pagar el alquiler
/paɡaɾ el alkileɾ/from spelling rules
To pay rent in Spanish is pagar el alquiler.
The phrase describes the act of giving money to a landlord in exchange for living in a property.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb pagar (to pay) and the noun phrase el alquiler (the rent).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In many parts of Latin America, particularly Mexico and parts of Central America, pagar la renta is more commonly used than pagar el alquiler. In Mexico specifically, the word renta is most commonly used to refer to rent for an apartment or house. In Argentina, people typically use cancelar to mean to pay.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb pagar is a regular -ar verb, so in the present tense, it is conjugated as pago el alquiler (I pay the rent).
How do you pronounce it?
/paɡaɾ el alkileɾ/
Did you know?
- The word for rent, alquiler, is a linguistic fossil from the period of Islamic rule in Spain. It was borrowed directly from the Arabic word kirāʔ.
- If you are in Argentina, you might hear a landlord ask to cancelar el alquiler instead of using the verb pagar. In this context, cancelar does not mean to void or nullify a contract, but simply to settle a debt.
Examples in context
- Doña Marta, quisiera pagar la renta de este mes.Mrs. Marta, I would like to pay the rent for this month.
- En la oficina de administración, comuníquese con el encargado para abonar el alquiler.At the management office, contact the person in charge to pay the rent.
- Oye, ¿ya pagaste la renta este mes?Hey, did you already pay the rent this month?
- Voy a soltar la pasta para la mensualidad mañana.I'm going to shell out the dough for the monthly payment tomorrow.
- Tengo que pagar el alquiler el primero de cada mes.I have to pay the rent on the first of every month.
- Tengo que pagar el alquiler mañana.I have to pay the rent tomorrow.
- Él olvidó pagar el alquiler este mes.He forgot to pay the rent this month.
- ¿Cuándo vas a pagar el alquiler?When are you going to pay the rent?
Example conversation
Elena and Javier are discussing their monthly household expenses.
- ElenaJavier, ¿ya pagaste el alquiler?Javier, did you pay the rent already?
- JavierNo, todavía no he podido pagar el alquiler.No, I haven't been able to pay the rent yet.
- ElenaEs importante pagar el alquiler a tiempo.It is important to pay the rent on time.
- JavierLo sé, lo haré esta tarde.I know, I will do it this afternoon.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries alquiler, el, pagar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
