How to Say "i paid" in Spanish
The Spanish word for “i paid” is “pagué” — A1 level. This is a very common word in everyday Spanish.
Examples
Pagué el café y salí de la tienda.
I paid for the coffee and left the store.
¿Viste? Yo pagué toda la cena anoche.
Did you see? I paid for the whole dinner last night.
Pagué la multa inmediatamente para evitar problemas.
I paid the fine immediately to avoid problems.
The 'Yo' Preterite Spelling Change
Verbs that end in -gar (like 'pagar') must change the 'g' to 'gu' only in the 'yo' form of the past tense (preterite). This keeps the hard 'g' sound (like the 'g' in 'go'). You must write 'pagué', not 'pagé'.
Completed Past Action
Use 'pagué' when the action of paying is completely finished and done at a specific point in the past. For example, 'I paid the bill yesterday.'
Forgetting the 'u'
Mistake: “Yo pagé el taxi.”
Correction: Yo pagué el taxi. (The 'u' is needed to maintain the correct sound.)
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