TO PAY FOR

Good morning. I hope you had a good weekend. Which one of these sentences is INcorrect? i) If you pay the dinner, I'll pay the cinema tickets. ii) If you pay for the dinner, I'll pay for the cinema tickets. Sentence (i) is INCORRECT because when we use the verb to pay to mean to buy, we MUST include the verb particle for, like in sentence (ii). The structure of the verb pay for is: PAY (SOMEONE) FOR SOMETHING We don't always directly include the someone in the sentence, but it is understood. Example 1: My friend Jay is very tight (tacaño). He never pays for anything. It's a wonder he still has friends. Example 2: If you pay for the food, I'll buy the drinks. However, we can use to pay without for when we talk about paying the bill or paying taxes, because in these cases we are not buying anything. Example 3: Nancy: I want to pay for the dinner, honey. Carlos: Okay. This time I'll let you pay the bill. But tomorrow, I'll pay for lunch. Example 4: If you don't pay your taxes on time, you will have to pay a fine. If you have any questions about pay for, please post them in the Daily Vitamin Plus! forum section on our website. Special Offer If you are interested in trying the Daily Vitamin Plus! for one week for free and with no obligation, all you have to do is contact us. Enjoy the rest of your day.