pagarle

Pagarle is a Spanish verb phrase formed by pagar (to pay) together with the clitic indirect object pronoun le. It is used to express paying someone as the recipient of money or a payment. The standard construction is pagarle a alguien, where the indirect object pronoun refers to the person who receives the payment and the direct object (often explicit) is the sum or thing being paid, such as dinero or una deuda.

The form pagarle can appear with or without the explicit a alguien, depending on context. In infinitive and periphrastic constructions, the clitic le is attached to the verb: voy a pagarle mañana, quiero pagarle. In finite tenses, the pronoun can appear before the conjugated verb (le voy a pagar) or attached to the infinitive (voy a pagarle). Imperative forms include págale (tú) or páguenle (ustedes), meaning “pay him/her.”

Pronoun agreement and plurality follow standard Spanish rules: le changes to les when the recipient is plural (les voy a pagar; les pagué la deuda). The direct object, when present, may be explicit (dinero, deuda) and is not encoded by le, which remains the indirect object.

Regional and stylistic notes: pagarle is common in many Spanish-speaking regions. Some speakers prefer agradecer or devolver with different clitics in contexts involving compensation or settlement, but pagarle remains the usual way to express paying someone.

See also: pagar, clitic pronouns, indirect object in Spanish, dative of interest.