Questions & Answers about Мы уже выплатили кредит за машину.
Why is выплатили used here instead of заплатили or оплатили?
All three verbs are related to paying, but they’re not interchangeable:
заплатить (кому? за что?) – to pay (someone, for something), usually a single act:
- заплатить продавцу за машину – to pay the seller for the car.
оплатить (что?) – to pay for something as a bill/expense:
- оплатить счёт / аренду / штраф – to pay the bill / rent / fine.
выплатить (что?) – to pay out / pay off (a debt, loan, compensation), often in full, sometimes over time:
- выплатить кредит / долг / компенсацию – to pay off a loan / debt / compensation.
In Мы уже выплатили кредит за машину, the idea is “We have paid off the whole loan,” not just one payment. Выплатили is the natural verb for paying off a loan completely.
What exactly does кредит mean here? Is it “credit” like in English?