pague
/PAH-geh/
pay (I/he/she/you formal)
A simple scene showing the act of paying for goods or services.
pague(verb)
pay (I/he/she/you formal)
?as a command, wish, or possibility
settle (a bill)
?financial transactions
📝 In Action
Quiero que usted pague la cuenta ahora.
A2I want you (formal) to pay the bill now.
¡Pague con tarjeta, por favor!
A1Pay with a card, please!
Espero que yo pague menos impuestos este año.
B1I hope that I pay less tax this year.
💡 Grammar Points
The 'G' Protection Rule
The infinitive is 'pagar' (with a hard 'g' sound). To keep this sound when the next letter is 'e' (like in 'pague'), we must add a silent 'u': p-a-g-u-e. If we didn't, it would sound like 'paje', which is a different word.
Subjunctive Use
'Pague' is often used after verbs of desire, necessity, or emotion (like 'querer' or 'esperar') when the subject of the first verb is different from the person who needs to pay.
❌ Common Pitfalls
Forgetting the 'U'
Mistake: "Espero que él page."
Correction: Espero que él pague. (Always add the 'u' to keep the hard 'g' sound when it comes before 'e'.)
⭐ Usage Tips
Formal Command
When giving a polite command to an adult or someone you don't know well, use '¡Pague!' (the Usted form). For friends, use '¡Paga!' (the Tú form).
Visualizing the act of suffering consequences or 'paying the price' for actions.
pague(verb)
pay the price (I/he/she/you formal)
?to suffer consequences
suffer for
?figurative context
📝 In Action
No creo que él pague por todos sus errores.
B2I don't believe that he pays (or will pay) for all his mistakes.
Ojalá que yo no pague las consecuencias de su mala decisión.
B1I hope I don't pay the consequences of his bad decision.
💡 Grammar Points
Figurative Subjunctive
This meaning almost always uses the subjunctive ('pague') because it often involves doubt, wishes, or uncertainty about whether justice or consequence will actually happen.
⭐ Usage Tips
Context Clues
If 'pague' is not followed by a currency (like euros or dollars) or a bill (like 'la cuenta'), it likely refers to paying an abstract price or consequence.
🔄 Conjugations
indicative
present
imperfect
preterite
subjunctive
present
imperfect
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: pague
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly uses 'pague' as a formal command?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 'pague' look different from other -ar verbs in the subjunctive?
It's a common spelling rule for verbs ending in -gar (like pagar) and -car (like buscar) and -zar (like empezar). They change their spelling in the subjunctive (pague, busque, empiece) just to make sure the sound of the base verb stays the same when followed by the letter 'e'.
Is 'pague' the 'yo' form or the 'usted' form?
It is both! In the special verb form used for wishes and commands (the present subjunctive), 'pague' is the form for 'yo' (I) and the formal 'usted' (you), as well as 'él' (he) and 'ella' (she).