pagar
M053 OrthographicPagar — orthographic g→gu before e (to pay)
g→gu before e
10
verbs
Difficulty
Summary
PAGAR represents the -gar spelling model: before e, g changes to gu to keep the hard /g/ sound.
Main checkpoints:
- Preterite yo: pagué.
- Present subjunctive: pague, pagues, pague, paguemos, paguéis, paguen.
- Imperative formal/negative forms use the same base (pague, paguemos, paguen / no pagues...).
Technical explanation
Model for most verbs ending in -gar, except those that follow colgar (→ model M024), jugar (→ model M047), and regar (→ model M066). Garuar and pringar are treated as impersonal verbs in traditional grammar (→ 130). Enjugar has a double past participle (→ 133).
Regular first-conjugation verb. To preserve pronunciation, g changes to gu before e:
- in preterite 1st person singular: pagué;
- in present subjunctive: pague, pagues, pague, paguemos, paguéis, paguen;
- in imperative-derived forms:
tú paga, vosotros pagad (regular);
usted/nosotros/ustedes: pague, paguemos, paguen;
negative (table cells without "no"): pagues, pague, paguemos, paguéis, paguen.
Other tenses remain regular in -ar: pagaba, pagaré, pagaría, he pagado.
Examples
- Ayer pagué la cuenta con tarjeta.
- Espero que pagues antes del viernes.
- No paguéis todavía; falta revisar el importe.
Verbs following pagar
Frequent -gar followers in this model:
Teacher guide (Spain)
Keep one clear chain in practice: pagué (preterite yo) + pague/paguemos (subjunctive & commands).
1) Core verbs (high frequency)
Use these first in drills.
2) Expansion verbs
Useful in everyday and academic contexts.
3) Teaching recommendation
Practice by contrast: paga/pagad vs pague/paguemos, and always include pagué.
Present Indicative
yo
pago
tú
pagas
él/ella
paga
Pattern cheat sheet
Most-used tenses for this model, with an optional comparison against the regular pattern.
Indicativo — Indicative
Presente
Present Indicative
yo
pago
tú
pagas
él/ella
paga
Pretérito perfecto simple
Preterite Indicative
yo
pagué
tú
pagaste
él/ella
pagó
Pretérito imperfecto
Imperfect Indicative
yo
pagaba
tú
pagabas
él/ella
pagaba
Futuro simple
Future Indicative
yo
pagaré
tú
pagarás
él/ella
pagará
Condicional simple
Conditional
yo
pagaría
tú
pagarías
él/ella
pagaría
Subjuntivo — Subjunctive
Presente de subjuntivo
Present Subjunctive
yo
pague
tú
pagues
él/ella
pague
Imperativo — Imperative
Imperativo afirmativo
Imperative
yo
—
tú
paga
él/ella
pague
Imperativo negativo
Negative Imperative
yo
—
tú
pagues
él/ella
pague
Tense availability
Supported for this model (informational). Open a verb page to view full conjugation tables by tense.
Supported
More tenses are rolling out over time.
Open a verb page to switch between tenses and see full tables.
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