearest everyday uses of por. For more, see Por vs. Para Chunks.
- ¿Cuánto pagaste por el billete? — How much did you pay for the ticket?
- Pagué cincuenta euros por esto. — I paid fifty euros for this.
- No pagues por algo que no usas. — Don't pay for something you don't use.
Chunk to learn:
Pagar + [amount] + por + [thing]
Pattern 4: Te lo pago mañana — "I'll pay you tomorrow"
When you pay a person, Spanish uses the indirect pronoun for them and lo for the thing. This is the pattern for lending, debts, and splitting costs between friends. For more with attached pronouns, see Object Pronouns Chunks.
- Te lo pago mañana. — I'll pay you back tomorrow.
- ¿Me pagas lo que te presté? — Will you pay me what I lent you?
- Ya le pagué el alquiler. — I already paid him the rent.
Chunk to learn:
Te lo pago + [when] / Ya le pagué + [thing]
Pattern 5: Pagar de más / a plazos — "To overpay / to pay in installments"
Money talk needs a few small modifiers. De más is too much, por adelantado is in advance, and a plazos is in installments. They fit travel, rentals, and big purchases.
- Creo que pagué de más. — I think I overpaid.
- ¿Puedo pagar a plazos? — Can I pay in installments?
- Hay que pagar por adelantado. — You have to pay in advance.
Chunk to learn:
Pagar de más / a plazos / por adelantado
Pattern 6: Pagar el pato — "To take the blame"
Pagar also covers paying a price that is not money. Pagar el pato means to be punished for something you did not do, and pagar las consecuencias means to face what you caused. Warn someone with Me las vas a pagar, "you'll pay for this".
- Siempre pago el pato yo. — I'm always the one who takes the blame.
- Vas a pagar las consecuencias. — You are going to face the consequences.
- Me las vas a pagar. — You're going to pay for this.
Chunk to learn:
Pagar el pato / Pagar las consecuencias
Pagar vs. Cobrar
Pagar is what the customer does and cobrar is what the seller or employee does: ¿Cuánto cobra? means "How much does he charge?". For the other side of money, see [Ganar] Chunks.
Start with ¿puedo pagar con tarjeta? and te lo pago mañana. You will use both the next time you speak Spanish.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.