The Subjunctive Mood of Pagar is used to express wishes, desires, or uncertainty about paying something, for example: Espero que pagues la cuenta. (I hope you pay the bill.)

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

Conjugations

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

The present subjunctive of pagar is used to express wishes, desires, demands, or uncertainty about an action of paying.

Expressing wishes or desires: For example, Espero que pagues la renta a tiempo. (I hope you pay the rent on time.)

Giving commands or demands: For example, Es necesario que pagues tus deudas. (It’s necessary that you pay your debts.)

Expressing uncertainty: For example, Dudo que puedas pagar tanto por ese coche. (I doubt you can pay that much for that car.)

Slang/Idiomatic usage: Pagar los platos rotos means to face the consequences of one’s actions. Pagar el pato means to take the blame for something you didn’t do.

Examples

Examples of Pagar in the Subjunctive Mood

Espero que pagues la cuenta esta vez. (I hope you pay the bill this time.)

Es importante que paguemos nuestros impuestos a tiempo. (It’s important that we pay our taxes on time.)

Aunque no tengas mucho dinero, es necesario que pagues el alquiler. (Even if you don’t have much money, it’s necessary that you pay the rent.)

Para evitar multas, el gerente insistió en que paguemos las facturas pendientes. (To avoid fines, the manager insisted that we pay the outstanding bills.)

Los padres quieren que sus hijos paguen por su propia educación universitaria. (Parents want their children to pay for their own university education.)

Aunque cueste caro, es mejor que pagues por un buen seguro médico. (Although it’s expensive, it’s better that you pay for good health insurance.)

Para evitar problemas, es recomendable que paguemos el estacionamiento con anticipación. (To avoid problems, it’s advisable that we pay for parking in advance.)

Aunque sea difícil, es importante que paguen sus deudas a tiempo. (Although it’s difficult, it’s important that they pay their debts on time.)

Antes de salir de viaje, asegúrate de que pagues todas tus cuentas pendientes. (Before going on a trip, make sure you pay all your outstanding bills.)

Para mantener una buena calificación crediticia, es esencial que paguemos nuestras tarjetas de crédito cada mes. (To maintain a good credit score, it’s essential that we pay our credit cards every month.)

Aunque sea una cantidad pequeña, insisto en que pagues tu parte de la cuenta. (Even if it’s a small amount, I insist that you pay your share of the bill.)

Para evitar problemas legales, el abogado recomendó que paguen la multa de tránsito. (To avoid legal problems, the lawyer recommended that they pay the traffic fine.)

Para mantener un buen historial de crédito, es crucial que paguemos nuestras facturas a tiempo. (To maintain a good credit history, it’s crucial that we pay our bills on time.)

Conjugations with English Translations

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

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian 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.