valer

Senses

1. 1.

   to be worth

   to have a certain value or price

2. 2.

   to be valid / to count

   to be acceptable, legitimate, or applicable

3. 3.

   to avail / to be of use

   to help, benefit, or serve a purpose

4. 4.

   to protect / to defend

   to serve as a safeguard (archaic/literary sense)

Examples

• "Este cuadro vale mucho dinero."

  This painting is worth a lot of money.

• "En este examen, cada pregunta vale diez puntos."

  In this exam, each question is worth ten points.

• "Esa excusa no vale; necesito una explicación real."

  That excuse doesn't count; I need a real explanation.

Usage

Valer is highly common in Spanish with multiple meanings depending on context. The phrase "¿Cuánto vale?" (How much is it worth?) and "no vale" (that doesn't count) are very frequent in everyday speech. Note the colloquial expression "más vale" (it's better to) used with subjunctive or infinitive. The verb is regular with stem-changing patterns in some tenses.