pagas
“pagas” means “you pay” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
you pay
Also: you are paying, pay!
📝 In Action
¿Con qué tarjeta pagas la comida?
A1Which card do you pay for the food with?
Si trabajas, pagas impuestos al gobierno.
A2If you work, you pay taxes to the government.
¡Pagas tú esta vez, yo pagué la anterior!
A2You pay this time, I paid the last one!
wages, installments
Also: paychecks
📝 In Action
Las pagas de verano son un buen alivio económico.
B1Summer wages are a good economic relief.
El coche se compra en 48 pagas mensuales.
B2The car is bought in 48 monthly installments.
Esperamos las pagas extras en diciembre.
B2We wait for the extra bonuses/payments in December.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
Translate to Spanish
✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: pagas
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence uses 'pagas' as a command (telling someone what to do)?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin verb *pacare*, which originally meant 'to appease' or 'to pacify.' This meaning evolved because when you pay a debt, you 'pacify' the creditor, making the connection between payment and peace.
First recorded: 10th century (as *pagar*)
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if 'pagas' means 'you pay' or 'wages'?
The context and the words around it tell you. If it has 'tú' implied or used with a verb structure (like 'Tú pagas'), it's the verb. If it has 'las' or 'unas' in front of it (like 'Las pagas son bajas'), it's the feminine plural noun meaning wages.
Is 'pagas' used for formal situations?
No. As a verb, 'pagas' uses the informal 'tú' form. For formal situations (talking to someone you call 'usted'), you must use the verb form 'paga'.