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Conjugation Chart

“Pagar” (to pay) in the Imperfect Tense

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Understanding the Imperfect Tense of “Pagar”

The Imperfect Tense of pagar is used to describe ongoing or repeated actions in the past, for example, Yo pagaba la renta cada mes. (I paid the rent every month.)

Pagar is a regular -ar verb, so its Imperfect Tense conjugations follow the typical pattern for this verb type.

How to Use Pagar in the Imperfect Tense

The imperfect tense of pagar is used to describe ongoing, repeated or habitual actions in the past.

Paying a recurring bill: For example, Yo pagaba la renta cada mes. (I used to pay the rent every month.)

Describing someone’s past habits: For example, Ella pagaba las cuentas a tiempo. (She used to pay the bills on time.)

Expressing an action in progress: For example, Estaba pagando la factura cuando sonó el teléfono. (I was paying the bill when the phone rang.)

Idiomatic usage: For example, La pagaste caro, ¿no? (You paid dearly for that, didn’t you? – meaning you suffered serious consequences.)

Real Life Examples of Pagar in the Imperfect Tense

Yo pagaba la renta cada mes sin falta. (I paid the rent every month without fail.)

Ellos pagaban demasiado por el servicio de Internet. (They paid too much for the Internet service.)

Nosotros pagábamos las cuentas con tarjeta de crédito. (We paid the bills with a credit card.)

Tú pagabas el recibo de la luz a tiempo, ¿verdad? (You paid the electricity bill on time, right?)

Ella pagaba las propinas generosamente en los restaurantes. (She paid tips generously at restaurants.)

Él pagaba una cuota mensual por el gimnasio. (He paid a monthly fee for the gym.)

¿Cuánto pagabas por el paquete de cable? (How much did you pay for the cable package?)

Mis padres pagaban la matrícula de la universidad. (My parents paid the university tuition.)

Ustedes pagaban demasiado por el seguro del auto. (You paid too much for car insurance.)

Yo pagaba con tarjeta de débito en la mayoría de las tiendas. (I paid with a debit card at most stores.)

Ellas pagaban la suscripción del servicio de streaming. (They paid for the streaming service subscription.)

¿Tú pagabas en efectivo o con tarjeta? (Did you pay in cash or with a card?)

Nosotros pagábamos el alquiler con un cheque. (We paid the rent with a check.)

Él pagaba las multas de tránsito a tiempo. (He paid traffic fines on time.)

Ustedes pagaban demasiado por el servicio de televisión por cable. (You paid too much for the cable TV service.)

Conjugation Chart with English Translations

Conjugations of Pagar (to pay) in the Imperfect Tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

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

Synonyms

The Imperfect tense is also known as the Past Imperfect, Descriptive Past, Past Progressive, or Imperfect Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Imperfecto, Copretérito, Imperfecto de Indicativo, or Pasado Descriptivo in Spanish.