Pay For: (3)

Grammar Tense Structure:

• Present Tense: pay / pays for
• Past Tense: paid for
• Past Participle: paid for
• Present Participle: paying for

1: To give someone in exchange for goods or products

separable & non-separable phrasal verb

• Excuse me, can I pay for these with my credit card?
• Can I pay you for these goods with my credit card?
  
• David paid for his dinner and left the waiter a generous tip.
• David paid the waiter for his dinner and gave a generous tip.
  
• Can you pay for this, I’ve left my wallet at the office.
• Jane is paying for her purchase, she’ll be back in a moment
  

2: After the event the goods are ‘paid for’

separable & non-separable phrasal verb

• My car is old but at least it is paid for.
• It’s all mine, it’s all bought and paid for.

3: To be punished for doing some wrongdoing

non-separable phrasal verb

• I found the person who was spreading rumours about me and he paid for it.
• Young people think drugs are harmless but they will pay for their foolishness someday.