The subjunctive mood of pagar is used to express wishes, desires, or uncertainty about paying something, for example: Espero que pagues la factura a tiempo. (I hope you pay the bill on time.)

Pagar is a spelling-changing verb that changes the ‘g’ to ‘gu’ before the vowels ‘e’ and ‘i’ in certain conjugations.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Pagar (to pay) in the Subjunctive Mood tense (Castilian Spanish):

Pagar generally means “to pay”, but has several different meanings in the Subjunctive Mood, some of which might surprise you.

To pay (money): For example, Que pague la cuenta (That he pays the bill).

To suffer consequences: For example, Que pague por sus errores (That he pays for his mistakes).

To be worth it (colloquial): For example, Que pague la pena intentarlo (That it’s worth trying it).

To have sex (vulgar): For example, Que pague para follar (That he pays to fuck).

Examples

Examples of Pagar in the Subjunctive Mood

Es importante que pagues tus cuentas a tiempo. (It’s important that you pay your bills on time.)

El juez ordenó que el acusado pague una multa. (The judge ordered that the accused pay a fine.)

Aunque no tengas mucho dinero, es esencial que pagues tus deudas. (Even if you don’t have much money, it’s essential that you pay your debts.)

Para que podamos salir de vacaciones, es necesario que paguemos la hipoteca primero. (In order for us to go on vacation, it’s necessary that we pay the mortgage first.)

El contrato estipula que ustedes paguen la renta antes del día cinco de cada mes. (The contract stipulates that you pay the rent before the fifth of each month.)

Ojalá que mis padres paguen mi matrícula universitaria este semestre. (I hope that my parents pay my university tuition this semester.)

Aunque cueste mucho, es imprescindible que paguemos por una buena educación para nuestros hijos. (Although it costs a lot, it’s essential that we pay for a good education for our children.)

El mecánico recomienda que pagues por un afinamiento cada 10,000 kilómetros. (The mechanic recommends that you pay for a tune-up every 10,000 kilometers.)

Antes de que te vayas de viaje, asegúrate de que pagues todas tus facturas pendientes. (Before you go on your trip, make sure you pay all your outstanding bills.)

Tal vez sea mejor que paguemos la multa en lugar de discutir con el oficial de policía. (Maybe it’s better that we pay the fine instead of arguing with the police officer.)

Insisto en que ustedes paguen su parte de la cuenta de la cena. (I insist that you pay your share of the dinner bill.)

Preferiría que paguen con tarjeta de crédito en lugar de efectivo. (I would prefer that you pay with a credit card instead of cash.)

Aunque sea difícil, es fundamental que paguemos nuestras deudas para mantener un buen historial crediticio. (Although it’s difficult, it’s essential that we pay our debts to maintain a good credit history.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Pagar (to pay) in the Subjunctive Mood tense (Castilian Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Castilian Spanish. For Latin American Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Subjunctive mood is also known as the Simple Subjunctive, Subjunctive Present, or Present Subjunctive Mood in English, and as Presente de Subjuntivo, Subjuntivo Presente, Presente del Modo Subjuntivo, or Tiempo Presente del Subjuntivo in Spanish.