pay – English verb conjugation

English verb forms of pay

Nominal Forms

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

Cognates

-

Indicative

Present

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

Perfect

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

Past

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

Pluperfect

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

Future

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

Future Perfect

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

Subjunctive

Present

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

Perfect

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

Imperfect

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

Pluperfect

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

Conditional

Present

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

Perfect

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

Imperative

youpay back sth
weLet's pay back sth
youpay back sth

Progressive (Continuous) Forms

Indicative

Present

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

Perfect

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

Past

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

Pluperfect

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

Future

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

Future Perfect

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

Conditional

Present

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

Perfect

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

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)