A1 Collocation خنثی

a pagamento

Paid

Phrase in 30 Seconds

Use 'a pagamento' to describe services, entries, or features that require you to pay a fee rather than being free.

  • Means: It indicates that a service or item requires a monetary fee.
  • Used in: Parking signs, museum entries, app features, and hotel services.
  • Don't confuse: Don't use it for the price of a physical loaf of bread.
🅿️ (Parking) + 💶 (Euro) = 🛑 (A pagamento)

Explanation at your level:

In Italian, 'a pagamento' means you must pay money for something. It is not free. You see this on signs for parking or at the museum. It is very simple: 'gratis' means 0 Euro, 'a pagamento' means more than 0 Euro. Use it after the noun, like 'parcheggio a pagamento'.
The phrase 'a pagamento' is used to describe services or entries that require a fee. For example, if you go to a hotel, the Wi-Fi might be 'a pagamento'. It is an adjective phrase that doesn't change. You can use it with the verb 'essere' (to be) to ask questions: 'Il caffè è a pagamento?'
This collocation is essential for navigating daily life in Italy. It specifically refers to services, rights of access, or digital features that are not free of charge. While 'costoso' means expensive, 'a pagamento' simply states the fact that a payment is required. It's commonly found in contexts like 'autostrade a pagamento' or 'servizi aggiuntivi a pagamento'.
As an invariable prepositional locution, 'a pagamento' functions as an attributive or predicative adjective. It is the standard way to denote the 'onerosità' (costliness/fee-based nature) of a service. In business contexts, it distinguishes between 'freemium' models and 'premium' tiers. It is important to distinguish this from 'in pagamento', which refers to the state of a bill being currently processed.
From a linguistic perspective, 'a pagamento' is a highly productive locution that encapsulates the transition of a service from a public good to a commercial offering. It is frequently employed in socio-economic discourse to discuss the privatization of services. The phrase maintains a neutral register, though it can be replaced by 'a titolo oneroso' in legal frameworks to specify the nature of a contract or obligation.
The locution 'a pagamento' serves as a quintessential example of how prepositional phrases in Italian can assume stable adjectival functions within the syntactic structure. Its etymological roots in the Latin 'pacare' provide a fascinating glimpse into the historical conceptualization of financial transactions as a means of social pacification. In contemporary usage, its semantic range covers everything from micro-transactions in digital ecosystems to the macro-economic structures of toll-based infrastructure, reflecting the pervasive nature of fee-for-service models in modern Italian society.

معنی

Requiring money.

🌍

زمینه فرهنگی

Most Italian beaches are divided into 'spiaggia libera' (free) and 'stabilimenti balneari' (paid). In the latter, everything from the chair to the shower is 'a pagamento'. While water is often 'a pagamento' in restaurants, some traditional bars might give you a small glass of water for free with your coffee. Always check! In major cities like Rome or Florence, public toilets are almost always 'a pagamento'. Keep some coins (50c/1€) ready. State museums are 'a pagamento', but many are free on the first Sunday of the month ('Domenica al Museo').

💡

Look for the Blue

In Italy, blue lines on the pavement always mean 'parcheggio a pagamento'. White lines are usually free!

⚠️

Not for Bread

Don't use this for physical items in a shop. Use 'Quanto costa?' instead.

معنی

Requiring money.

💡

Look for the Blue

In Italy, blue lines on the pavement always mean 'parcheggio a pagamento'. White lines are usually free!

⚠️

Not for Bread

Don't use this for physical items in a shop. Use 'Quanto costa?' instead.

💬

The 'Coperto'

In restaurants, the 'coperto' (cover charge) is a form of 'servizio a pagamento' for the bread and table setting. It's standard in Italy.

خودت رو بسنج

Complete the sentence with the correct phrase.

In questo hotel, il parcheggio non è gratis, è ______.

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: a pagamento

The standard phrase to indicate a service requires a fee is 'a pagamento'.

Which sign would you see in an Italian city for a paid parking zone?

Scegli l'opzione corretta:

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: Parcheggio a pagamento

Blue lines on the street indicate 'Parcheggio a pagamento'.

Match the situation to the correct description.

Situation: You want to use a premium filter on a photo app.

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: È a pagamento

Premium features in apps are described as 'a pagamento'.

Fill in the missing part of the dialogue.

A: 'Scusi, l'ingresso al parco è libero?' B: 'No, l'ingresso è ______.'

✓ درسته! ✗ نه دقیقاً. پاسخ صحیح: a pagamento

The opposite of 'libero' (free/open) in this context is 'a pagamento'.

🎉 امتیاز: /4

ابزارهای بصری یادگیری

Gratis vs. A Pagamento

Gratis
Spiaggia libera Free beach
Acqua del rubinetto Tap water
A Pagamento
Parcheggio blu Blue parking
Minibar Minibar

سوالات متداول

10 سوال

It is neutral. You can use it with a friend or with a bank manager.

