Pagar
to pay
Presente
Current actions, habits, and general truths.
| eu | pago | Eu pago as contas no primeiro dia do mês. — I pay the bills on the first of the month. |
| você/ele/ela | paga | Ela paga o café de todo mundo sem avisar. — She pays for everyone's coffee without warning. |
| nós | pagamos | Nós pagamos o aluguel dividido em duas partes. — We pay the rent split into two parts. |
| eles/elas | pagam | Eles pagam as compras sempre em dinheiro. — They always pay for shopping in cash. |
I pay my bills in order of due date — a simple system that works. My grandmother pays everything in cash and distrusts machines. We take turns paying for dinner — nobody counts, everyone pays. Whoever pays well is treated well — it shouldn't always be that way, but it is.
Pret. Perfeito
Completed past actions — what happened.
| eu | paguei | Eu paguei caro demais por esse aprendizado. — I paid far too much for this lesson. |
| você/ele/ela | pagou | Ela pagou à vista e ganhou desconto. — She paid upfront and got a discount. |
| nós | pagamos | Nós pagamos as dívidas e dormimos melhor. — We paid the debts and slept better. |
| eles/elas | pagaram | Eles pagaram com atraso mas pagaram. — They paid late but they paid. |
The negotiation was tense but honest. I paid a fair price and left satisfied. My supplier paid the overdue debt with interest — without complaining. We paid for a service that didn't deliver what was promised — and asked for a refund. Administrative mistakes paid a high cost for the project.
Pret. Imperfeito
Ongoing or habitual past — what used to happen or was happening.
| eu | pagava | Eu pagava meus gastos com o mesada. — I used to pay my expenses from my allowance. |
| você/ele/ela | pagava | Ela pagava o aluguel em dia — sempre. — She used to pay rent on time — always. |
| nós | pagávamos | Nós pagávamos menos por tudo antes da inflação. — We used to pay less for everything before inflation. |
| eles/elas | pagavam | Eles pagavam a rodada inteira quando ganhavam o jogo. — They used to pay for the whole round when they won the game. |
When I was a student, I used to pay half and wait for the other to pay the rest. My dad used to pay the household bills without ever mentioning that he was paying. We used to split the bar bill equally — democratic and exhausting. The years go by and we used to pay in ways we wouldn't any more.
Futuro Informal
Plans and intentions — "going to." The most common future form in spoken BR Portuguese.
| eu | vou pagar | Vou pagar essa conta essa semana sem falta. — I'm going to pay this bill this week without fail. |
| você/ele/ela | vai pagar | Ela vai pagar o jantar de aniversário de todos. — She's going to pay for everyone's birthday dinner. |
| nós | vamos pagar | Vamos pagar com PIX — mais fácil. — We're going to pay by PIX — easier. |
| eles/elas | vão pagar | Eles vão pagar pelo erro que cometeram. — They're going to pay for the mistake they made. |
The bill is due Friday and the money hasn't come through yet. I'm going to pay as soon as the transfer arrives. My partner is going to pay the suppliers with the new client's deposit. We're going to pay everything before the month closes. The employees are going to pay their own bills on time — that's the priority.
Futuro Formal
Formal future — "shall/will." More common in writing than speech.
| eu | pagarei | Pagarei quando a situação financeira melhorar. — I will pay when the financial situation improves. |
| você/ele/ela | pagará | O responsável pagará pelo dano causado. — The responsible party will pay for the damage caused. |
| nós | pagaremos | Pagaremos em dia todos os fornecedores. — We will pay all suppliers on time. |
| eles/elas | pagarão | Eles pagarão um preço alto por esta decisão. — They will pay a high price for this decision. |
The notice was clear: "The company will pay salaries by the fifth working day. We will pay the bonuses for the second semester in December. Suppliers will pay the penalties stipulated in the contract. I will personally pay the unauthorised expenses from my department."
Condicional
Hypotheticals and polite requests — "would."
| eu | pagaria | Eu pagaria qualquer valor para resolver essa situação. — I would pay any amount to resolve this situation. |
| você/ele/ela | pagaria | Ela pagaria mais se a qualidade valesse. — She would pay more if the quality were worth it. |
| nós | pagaríamos | Pagaríamos em dia se o banco não cobrasse tarifa absurda. — We would pay on time if the bank didn't charge an absurd fee. |
| eles/elas | pagariam | Eles pagariam mais com melhores condições de pagamento. — They would pay more with better payment terms. |
If the salary were bigger, I would pay everything on time without stress. My friend would pay the debt if the bank were less aggressive with interest. We would pay more taxes if we knew the money would return as services. Companies would pay better if they were required to — and consumption would increase along with it.
Pagar across the tenses
A short story using pagar in multiple tenses
Meu pai pagava tudo em dia — era ponto de honra. Pagava o carnê do Natal com disciplina de meses. Nós pagávamos sem entender o que custava — só quando crescemos percebemos o tamanho do gesto.
Hoje eu pago e penso nele. Ontem paguei uma conta que estava atrasada e senti aquele alívio que ele descrevia. Pagamos de formas diferentes mas com o mesmo compromisso.
No próximo mês, vou pagar a última parcela do financiamento. "Quando pagar, vou comemorar — pequeno mas real," prometi.
Perguntei ao meu pai qual conta ele pagaria primeiro se tivesse de escolher. Sem hesitar: "A de quem mais precisa de mim. O resto espera."
My dad used to pay everything on time — it was a point of honour. He used to pay the Christmas instalment with months of discipline. We used to pay without understanding what it cost — only when we grew up did we grasp the size of the gesture. Today I pay and think of him. Yesterday I paid a bill that was overdue and felt that relief he used to describe. We pay in different ways but with the same commitment. Next month, I'm going to pay the last instalment of the finance. "When I pay it, I'll celebrate — small but real," I promised. I asked my dad which bill he would pay first if he had to choose. Without hesitating: "The one for whoever needs me most. The rest can wait."
Palavra has conjugation flashcards for pagar across all tenses, plus 2,000+ more cards covering vocabulary, grammar, and real-world phrases.
Try Palavra Free →