Pagare means “to pay” and “to pay for.” It is the verb at every till, bar and restaurant table, and it is also the model for the hard g spelling rule of -gare verbs.
Infinitive
pagare
English
to pay, to pay for
Auxiliary
avere
Past participle
pagato
Gerund
pagando
-gare verb: an h goes between the g and any ending that starts with e or i, so the g stays hard as in “go.” The present has paghi and paghiamo next to pago, paga, pagate, pagano. The future and conditional are built on pagher-: pagherò, pagheremo, pagherei. In the present subjunctive every singular form is paghi and the plural forms are paghiamo, paghiate, paghino. The imperative gives paga, paghi, paghiamo. Spiegare, legare and pregare follow the same spelling rule.
Pagare takes what you pay for as a direct object, so there is no word for “for”: pago il caffè, abbiamo pagato la cena, chi paga il conto? The amount is also a direct object (l'ho pagato venti euro), and the method comes with con or in: pagare con la carta, pagare in contanti. In a bar you may hear si paga alla cassa, “you pay at the till.” Offering to pay for someone else is usually offrire (offro io), while pagare per qualcosa means suffering the consequences: pagherai per questo.
Pagare uses avere: ho pagato, avevamo già pagato. If a direct object pronoun comes before the verb, the participle agrees with it: le bollette? Le ho pagate ieri. Without such a pronoun it stays pagato: Anna ha pagato le bollette.
Pagare in context
Presente:Paghiamo alla romana? (Shall we split the bill equally?)
Presente:Scusi, posso pagare con la carta o pago in contanti? (Excuse me, can I pay by card or do I pay in cash?)
Passato Prossimo:Ho pagato l'affitto in ritardo questo mese. (I paid the rent late this month.)
Imperfetto:Prima pagavamo molto meno di luce e gas. (We used to pay much less for electricity and gas.)
Futuro Semplice:Pagherai tutto alla consegna. (You'll pay for everything on delivery.)
Congiuntivo Presente:Non è giusto che paghino solo loro. (It isn't fair that only they pay.)
Condizionale Presente:Quanto pagheresti per un biglietto in prima fila? (How much would you pay for a front-row ticket?)
Common expressions with pagare
pagare alla romana: to split the bill equally
pagare in contanti / con la carta: to pay in cash / by card
pagare a rate: to pay in instalments
pagarla cara: to pay dearly for something. Me la pagherai: “you'll pay for this,” a threat.
pagare di tasca propria: to pay out of your own pocket
Common mistakes
Ho pagato la cena., not Ho pagato per la cena. (I paid for dinner.). What you pay for is the direct object of pagare. Pagare per suggests paying the price for a wrong, not for a meal.
Pagherò domani., not Pagerò domani. (I'll pay tomorrow.). Without the h, ge would sound like the g in “gem.” The future keeps the hard g: pagherò.
Avere in every compound tense: ho pagato, avremmo pagato. The participle does not change for the subject: le ragazze hanno pagato.
Why is it paghi and not pagi?
Pagare is a -gare verb. Before e or i, a plain g would sound soft, so Italian spelling adds h to keep the hard sound of the infinitive: paghi, paghiamo, pagherò.
Is pagare irregular?
No. It is a regular -ARE verb; only the spelling adjusts. The pronunciation of the stem is the same in pago and in paghi.
How do you say “I'll pay” or “it's on me” in Italian?
Pago io is the plain statement. To treat someone, Italians usually say offro io or ti offro un caffè. At the end of a meal, il conto, per favore asks for the bill.