Spanish Word of the Day Archive
Saturday February 16, 2008

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valer, verb:
to cost

Valer is very commonly used to say how much something costs:

¿Cuánto vale?
How much does it cost?

¿Cuánto valen estas camisas?
How much do these shirts cost?

Another very useful phrase is más vale... followed by a verb in the infinitive, or in the subjunctive, meaning it would be better to..., you had better....

Más vale que te lleves el abrigo.
You had better take your coat.

Más vale no hacerlo.
It would be better not to do it.

This phrase is also used in a widely-used proverb:

Más vale tarde que nunca.
Better late than never.

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