compensar

Senses

1. 1.

   to compensate, to make up for

   to offset or counterbalance something negative with something positive

2. 2.

   to be worth it, to pay off

   to be worthwhile or advantageous (often used impersonally)

3. 3.

   to compensate (financially)

   to pay someone for losses, damages, or services rendered

Examples

• "Não compensa comprar esse carro usado, está muito caro."

  It's not worth buying this used car, it's too expensive.

• "Ela trabalhou no fim de semana para compensar as horas perdidas."

  She worked on the weekend to make up for the lost hours.

• "A empresa compensou os funcionários pelos danos causados."

  The company compensated the employees for the damages caused.

Usage

Very commonly used impersonally with "vale a pena" (to be worth it): "Compensa esperar?" (Is it worth waiting?). The expression "não compensa" is extremely frequent in everyday speech to say something isn't worthwhile. Often paired with infinitive verbs to express whether an action is worth doing.