to pay
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to pay
To pay an officially required sum of money, especially taxes, fees, charges, or contributions to an authority or institution. It is a formal term used in administrative and business language.
Die Gebühr für den neuen Reisepass muss bei der Antragstellung entrichtet werden.
The fee for the new passport must be paid when the application is submitted.
'Entrichten' (to pay) is an inseparable verb. The prefix 'ent-' remains firmly attached to the verb in all conjugated forms and sentence positions.
Er entrichtete die volle Summe sofort.
He paid the full amount immediately.
This verb belongs to formal administrative and business language. You do not use it when shopping at the supermarket, but only for official payments to authorities or institutions.
Die Mehrwertsteuer wird direkt an das Finanzamt entrichtet.
The value-added tax is paid directly to the tax office.
'Entrichten' (to pay) is very often used in the passive form. The focus is then on the amount that must be paid, not on the person who pays.
Die Gerichtsgebühren müssen innerhalb von 14 Tagen entrichtet werden.
The court fees must be paid within 14 days.
One typically uses 'entrichten' (to pay) with official sums of money such as 'Gebühren' (fees), 'Steuern' (taxes), 'Zölle' (customs duties), 'Beiträge' (contributions), or 'Abgaben' (charges/levies).
Für die Einfuhr der Waren mussten hohe Zölle entrichtet werden.
High customs duties had to be paid for the import of the goods.
to perform / afford
'leisten' and 'entrichten' can both fit when someone officially gives or pays something. The difference lies in usage: 'leisten' is more general. You can say 'Hilfe leisten' (to provide help), 'Widerstand leisten' (to offer resistance), or also 'eine Zahlung leisten' (to make a payment). 'entrichten' is used almost only for money, especially for taxes, fees, or contributions. It sounds formal and fits well with authorities, contracts, or invoices. Learners may confuse the words because both occur in the context of payments. As a practical rule: for an official fee, 'entrichten' is precise; for a service, performance, or help, only 'leisten' sounds natural.
Für den neuen Ausweis müssen wir eine Gebühr entrichten.
We have to pay a fee for the new ID card.
Nach dem Unfall leistete die Ärztin sofort Hilfe.
After the accident, the doctor immediately provided help.