Paying (for) basic needs

• If I pay the shopkeeper, I give money to the shopkeeper.
• If I pay for the bananas, I give money to the shopkeeper.
• If I pay the shopkeeper for the bananas, I give money to the shopkeeper.
• If I pay the bananas, I give money to the bananas!

Bahasa Indonesia has different word forms to communicate different meanings – bayar, bayar kepada, bayari, and bayarkan. English, on the other hand, only has pay and pay for:

• Pay the man. (bayar kepada)
• Pay for the bananas. (bayar)
• Pay for my coffee, would you? (bayari)
• When you’re in town could you pay my electricity bill for me? Here’s the money. (bayarkan)

In the following picture, a man is paying a woman for some fruit:

In the next illustration, a man is paying some fruit. He’s giving money to the fruit:

In our original example, then, we need: