Why 'okane o haraimasu'?


In sentences such as: `Jana will pay for the drinks.` or `Will the kids have
to pay?`. Why is it `okane o haraimasu` instead of `... o haraimasu`?

[Correct] Examples: `Jana san wa nomimono no okane o haraimasu.` or `Komodo wa
okane o haraimasu ka?`

Are [seemingly incorrect examples] `Jana san wa nomimono o haraimasu.` or
`Komodo wa haraimasu ka?` [gramatically] wrong or "odd"? When I see `okane o
haraimasu`, I want to ask, "well what else is he/she going to pay with?
Barrels?".




The short answer is "because Japanese speakers will it to be that way."

The pedagogical answer is that 払う operates on お金, not the thing you're paying
for. This is _exactly_ the same as in English. You don't "pay drinks." You pay
_for_ drinks. Drinks are not the direct object in English or Japanese.

The money is the direct object, so you follow it with を.

If you want to say "to pay for X" in Japanese you can say Xの代金を払う for example.
This is literally "to pay the bill/price for X."

