A colorful storybook illustration showing a male character wearing a simple blue shirt handing a large, shiny gold coin to another person, symbolizing payment.

pagó

pah-GOH

Verb (Conjugation)A1regular (in the third person singular) ar

he paid?referring to a male person,she paid?referring to a female person,you paid?referring to 'usted' (formal you)

Also:it paid off?when referring to an investment or effort (less common)

Quick Reference

infinitivepagar

gerundpagando

past Participlepagado

📝 In Action

Él pagó la cuenta antes de salir del restaurante.

He paid the bill before leaving the restaurant.

¿Quién pagó el café? Fui yo.

Who paid for the coffee? It was me.

Usted pagó demasiado por ese coche usado.

You (formal) paid too much for that used car.

Word Connections

Synonyms

abonó (he/she/you settled (a debt))
saldó (he/she/you cleared (a balance))

Antonyms

debió (he/she/you owed)
pidió prestado (he/she/you borrowed)

Common Collocations

pagó en efectivo – paid in cash
pagó la multa – paid the fine

Idioms & Expressions

pagó el pato – He/she took the blame (for someone else's mistake)

💡 Grammar Points

Recognizing the Preterite

The accent mark on the 'ó' is your biggest clue! It tells you the action happened once and was completely finished in the past. It sounds like a punchier, completed action.

Distinguishing from 'pago'

Be careful: 'pagó' (with the accent) means 'he/she/you paid' (past). 'Pago' (no accent) means 'I pay' (present).

❌ Common Pitfalls

Missing the Accent

Mistake: "Escribir 'el pago' en lugar de 'él pagó'."

Correction: If you write 'pago' without the accent, you are saying 'the payment' (a noun) or 'I pay' (present tense). The accent is essential to show the past action: 'él pagó'.

⭐ Usage Tips

When to Use 'Pagó'

Use this form when you can point to a specific moment the payment happened: 'Ayer pagó' (Yesterday he paid) or 'El lunes pagó' (On Monday he paid).

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: pagó

Question 1 of 2

Which sentence correctly uses 'pagó'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

pagar(to pay (infinitive)) - verb

pago(payment) - noun

pagable(payable) - adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does 'pagó' have an accent mark?

The accent mark on the 'o' is crucial because it indicates the stress falls on the last syllable, which is characteristic of the simple past tense (preterite) for 'él,' 'ella,' and 'usted' forms of -AR verbs. Without it, the word would be stressed on the first syllable and sound like 'pago' ('I pay').

Is 'pagó' used for both formal and informal 'you'?

It is used for the formal 'you' (usted). The informal 'you' (tú) form in the past is 'pagaste'.