One-Point English Lesson Using Buy, Pay, & Spend

Buy is generally used as a verb.  The first pattern is buy [something] for [amount]. The point to remember in this pattern is the amount of money comes after the word for.

  • I bought a pen for $2.
  • In Chinatown, you can buy lunch for $5.
  • How much did you buy that car for?

The next pattern is buy [something] for [person/occasion]

  • I bought a pen for my husband.
  • I bought groceries in Chinatown for the birthday party
  • Who did you buy those flowers for?

Pay is also used as a verb.  The first pattern is pay [amount] for [something]. The point to remember is the amount of money comes after the verb pay

  • I paid $2 for this pen.
  • We paid about $15 for lunch.
  • I think Jack paid too much for that suite.

The next pattern is pay amount to [person/store] for [something] to [verb]. Here too, the amount of money comes after the verb pay.

  • I paid $2 to the cashier.
  • I paid $15 to the barber for my haircut.
  • Jim said he paid $40 to have my computer fixed.

The third pattern is pay [invoice / bill / check]

  • Please pay the invoice on Friday.
  • We paid the phone bill yesterday, and we will pay the rent on Friday.
  • I’ll pay the check for dinner.

We can also use spend and the pattern is spend [amount] on [something]

  • I spent $2 on this pen.
  • We only spent $15 on lunch.
  • How much did you spend on that suit?

How much do you usually pay for a cup of coffee in your town or city? Leave a comment here and let me know.



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