valer

Valer is a verb in Spanish and Portuguese that centers on value, worth, price, or validity. It is used to indicate that something has a certain value, costs a certain amount, or is acceptable or useful in a given context. In addition to literal price, valer appears in idiomatic expressions such as “valer la pena” (to be worth it) and in legal or formal contexts to express that a document or agreement is valid.

Etymology and cognates: Valer comes from the Latin valere, meaning “to be strong, healthy, or of value.” The root has cognates in other Romance languages, such as valere in Italian and valoir in French, reflecting a common origin related to value and strength.

Spanish usage: In contemporary Spanish, valer is irregular in the first person singular present tense (yo valgo). Other present forms are vales, vale, valemos, valéis, valen. It has a broad range of meanings, including “to cost” (Esto vale treinta euros), “to be worth” (Esta decisión vale la pena), and “to be valid” (Este certificado vale). The verb also appears in reflexive or pronominal forms such as valerse, meaning “to manage or get by,” as in valerse por sí mismo.

Portuguese usage: In Portuguese, vale is used similarly to express value, price, or worth, with present tense forms such as eu valho, tu vales, você vale, nós valemos, vós valeis, eles valem. It can denote cost (Isto vale vinte euros), be worth (Isso vale a pena), or indicate validity in some contexts.

Other notes: Valer can function as a surname or given name in some regions, and appears in compounds with related terms like valor (value), valorizar (to value or appreciate), and valioso (valuable).

See also: valor, valorizar, valioso, validez.