Only if the service has already been paid for. If you mean it *requires* payment, use 'a pagamento'.

The most common opposites are 'gratis', 'gratuito', or 'libero'.

No, it is invariable. 'Un servizio a pagamento', 'Molti servizi a pagamento'.

No, that would be very strange and likely offensive. Use it for services and objects.

Yes, very often to describe 'premium' tiers of service.

It's a fixed idiom. Prepositions in Italian often don't follow logic; you just have to memorize them!

Yes, but 'oneroso' is much more formal and usually found in legal contracts.

Ask: 'È gratis?' or 'È a pagamento?'

In hotels, it's becoming mostly free, but in some luxury hotels or remote areas, it might still be 'a pagamento'.

عبارات مرتبط

🔗

gratis

contrast

Free of charge

🔗

a scrocco

similar

For free (by mooching)

🔗

a titolo oneroso

specialized form

For a fee (legal term)

🔗

in pagamento

similar

In the process of being paid

کجا استفاده کنیم

🏨

At a Hotel

Turista: Scusi, la colazione è inclusa?

Receptionist: No, la colazione è a pagamento, costa dieci euro.

neutral
🚗

Parking your car

Guidatore: Possiamo parcheggiare qui?

Amico: Sì, ma guarda le linee blu: è a pagamento.

neutral
🍷

In a Restaurant

Cliente: Vorrei un altro po' di pane, per favore.

Cameriere: Certo, ma il secondo cestino è a pagamento.

neutral
📱

Using an App

Utente A: Questa app per le foto è bellissima!

Utente B: Sì, ma i filtri migliori sono a pagamento.

neutral
🖼️

Visiting a Museum

Visitatore: L'ingresso è libero oggi?

Guida: No, oggi l'ingresso è a pagamento per tutti.

formal
🏖️

At a Beach Club

Ragazzo: Andiamo in quella spiaggia?

Ragazza: No, lì l'ombrellone è a pagamento e costa troppo.

informal

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of the 'A' as 'At' and 'Pagamento' as 'Payment'. You are 'At the point of Payment' to get what you want.

Visual Association

Imagine a blue parking sign with a giant Euro coin stuck to it. The coin is blocking your way until you pay.

Rhyme

Se non è un complimento, è a pagamento! (If it's not a compliment, it's for a fee!)

Story

Marco goes to a beautiful beach in Italy. He sees a sign: 'Spiaggia a Pagamento'. He realizes he forgot his wallet. He has to stay on the small, crowded 'Spiaggia Libera' (free beach) instead. Now he never forgets that 'a pagamento' means 'bring your wallet'.

Word Web

pagarepagamentoprezzocostogratisgratuitoscontrinotariffa

چالش

Next time you are on an Italian website or app, look for the word 'pagamento'. Try to find three things that are 'a pagamento' and three that are 'gratis'.

In Other Languages

Spanish high

de pago

Uses 'de' instead of 'a'.

French moderate

payant

It's an adjective that agrees with the noun, unlike the Italian phrase.

German partial

kostenpflichtig

It's a single long word rather than a phrase.

Japanese moderate

有料 (yūryō)

It's a noun/adjective compound, not a prepositional phrase.

Arabic high

بأجر (bi-ajr)

The word 'ajr' can also mean 'reward' in religious contexts.

Chinese moderate

付费 (fùfèi)

Often used more like a verb than the Italian phrase.

Korean high

유료 (yuryo)

Used as a prefix to nouns (e.g., yuryo-jucha for paid parking).

Portuguese high

a pagamento / pago

Brazilian Portuguese prefers the past participle 'pago'.

Easily Confused

a pagamento در مقابل pagato

Learners use 'pagato' (paid) to describe a service that requires a fee.

Use 'pagato' for the past action (I paid) and 'a pagamento' for the rule (It requires payment).

a pagamento در مقابل costoso

Learners use 'costoso' (expensive) when they just mean 'not free'.

'A pagamento' can be very cheap (10 cents); 'costoso' always means a high price.

سوالات متداول (10)

It is neutral. You can use it with a friend or with a bank manager.

Only if the service has already been paid for. If you mean it *requires* payment, use 'a pagamento'.

The most common opposites are 'gratis', 'gratuito', or 'libero'.

No, it is invariable. 'Un servizio a pagamento', 'Molti servizi a pagamento'.

No, that would be very strange and likely offensive. Use it for services and objects.

Yes, very often to describe 'premium' tiers of service.

It's a fixed idiom. Prepositions in Italian often don't follow logic; you just have to memorize them!

Yes, but 'oneroso' is much more formal and usually found in legal contracts.

Ask: 'È gratis?' or 'È a pagamento?'

In hotels, it's becoming mostly free, but in some luxury hotels or remote areas, it might still be 'a pagamento'.

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