French guides · Verb tables + audio
Payer: and the “for” that isn’t there.
Payer means “to pay”. Like essayer it is an -ayer verb, so you may spell it with an i or a y and both are correct. The thing actually worth a page, though, is a missing word: English pays for something, and French simply pays it. Insert the pour your instinct wants and you have said something French speakers do not say.
Présent — paie or paye
The table uses the i spelling. Je paye, tu payes, il paye, ils payent are equally standard — -ayer verbs are the one group French leaves to your preference.
| French | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| je paie | I pay | |
| tu paies | you pay | |
| il / elle paie | he / she pays | |
| nous payons | we pay | |
| vous payez | you pay | |
| ils / elles paient | they pay |
Unusually, the two spellings are not quite identical out loud. Je paie is “zhuh PAY”; je paye is often given a faint “pay-yuh”. In practice most speakers do not distinguish them, and nobody will notice either way.
⚠ French pays the thing, not for it
This is the section worth the visit, and it catches nearly every English speaker at least once.
| Say this | Not this | Means |
|---|---|---|
| je paie le café | je paie pour le café | I’ll pay for the coffee |
| j’ai payé les billets | j’ai payé pour les billets | I paid for the tickets |
| je te paie un verre | — | I’ll buy you a drink |
| payer en espèces / par carte | — | to pay cash / by card |
| je paie pour lui | — | correct — on his behalf |
Only when you mean “on behalf of somebody”, not “in exchange for something”. Je paie pour lui means you are covering his share. Je paie le repas means you are paying for the meal. The two are different sentences.
French uses payer or offrir where English says “buy”: je t’offre un café or je te paie un café. Acheter would sound like a transaction.
Passé composé — payé
Always with the y: payé, with avoir. The spelling choice does not reach the participle.
| French | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| j’ai payé | I paid / have paid | |
| tu as payé | you paid / have paid | |
| il / elle a payé | he / she paid / have paid | |
| nous avons payé | we paid / have paid | |
| vous avez payé | you paid / have paid | |
| ils / elles ont payé | they paid / have paid |
Imparfait — y throughout
Je payais, from the nous stem. Nous payions keeps both the y and the i.
| French | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| je payais | I used to pay / was paying | |
| tu payais | you used to pay / was paying | |
| il / elle payait | he / she used to pay / was paying | |
| nous payions | we used to pay / was paying | |
| vous payiez | you used to pay / was paying | |
| ils / elles payaient | they used to pay / was paying |
Futur and conditionnel — the choice again
Je paierai or je payerai, both fine and both regular.
| French | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| je paierai | I will pay | |
| tu paieras | you will pay | |
| il / elle paiera | he / she will pay | |
| nous paierons | we will pay | |
| vous paierez | you will pay | |
| ils / elles paieront | they will pay |
Conditionnel — would pay
Je paierais. Also the polite offer at a table: je paierais volontiers.
| French | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| je paierais | I would pay | |
| tu paierais | you would pay | |
| il / elle paierait | he / she would pay | |
| nous paierions | we would pay | |
| vous paieriez | you would pay | |
| ils / elles paieraient | they would pay |
Subjonctif — the boot
Same shape as the présent, with the same optional swap.
| French | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| je paie | (that) I pay | |
| tu paies | (that) you pay | |
| il / elle paie | (that) he / she pay | |
| nous payions | (that) we pay | |
| vous payiez | (that) you pay | |
| ils / elles paient | (that) they pay |
Impératif — at the till
Paie ! or paye !, no s. What you will actually hear in a shop is a question: vous payez comment ? — “how are you paying?”
| French | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| paie ! | pay! (to one person you know) | |
| payons ! | let’s pay! | |
| payez ! | pay! (formal, or to a group) |
Plus-que-parfait — had paid
J’avais payé.
| French | English | Listen |
|---|---|---|
| j’avais payé | I had paid | |
| tu avais payé | you had paid | |
| il / elle avait payé | he / she had paid | |
| nous avions payé | we had paid | |
| vous aviez payé | you had paid | |
| ils / elles avaient payé | they had paid |
Hear it, then say it
Reading about French isn’t speaking French.
Cocoon French teaches through slow, visual stories you understand from the first line — and the Club adds full lessons plus a speaking drill that listens to you say the French out loud and tells you how you did. Try all of it free for 7 days.
Quick answers
Payer, answered.
The questions that come up while you are learning the table.