pay
Base form
pay
/peɪ/
Past simple
paid
/peɪd/
Past participle
paid
/peɪd/
MeaningA1
to give money for something
to pay by card
In use
- Question · Form 1Did you pay for the tickets by card or in cash?
- Negative · Form 1You don’t pay anything for children under five on the train.
- Past simple · Form 2Last Saturday we paid sixty pounds for dinner at the new Thai place.
- Past simple · Form 2Ben paid the electricity bill online yesterday morning.
- Passive · Form 3The builders were paid in cash at the end of each week.
- Past perfect · Form 3Priya had already paid the rent when the landlord called.
Watch out
Paid, not payed: the y becomes i, as in said and laid. Payed survives only for ropes on ships.
Irregular VerbsLearn all three forms for good
Short lessons by frequency or by pattern, audio for every form and daily reviews that bring back exactly the verbs you are about to forget.
Install on your phoneScan with your phone camera to download the app