Spanish Word of the Day Archive
Thursday December 13, 2007

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valer, verb:
OK!

If you get to travel to Spain, ¡Vale! OK! is a word you’re likely to hear a lot of. For instance, it’s a way of accepting an offer or suggestion:

¿Vamos a tomar algo? - ¡Vale!
Shall we go for a drink? - OK!

And for making and confirming arrangements:

¿Nos vemos a las ocho, ¿Vale? - ¡De acuerdo!
Shall we go for a drink? - OK!

Not just in Spain, but in all Spanish-speaking countries, if someone is bending the rules somehow, in a game or in business, you use the phrase: ¡Eso no vale! That’s not allowed!

¿Puedo darle con la mano? - No, eso no vale.
Can I hit it with my hand? - No, that’s not allowed.

Le han dado el trabajo al hijo del jefe - ¡Pues, eso no vale!
They’ve given the job to the boss’s son. - They can’t do that!

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