Vale in Spanish: Agreement, Acknowledgment, and more

The Spanish language is full of rich and diverse expressions. Among these, vale in Spanish stands out because of its frequent use and versatile meanings. This word is everywhere in Spanish-speaking countries and can mean many different things depending on the situation, making it a must-learn for Spanish language enthusiasts.

In today’s post, we’ll delve into the meanings of vale in Spanish, explore its various contexts, and provide examples to illustrate its proper usage.

We mentioned this term in our previous post where we introduced 18 unique ways to say OK in Spanish, since its most common use is indeed as a quick way to show agreement. Today it’s time to take a closer look specifically at how to use vale, including all of its different meanings as both a verb and a noun.

Vale as an interjection

One of the most common uses of vale in Spanish is as an interjection to express agreement. ¡Vale! is used as informal way to say ok in Spanish. It can also mean alright or fine. Depending on our tone of voice and the situation, however, this use of vale in Spanish can also express annoyance. This Spanish interjection is more often used in Spain, but it’s just as understood in Latin America.

• Tú pagas la pizza esta noche, ¿Vale? – You pay for the pizza tonight, ok?

• Vale, lo entiendo, no necesitas repetirlo. – Alright, I get it, you don’t need to repeat it.

Vale as a verb: Valer

At its most fundamental, vale in Spanish is a conjugated form of the verb valer.

Valer in Spanish generally means to be worth, with its apparent roots related to the English word to value. Depending on the context, however, vale can take several different meanings that we’ll see through the rest of this post.

Vale is the third-person singular conjugation of valer in the simple present tense, so the easiest way to think of it is as él vale or ella vale meaning he, she, or it is worth.

Beyond this third-person singular conjugation, valer is an irregular -er verb that follows the yo -go conjugation pattern. Let’s see the present tense valer conjugation chart in Spanish.

Subject	Valer
yo	valgo
tú	vales
él, ella, usted	vale
nosotros, nosotras	valemos
vosotros, vosotras	valéis
ellos, ellas, ustedes	valen

Now that we’ve learned how to conjugate valer in Spanish, let’s discuss the various meanings of its third-person conjugation: vale.

To be worth

Since the basic meaning of the verb valer in Spanish is to be worth, our easiest vale translation is simply is worth. It’s a fundamental term when discussing value and importance, whether talking about the price of an item or the significance of an experience.

• Tu carro vale más que mi casa. – Your car is worth more than my house.

• Esta experiencia vale más que mil palabras. – This experience is worth more than a thousand words.

To cost

Following the same logic as the previous meaning of to be worth, we also use valer to mean to cost. In this sense we often use vale in Spanish in commercial contexts, or in situations when talking about the monetary value of something.

• La pizza vale diez dólares. – The pizza costs ten dollars.

• Esa casa vale un millón de dólares. – That house costs a million dollars.

To be valid

Valer in Spanish is also used to express that something is valid, acceptable, or applicable, so another vale meaning in Spanish can be to say that something is valid.

• La oferta vale hasta el fin del verano. – The offer is valid until the end of the summer.

• ¿Este boleto todavía vale? – Is this ticket still valid?

To express equality

Another use of vale in Spanish is to express equality when discussing quantity, number, significance, or appreciation. It is used to highlight that the elements we are comparing hold the same level of significance and worth. In most contexts, this use of the verb can be translated as to be equal to.

• Un ángulo recto vale 90°. – A right angle is equal to 90°.

• Este vino vale lo mismo que uno más caro en términos de calidad. – This wine is equivalent to a more expensive one in terms of quality.

To be allowed

Along similar lines to the meaning of valer as to be valid, we use vale in Spanish to establish rules, permissions, restrictions, or to say something is fair. This use of vale can be translated as to be allowed or to be fair. We use it regularly in informal contexts, situations, or competitions.

The simple phrases sí vale and no vale are particularly useful, which mean it’s allowed and it’s not allowed. Where there’s no specific subject of the sentence, we use the impersonal se before vale to emphasize its meaning.

• No se vale usar el celular durante el examen. – Using the cell phone during the test is not allowed.

• Sí se vale tocar la pelota con las manos en este deporte. – Touching the ball with the hands is allowed in this sport.

• No vale, ganaste el juego porque hiciste trampa. – That’s no fair, you won the game because you cheated.

To be useful

Since valer can mean to be good or to be useful, this meaning of vale is used to express when someone or something is useful or is suitable for a certain function.

• Este manual vale mucho para entender el sistema. – This manual is very useful for understanding the system.

• Este consejo vale mucho para cualquier situación. – This advice is very good for any situation.

To express causes or consequences

This use of valer is to indicate that an action leads to a specific result, whether positive or negative. Although it’s not a particularly common use of vale in Spanish, it still a good verb to express how one thing leads to another.

• Mi torpeza me valió un problema. – My clumsiness got me into trouble.

• Su esfuerzo valió un gran éxito. – His effort produced great success.

To provide protection and defense

While not as common as some other uses, vale in Spanish can indicate that something or someone provides protection, acts as a safeguard, or defends against harm. It emphasizes the role of protection or defense that the subject performs.

• El guardaespaldas vale para la seguridad del presidente. – The bodyguard defends the president’s security.

• Este amuleto vale contra el mal de ojo. – This amulet provides protection against the evil eye.

The reflexive verb Valerse

So far we’ve looked at vale in Spanish as a conjugation of the verb valer. This verb can also be used reflexively, so let’s take a look at the two meanings of valerse in Spanish.

