pay – English verb conjugation

English verb forms of pay

Nominal Forms

Infinitive: to pay sb back
Participle: paid sb back
Gerund: paying sb back

Cognates

-

Indicative

Present

Ipay sb back
youpay sb back
he;she;itpays sb back
wepay sb back
youpay sb back
theypay sb back

Perfect

Ihave paid sb back
youhave paid sb back
he;she;ithas paid sb back
wehave paid sb back
youhave paid sb back
theyhave paid sb back

Past

Ipaid sb back
youpaid sb back
he;she;itpaid sb back
wepaid sb back
youpaid sb back
theypaid sb back

Pluperfect

Ihad paid sb back
youhad paid sb back
he;she;ithad paid sb back
wehad paid sb back
youhad paid sb back
theyhad paid sb back

Future

Iwill pay sb back
youwill pay sb back
he;she;itwill pay sb back
wewill pay sb back
youwill pay sb back
theywill pay sb back

Future Perfect

Iwill have paid sb back
youwill have paid sb back
he;she;itwill have paid sb back
wewill have paid sb back
youwill have paid sb back
theywill have paid sb back

Subjunctive

Present

Ipay sb back
youpay sb back
he;she;itpay sb back
wepay sb back
youpay sb back
theypay sb back

Perfect

Ihave paid sb back
youhave paid sb back
he;she;ithave paid sb back
wehave paid sb back
youhave paid sb back
theyhave paid sb back

Imperfect

Ipaid sb back
youpaid sb back
he;she;itpaid sb back
wepaid sb back
youpaid sb back
theypaid sb back

Pluperfect

Ihad paid sb back
youhad paid sb back
he;she;ithad paid sb back
wehad paid sb back
youhad paid sb back
theyhad paid sb back

Conditional

Present

Iwould pay sb back
youwould pay sb back
he;she;itwould pay sb back
wewould pay sb back
youwould pay sb back
theywould pay sb back

Perfect

Iwould have paid sb back
youwould have paid sb back
he;she;itwould have paid sb back
wewould have paid sb back
youwould have paid sb back
theywould have paid sb back

Imperative

youpay sb back
weLet's pay sb back
youpay sb back

Progressive (Continuous) Forms

Indicative

Present

Iam paying sb back
youare paying sb back
he;she;itis paying sb back
weare paying sb back
youare paying sb back
theyare paying sb back

Perfect

Ihave been paying sb back
youhave been paying sb back
he;she;ithas been paying sb back
wehave been paying sb back
youhave been paying sb back
theyhave been paying sb back

Past

Iwas paying sb back
youwere paying sb back
he;she;itwas paying sb back
wewere paying sb back
youwere paying sb back
theywere paying sb back

Pluperfect

Ihad been paying sb back
youhad been paying sb back
he;she;ithad been paying sb back
wehad been paying sb back
youhad been paying sb back
theyhad been paying sb back

Future

Iwill be paying sb back
youwill be paying sb back
he;she;itwill be paying sb back
wewill be paying sb back
youwill be paying sb back
theywill be paying sb back

Future Perfect

Iwill have been paying sb back
youwill have been paying sb back
he;she;itwill have been paying sb back
wewill have been paying sb back
youwill have been paying sb back
theywill have been paying sb back

Conditional

Present

Iwould be paying sb back
youwould be paying sb back
he;she;itwould be paying sb back
wewould be paying sb back
youwould be paying sb back
theywould be paying sb back

Perfect

Iwould have been paying sb back
youwould have been paying sb back
he;she;itwould have been paying sb back
wewould have been paying sb back
youwould have been paying sb back
theywould have been paying sb back

Other

Verbs conjugated like 'pay'

againsay, appay, assay, belay, enlay, forelay, foresay, forlay, forsay, gainsay, inlay, interlay, lay, mislay, mispay, missay, outlay, outstay, overlay, overpay, etc. (List truncated at 20 verbs)

Verbs similar to 'pay'

apay, bay, day, fay, gay, hay, lay, may, nay, pad,

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

to give money, or other compensation, in exchange for goods or services
cough up, defray, do the needful, expend, foot the bill, fork out, fork over, lay out, pay the freight, pay up, pony up, quit, shell out, spend, stump up
compensate
refund, guerdon, indemnify, requite, recompense, disburse, reimburse, remunerate
return
repay, yield
retaliate
punish, repay, requite, revenge
suffer
resist, repel, reject, repudiate

