vale
In Spain, “¡vale!” means “okay.” It’s how Spaniards agree to plans, say “got it” and wrap up phone calls, and you’ll hear it constantly.
What vale means
Wiktionary lists vale as a Spanish interjection meaning okay, used in Spain. It comes from the verb valer, “to be worth,” so it’s a bit like saying “that works.” Stack it up and it changes tone: “vale, vale” can mean “okay, I get it, stop.” In Mexico, Wiktionary notes, people also say “sale y vale” for okay.
Examples
- “¿Quedamos a las ocho?” “¡Vale!” (Meet at eight? Okay!)
- “Vale, vale, I get it.”
- “Vale, see you tomorrow.”
Not the English “vale”
English has its own vale, a poetic word for a valley, and a Latin farewell, valē (“be well”), which still turns up in obituaries. Neither is the Spanish okay.
Related terms
More words from other languages are in our world slang guide.
Example sentence
“Can you bring the drinks?” “Vale, no problem.”
Similar words
okay, sure
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