A person handing a stack of colorful bills to a shopkeeper over a counter.

paguen

PAH-ghen

verbA2irregular (spelling change) ar

pay?when talking about wishes, orders, or possibilities for 'them' or 'you all'

Also:that they pay?used in 'I want that...' sentences,pay up?as a direct command to a group

Quick Reference

gerundpagando

past Participlepagado

infinitivepagar

📝 In Action

Espero que ellos paguen la cena.

I hope they pay for dinner.

¡Paguen la cuenta ahora, por favor!

Pay the bill now, please!

Dudo que nos paguen hoy.

I doubt they will pay us today.

Word Connections

Synonyms

abonen (pay/credit (a balance))
sufraguen (defray/cover costs)

Antonyms

cobren (charge/collect money)
adeuden (owe)

Common Collocations

paguen en efectivo – pay in cash
paguen con tarjeta – pay by card
paguen a plazos – pay in installments

Idioms & Expressions

paguen el pato – to take the blame for something someone else did

💡 Grammar Points

The Silent 'U'

The 'u' is added to keep the 'g' sounding hard, like 'goat'. Without the 'u', it would sound like a raspy 'h'.

Giving Group Commands

When you want to tell a group of people to 'pay' politely or formally, use 'paguen'.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Missing 'u'

Mistake: "pagen"

Correction: paguen

⭐ Usage Tips

Hopes and Dreams

Use 'paguen' after phrases like 'Espero que...' (I hope that...) or 'Quiero que...' (I want that...).

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedespagaran

yopagara

túpagaras

vosotrospagarais

nosotrospagáramos

él/ella/ustedpagara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedespaguen

yopague

túpagues

vosotrospaguéis

nosotrospaguemos

él/ella/ustedpague

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedespagaron

yopagué

túpagaste

vosotrospagasteis

nosotrospagamos

él/ella/ustedpagó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedespagaban

yopagaba

túpagabas

vosotrospagabais

nosotrospagábamos

él/ella/ustedpagaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedespagan

yopago

túpagas

vosotrospagáis

nosotrospagamos

él/ella/ustedpaga

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: paguen

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses 'paguen' as a command?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

pagar(to pay) - verb

pago(payment) - noun

pagador(payer) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Why isn't it 'pagan'?

'Pagan' is for a simple fact (They pay), while 'paguen' is for a wish, a command, or a 'what if' situation.

Do I pronounce the 'u'?

No, the 'u' is silent. It's only there to change the sound of the 'g'.