Pay! This English verb can be tricky because we use it with different prepositions. Learn the rules we follow and fix some common mistakes.

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How to use the verb pay in English video script

Yes?
I’d like to return this sweater.
Do you have the receipt?
No, I’m sorry. I lost it.
Did you pay by credit card?
No, I paid cash.
Then I’m sorry. I can’t help you.
But I just bought it this morning.

This lesson’s about the verb ‘pay’ and the prepositions that go with it. So pay attention! We’re going to fix a common mistake.

Twenty five dollars?
Ooooo pizza!
Yes, come and have some, Kathy.
Who bought it?
Well, I ordered it.
And I paid for it.
Thanks Jay.
I paid $25.
I ordered extra toppings.
You know, I paid the pizza guy last week too.
Do you want us to contribute?
Oh there’s no need. He’s already paid for it.

OK. So we can pay an amount, we can pay a person and we can just pay. But notice we pay for something that we buy. Remember that. Pay FOR something. So we pay someone an amount but we pay for something that we buy.

Do you want to split this?
No, no, I’ll pay for it.
Ah, thank you very much. It was a beautiful meal.

When we’re talking about a currency, we say pay in. So in dollars, in pesos, in rubles, in euros.

How much is that? 10 Euros.
Oh, can I pay in dollars?
Err no, we only accept Euros.
Oh, that’s OK.

And when we’re talking about a method of payment, we say by.

That’s ten euro’s please.
Oh, can I pay by credit card?
Err, no. I’m sorry.
Oh that’s OK. I can pay in cash.

So it’s by credit card, by cheque, by phone, by PayPal… But cash is a little different. You can say ‘by cash’ or ‘in cash’. And you can also skip the preposition and just say cash.

Did you pay by credit card?
No, I paid cash.
Then I’m sorry. I can’t help you.
But I just bought it this morning.

OK, I have a question for you. Imagine you’re in a pub and you’re offering to get some drinks. Would you say ‘I’ll pay for the drinks’
or ‘I’ll pay the drinks.’ Which one? It’s the first one. The second one is wrong. You can’t say that. You pay FOR something that you buy.
Great! So now you know the prepositions to use with pay! If you liked this video, share it with some friends and if you haven’t already, subscribe to our channel. See you next week!
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