To use something for personal benefit

As a reflexive verb, valerse de in Spanish indicates that someone uses something for their benefit or advantage. In this context, when algien se vale de algo, it indicates that someone is leveraging specific resources, skills, or situations for their personal benefit. The easiest English equivalent is simply to use, though another option is to take advantage of. We always need to use the reflexive pronouns for this meaning, indicating that the actor is benefiting themself.

• Los políticos se valen de sus promesas para ganar votos. – Politicians often use promises to win votes.

• Me valgo de mi experiencia para mejorar los procesos de la compañía. – I take advantage of my experience to improve processes in the company.

To take care of oneself

Another way of using valerse in informal contexts is to express taking care of oneself or being self-sufficient. In contrast to the previous use where we followed the reflexive verb with de and an object, this one is strictly reflexive to keep the focus entirely on the person. This use of valerse indicates that someone is managing their own needs and responsibilities and emphasizes the ability to look after oneself without relying on others.

• A pesar de las dificultades, se ha valido por sí misma durante toda su vida. – Despite the difficulties, she has taken care of herself all her life.

• Mi bisabuelo todavía se vale muy bien. – My great-grandfather still takes care of himself very well.

Vale expressions in Spanish

We’ve just seen all the meanings of vale when used as a verb. We have a few Spanish vale expressions that are built on this verb, so let’s take a look at them here before we move on to the meanings of vale as a noun.

Vale la pena – To be worth it

Vale la pena is a common phrase used in any tense to suggest that something is worth the effort or worth the trouble.

• Viajar a ese país vale la pena. – Traveling to that country is worth it the effort.

• Valió la pena estudiar tanto para el examen. – It was worth it to study hard for the exam.

Más te vale – You’d better…

This expression is used to give someone a warning, to give them a heads-up, or even to joke around. Te is the indirect object pronoun for tú, who is the recipient of the warning here, so the literal translation of más te vale could be something like it’s worth more to you. A better translation is just you’d better…, given as a light-hearted warning. We can use other indirect object pronouns when addressing the warning to others.

Using the right tone of voice is crucial with this expression. It should convey urgency or importance to ensure the warning is taken seriously; otherwise, the other person is likely to take it as a joke.

• Más te vale que hagas la tarea. – You’d better do your homework.

• Más les vale arreglar sus cuartos antes de que llegue a casa. – You’d better clean your rooms before I get home.

Me vale – To not care

This is a curious expression, because it basically expresses the opposite meaning to what we’ve seen in many of our definitions above. Rather than indicating that we value something here, this structure is used to show apathy or indifference. This expression is most common in Mexico.

To use vale in this expression of apathy, we follow the reverse format of conjugation just like the verb gustar. Valer is conjugated to match whatever is not cared about, and we use the indirect object pronoun to match whoever doesn’t care.

• I don’t care what you do. – Me vale lo que hagas.

• Maria doesn’t care about my feelings. – A María le valen mis sentimientos.

Un valer as a noun

Though valer is much more common as a verb, un valer is also a noun with a similar meaning along the lines of value or worth. We can refer to someone or something as having valer, signifying their importance or value.

Note that this noun is not very common in spoken Spanish, with its synonyms un valor and una valía used more frequently.

• Mi jefe es una persona de gran valer. – My boss is a person of great value.

• Para mí, el valer de tu amistad es incalculable. – To me, the value of your friendship is priceless.

Un vale as a noun

Un vale in Spanish, as a noun, has a specific and practical meaning. It is mainly used for commerce and everyday transactions. Here’s an overview of its usage and meanings.

A voucher or a coupon

In Spanish, un vale is the equivalent of a voucher or a coupon in retail settings. Stores offer vales as part of promotions, discounts, special offers, or gift cards. These can be digital codes or physical coupons.

• Ella tiene un vale de descuento para la tienda de zapatos. – She has a discount voucher for the shoe store.

• Puedo usar este vale de regalo en mi próxima compra. – I can use this gift card on my next purchase.

IOU

In everyday transactions, we can use un vale in Spanish in informal contexts to acknowledge a debt or promise of future payment. This usage is more frequent among small business transactions or with friends. In this context, un vale can be translated as an IOU (I owe you).

• No tengo dinero ahora, pero te dejo un vale por los cincuenta dólares que me prestaste. – I don’t have money now, but I’ll leave you an IOU for the fifty dollars you lent me.

• Él le dejó un vale al camarero prometiendo pagar mañana porque olvidó su cartera en casa. – He left an IOU with the waiter promising to pay tomorrow because he forgot his wallet at home.

Conclusion: Vale in Spanish

¡No se vale! We’ve come to an end! Let’s do a quick recap before we finish.

Throughout today’s exploration of vale in Spanish, we’ve uncovered its versatile nature. So what does vale mean in Spanish? We saw that it’s a conjugation of the verb valer, which usually means to be worth or to have value, while also learning several of its less-common meanings like to be allowed or to be useful. Additionally, we saw how to use the reflexive valerse, as well as several expressions like vale la pena.

Perhaps the most common use was the one we looked at first, where Spanish speakers just use vale as an interjection to express agreement like ok or alright.

We rounded out our post by looking at the meanings of this word as a noun, both as un vale and un valer.

Understanding the nuances of vale in Spanish is crucial while learning the language, as it frequently appears in both casual and formal contexts. Whether negotiating the price of something, agreeing with a friend, or understanding the rules of a game, knowing the different uses of this helpful word will make your Spanish sound more natural and fluent.

As we’ve discovered, vale in Spanish is a versatile word that helps us navigate various interactions and improve communication. So for now, let’s plan to meet again in another post! ¿Vale?