French Conversation · Level 23
90 words
French word
payer
Pronunciation
IPA/peje/
Meaning
- verbpay
Example
Je vais payer la facture ce soir.
I am going to pay the bill tonight.
More examples
À la cantine, je vais payer mon repas.
At the cafeteria, I'm going to pay for my meal.
Tu peux payer en espèces ou par carte?
Can you pay in cash or by card?
Core concept
A debt, bill, or purchase reaches closure when payment is handed over or authorized.
Common phrases
payer l'addition
pay the bill
payer la facture
pay the invoice
payer en espèces
pay in cash
Similar words
acheter: To get a product or service in exchange for payment.
régler: To pay an amount owed and settle the account.
rembourser: To repay money received as a loan or advance.
verser: To transfer or hand over money to a specified account or recipient.
Definition in French
Donner de l'argent ou un autre moyen de paiement pour obtenir un bien, régler un service ou s'acquitter d'une dette.
Word origin
The verb payer developed from Old French paier and ultimately Latin pacare, whose meaning of settling or appeasing extended to settling an account.
Usage tips
- Both je paie and je paye are accepted spellings in the present tense, although je paie is especially common.