Pay past tense

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Meaning of pay

to give (someone) money that is due for work done, goods received, or a debt incurred.

Infinitive

Word: pay /peɪ/
Examples:
  • 1. She always pays her bills on time to avoid any late fees.
  • 2. He pays a lot of attention to detail when he is working on his art projects.
  • 3. The company pays its employees every two weeks without fail.

Past Simple

Word: paid /peɪd/
Examples:
  • 1. I paid for the groceries with my last paycheck.
  • 2. She paid extra attention in class yesterday to understand the topic.
  • 3. They paid their dues on time to remain active members of the club.

Past Participle

Word: paid /peɪd/
Examples:
  • 1. The bills have been paid on time every month.
  • 2. By the end of the day, the workers had been paid for their labor.
  • 3. The tuition fees were paid by her scholarship funds.

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Bare infinitive

  1. Habitual actions or routines.
    Example. I pay for my coffee every morning before work.
  2. General truths or facts.
    Example. Water boils if you pay enough attention to the heat.
  3. Scheduled events in the near future (often used with timetables).
    Example. My train pays no delays and leaves exactly at 9 PM. (Note. This is an abstract usage, reflecting the idea of 'owing' promptness or adherence to a schedule.)

Past Simple

  1. Completed actions in the past at a specific time.
    Example. I paid for the groceries yesterday.
  2. A series of completed actions in the past.
    Example. I walked to the store, paid for my items, and then walked home.
  3. Past habits.
    Example. When I was a child, I paid no mind to my financial responsibilities.
  4. Past facts or generalizations which are no longer true.
    Example. I paid with cash regularly before digital payments became prevalent.

Past Participle

  1. Perfect aspects (Present Perfect, Past Perfect, Future Perfect) to show completed action at a specific time in relation to another time.
    Example. Present Perfect. I have paid for all my college applications.
    Example. Past Perfect. By the time the concert started, we had already paid for our tickets.
    Example. Future Perfect. By this time next year, I will have paid off all my student loans.
    Example. The bill was paid promptly by the new treasurer.
    Example. The paid leave is a benefit many employees appreciate.
    Example. If I had paid more attention, I wouldn’t have made so many mistakes.
  2. Passive voice to show the action that has been done to the subject.
    Example. Present Perfect. I have paid for all my college applications.
    Example. Past Perfect. By the time the concert started, we had already paid for our tickets.
    Example. Future Perfect. By this time next year, I will have paid off all my student loans.
    Example. The bill was paid promptly by the new treasurer.
    Example. The paid leave is a benefit many employees appreciate.
    Example. If I had paid more attention, I wouldn’t have made so many mistakes.
  3. As an adjective to describe something.
    Example. Present Perfect. I have paid for all my college applications.
    Example. Past Perfect. By the time the concert started, we had already paid for our tickets.
    Example. Future Perfect. By this time next year, I will have paid off all my student loans.
    Example. The bill was paid promptly by the new treasurer.
    Example. The paid leave is a benefit many employees appreciate.
    Example. If I had paid more attention, I wouldn’t have made so many mistakes.
  4. In conditional sentences and wishes.
    Example. Present Perfect. I have paid for all my college applications.
    Example. Past Perfect. By the time the concert started, we had already paid for our tickets.
    Example. Future Perfect. By this time next year, I will have paid off all my student loans.
    Example. The bill was paid promptly by the new treasurer.
    Example. The paid leave is a benefit many employees appreciate.
    Example. If I had paid more attention, I wouldn’t have made so many mistakes.

Common mistakes

— 01

Confusing Forms

One of the most common mistakes is confusing the simple past form of 'pay,' which is 'paid,' with its past participle form, which is also 'paid.' The simple past is used for actions that happened at a specific time in the past, e.g., 'I paid the bill yesterday.' The past participle is used in perfect tenses and passive voice, e.g., 'The bill has been paid.' Mistakes occur when learners use 'payed' (which is incorrect for most contexts except in nautical terms) instead of 'paid' for both the simple past and past participle forms.

— 02

Incorrect Use in Perfect Tenses

Another common mistake is improperly using 'pay' in perfect tenses. Some learners might mistakenly use the base form or the simple past form instead of the past participle in perfect tense constructions. For example, they might incorrectly say, 'I have pay the invoice' or 'I have paided the invoice,' instead of the correct form, 'I have paid the invoice.' This mistake alters the grammatical integrity of the sentence and can lead to confusion.

— 03

Misuse in Passive Voice

The misuse of 'pay' in passive voice constructions is also frequent. In passive voice, the past participle should be used, but learners might mistakenly use the simple past. An example of this mistake would be saying, 'The rent was pay yesterday,' instead of the correct 'The rent was paid yesterday.' This error stems from not recognizing the need to employ the past participle form in passive constructions, leading to sentences that are grammatically incorrect.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the past simple and past participle forms of 'pay'?

The past simple form of 'pay' is 'paid,' and this form is also used as the past participle. So, both the past simple and the past participle forms are 'paid.'

How do I use 'paid' in a past simple sentence?

In a past simple sentence, 'paid' is used to describe an action that was completed at a specific time in the past. For example. 'I paid the bills last Monday.' In this sentence, 'paid' indicates that the action of paying the bills was completed last Monday.

How is 'paid' used as a past participle in a sentence?

As a past participle, 'paid' is often used with auxiliary verbs to form perfect tenses or the passive voice. For example, in the present perfect tense. 'She has already paid the invoice.' In this sentence, 'has paid' indicates that the action of paying the invoice is relevant to the present moment. For the passive voice. 'The invoice was paid on time.' Here, 'was paid' indicates that the action was done by someone, but the focus is on the action itself rather than who performed it.

Can 'payed' ever be used instead of 'paid'?

While 'paid' is the correct past simple and past participle form for most uses of the verb 'pay,' 'payed' is a term with specific nautical uses. In general English, 'paid' is always the correct choice for the past tense and past participle of 'pay,' such as in transactions. 'Payed' is used in a nautical context to mean 'to let out' or 'to slacken,' as in 'payed out the rope.' For all general references to transferring money or settling a debt, 'paid' is the correct form.