"to be worth" in seven languages
Meaningto be worth
Spanish
valer
/baˈleɾ/
inherited
French
valoir
/valwaʁ/
inherited
Italian
valere
/vaˈlere/
inherited
Portuguese
valer
/vaˈleh/
inherited
Romanian
merita
/meriˈta/
other source · French mériter (Latin MERITUM 'deserved')
Catalan
valer
/bəˈlɛ/
inherited
English
worth
/wɝθ/
native English · Old English weorþ
English → Italianto be worthvalereNot relatedDifferent sources — learn this one fresh. But English has relatives: value, valid, valiant, prevail, available.What English and Italian share
The Latin ancestor
VALĒRE‘to be strong; to be worth’
All six sisters descend from it, unless marked otherwise below.
The story
VALĒRE first meant 'to be strong', and Romans signed off letters with VALĒ, 'be well'. In French the long ē became oi, as it did in avoir and voir.
English relatives: value, valid, valiant, prevail, available
Sound laws at work
Learn it
In a sentence
- esVale la pena.
- frÇa vaut la peine.
- itNe vale la pena.
- ptVale a pena.
- roMerită.
- caVal la pena.
- enIt's worth it.
More in Core verbs
- to provide, to supplyproporcionarfournirfornireforneceroferiproporcionar
- to followseguirsuivreseguireseguirurmaseguir
- to save (to rescue)salvarsauversalvaresalvarsalvasalvar
- to addañadirajouteraggiungereacrescentaradăugaafegir
- to be bornnacernaîtrenascerenascernaștenéixer
- to decidedecidirdéciderdecideredecidirdecidedecidir