Antonyms

to receive goods or services in exchange for money
barter, sell, steal, buy
to give money, or other compensation, in exchange for goods or services
buy, default, discharge, earn, levant, repudiate, steal, waive, welsh

Additional Information

Etymology

1. c.1200, "to appease, pacify, satisfy," from O.Fr. paiier (12c.), from L. pacare "to please, pacify, satisfy" (especially a creditor), from pax (gen. pacis) "peace." Meaning "to give what is due for goods or services" arose in M.L., was attested in Eng. by c.1225; sense of "please, pacify" died out in Eng. by 1500. Sense of "suffer, endure" (a punishment, etc.) is first recorded 1387. Payday first attested 1529. Payphone first attested 1936.
2. From Middle English payen, from Old French paiier (“pay”), from Medieval Latin pācāre (“to settle, satisfy”) from Latin pācāre (“to pacify”). In this sense, displaced native Old English ġield (“pay”) and ġieldan (“to pay”), whence Modern English yield. See: Middle English 'payen', Old French 'paiier', Latin 'pācō'.

Verbs referencing "pay"

Sranan pai, Scots Gaelic pàigh, Thai เปย์.

Sample Sentences

  • [...] each pupil; he will be charged with the actual cost of his board, which will not exceed two dollars per week; ’ a trifle more than eight shillings English; ‘and he will be credited with the amount paid for him by the state, or by his friends; also with his earnings over and above the cost of the stock which he uses; so that all his earnings over one dollar per week will be his own. By the third [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • There is always a clerk 's office on the lower deck, where you pay your fare; a ladies ’ cabin; baggage and stowage rooms; engineer 's room; and in short a great variety of perplexities which render the discovery of the gentlemen 's cabin, a matter of some [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • * * * * * One day, during my stay in New York, I paid a visit to the different public institutions on Long Island, or Rhode Island: I forget which. One of them is a Lunatic Asylum. The building is handsome; and is remarkable for a spacious and [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • “ Is it possible ! astonishing ! from such a kind family ? ” “ Kind families get in debt, and the laws of _our_ country allow them to sell the child out of its mother's bosom to pay its master's debts, ” said George, bitterly. (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • “ Papa, do buy him ! it's no matter what you pay, ” whispered Eva, softly, getting up on a package, and putting her arm around her father's neck. “ You have money enough, I know. I want him. ” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • All this passed in a moment, while trunks were being hustled off, hackman paid, and while a crowd, of all ages and sizes,—men, women, and children,—came running through the galleries, both above and below to see Mas’r come in. Foremost among them was a highly-dressed young [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • Owing to Mr. Adolph's systematic arrangements, when St. Clare turned round from paying the hackman, there was nobody in view but Mr. Adolph himself, conspicuous in satin vest, gold guard-chain, and white pants, and bowing with inexpressible grace and suavity. (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • “Yes, that’s it. How can she?” St. Clare laughed, as he went into the passage. “ Halloa, here, what's to pay out here ? Here, you all—Mammy, Jimmy, Polly, Sukey—glad to see Mas’r ? ” he said, as he went shaking hands from one to another. “ Look out for the babies ! ” he added, as he stumbled over a sooty [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • “ Come, Prue, ” said Dinah, “ let's look at your rusks. Here's Missis will pay for them. ” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • [...] say, besides, that ours is the more bold and palpable infringement of human rights; actually buying a man up, like a horse,—looking at his teeth, cracking his joints, and trying his paces and then paying down for him,—having speculators, breeders, traders, and brokers in human bodies and souls,—sets the thing before the eyes of the civilized world in a more tangible form, though the thing done be, [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • In his first televised address, he paid tribute to his mother (London Bridge is Down)
  • No more bending over. The Queen of Sheba. Say you already bought it ? Well, I paid down on it. (Sweet Dreams)
  • Most of the jobless would be busy with this work. These guys may be paid to spread rumors in the future. (Mr. Bachchan)