pay

S1 W1

BrE /peɪ/ AmE /peɪ/

verb en → es

past paid pp paid ing paying

1 GIVE MONEY [transitive] A1

to give money for something you buy or for a service

pagar, abonar

  • pay sb/sth

Collocations pay the bill · pay rent

  • I need to pay my phone bill.

    Necesito pagar la factura del teléfono.

2 PAY FOR [transitive] A1

to give money for something you buy or use

pagar por, abonar

  • pay for sth

Collocations pay for a meal · pay for damages

  • He paid for the damage he caused.

    Él pagó por el daño que causó.

3 PAY ATTENTION [transitive] A2

to give attention to something or someone

prestar atención, atender

  • pay attention to sb/sth

Collocations pay attention in class · pay attention to details

  • Please pay attention to the teacher.

    Por favor, presta atención al profesor.

4 PAY RESPECT [transitive] B1

to show respect for someone or something

hacer respeto a, honrar

  • pay respects to sb/sth

Collocations pay respects at the cemetery · pay respect to tradition

  • They went to pay their respects to the deceased.

    Ellos fueron a hacer respeto al difunto.

5 PAY BACK [transitive] B1

to give back money that you owe someone

devolver, pagar de vuelta

  • pay sb back

Collocations pay back a loan · pay back the money

  • I will pay you back next week.

    Te pagaré de vuelta la próxima semana.

6 PAY OFF [transitive] B2

to give money to someone in order to stop them from harming or threatening you

pagar a alguien para que deje de hacer algo, sobornar

  • pay sb off

Collocations pay off a debt · pay off a loan

  • He paid the gangster off to avoid trouble.

    Él pagó al gánster para evitar problemas.

7 PAY ATTENTION TO [transitive] B2

to consider something as important or relevant

tener en cuenta, prestar atención a

  • pay attention to sth

Collocations pay attention to the rules · pay attention to your health

  • You should pay more attention to your diet.

    Deberías prestar más atención a tu dieta.

8 PAY FOR [transitive] B2

to suffer the consequences of something you did wrong

pagar por, sufrir las consecuencias de

  • pay for sth

Collocations pay for a mistake · pay for your actions

  • He will pay for his lies.

    Él pagará por sus mentiras.

Phrasal verbs

pay up PAY IN FULL B1

pagar en total, pagar todo lo que se debe

  • You need to pay up if you want the service.

    Necesitas pagar todo si quieres el servicio.

pay off SUCCESSFUL INVESTMENT B2

resultar rentable, dar buenos resultados

  • The investment paid off in the end.

    La inversión resultó rentable al final.

pay back REVENGE B2

vengarse, devolver un mal trago

  • She will pay back for what she did.

    Ella se las pagará por lo que hizo.

pay into CONTRIBUTE TO B2

contribuir a, pagar en una cuenta

  • She pays into her retirement fund monthly.

    Ella contribuye mensualmente a su fondo de retiro.

pay out PAY A LARGE SUM B2

pagar una gran suma, abonar

  • The insurance company will pay out a large sum.

    La compañía de seguros pagará una gran suma.

Idioms

pay through the nose C1

pagar un precio excesivo, pagar demasiado

  • I had to pay through the nose for that car.

    Tuve que pagar un precio excesivo por ese carro.

pay lip service C1

dar apoyo verbal pero no real, decir algo sin hacerlo realmente

  • He pays lip service to the idea but doesn't act on it.

    Él da apoyo verbal a la idea pero no lo pone en práctica.

pay your dues C1

pagar tus deudas, trabajar duro para conseguir algo

  • She had to pay her dues before becoming successful.

    Ella tuvo que pagar sus deudas antes de tener éxito.