valer, valorar, valuar

Question

Can valer, valorar and valuar be used interchangeably?

Answer 1

Can valer, valorar and valuar be used interchangeably?

As you have probably already deduced, the three verbs mentioned all share a similar root and can all be used in expressions related to the idea of "value." The idea of value can of course be measured in monetary terms, but can also be referred to by less tangible ideas such as appreciation, etc. In terms of interchangeability; however, there are some notable differences between the three verbs.

Valorar vs Valuar

The terms valorar and valuar are virtually interchangeable when it comes to the idea of indicating or setting a price on something. For example, you might say either of the following:

Las autoridades del INAH valoraron la pintura en aproximadamente 110 mil pesos/Las autoridades del INAH valuaron la pintura en aproximadamente 110 mil pesos

INAH authorities value the painting at approximately 110,000 pesos/INAH authorities list the value of the painting at 110,000 pesos

In the examples above, we see an active construction; however, we probably are more likely to find this particular usage (related to price) in passive constructions such as

Se valoraron/valuaron la pintura en aproximadament 110 mil pesos.

The painting is valued at approximately 110,000 pesos.

As mentioned earlier, the idea of value is not limited to money, and when we wish to say that we value something in terms of recognizing the merit in a person or object then we use valorar rather than valuar.

Valúo Valoro nuestra amistad ? I value our friendship.

Here we are not setting a price on the object of value but instead are commenting on the fact that this value is appreciated. Again, the idea being conveyed can also enjoy a passive construction:

No se valora el tiempo que los empresarios dedicamos ad honorem a estos organismos. ?The time that our businesses dedicate ad honorem to these oranizations is not appreciated/valued.

Valer

The verb valer, similar to the other two terms, is related to the idea of the value that is placed on something. In most cases we can view the use of "valer" as describing an "associated value" rather than an explicit assignment of value as we see with the other two verbs in their active constructions. In other words, we typically see valer in expressions describing the "worth" of something or someone. In each of the following expressions we see that a value is attributed to some activity or entity, but it is presented in terms of what value it has or is ascribed to it. In some senses, we can use the verb "valer" to think in terms of equivalent value or worth, whether figurative or literal.

?No vale la pena leerlo ? it is not worth the trouble/effort to read it
?No vale nada ? It's not worth anything
?No vale para nada ? It's not valuable for any purposes (It's not good for anything)
?Vale su peso en oro ? She's worth her weight in gold

The idea of an equivalent value might also be looked at in terms of exchange value or what someone might or did get in exchange for an associated value. In this sense, it can sometimes be thought of in terms of what was the item worth in terms of what was gained from it. A few examples along this line of thinking might be

?En 1828, Manuela Sáenz salvó la vida de su amante, Simón Bolívar, lo que le valió el apelativo de Libertadora del libertador. ? In 1828, Manuela Sáenz saved the life of her lover, Simón Bolívar, which earned her the nickname of Liberator of the liberator.

Here, her brave actions were valued in terms of the famous moniker that it gained her. Rather, the net worth of her actions (to her) was nickname she earned.

?La prometida reforma migratoria que al presidente Barack Obama le valió el apoyo hispano en las pasadas elecciones, parece ahora esfumarse. ? The promised immigration reform that earned Barack Obama the Hispanic vote in the past elections seems to have disappeared.

In this sentence, the idea of value can be thought of in terms of what was exchanged and what this exchange was worth to each party. From the text, we see that a promised of a reform bill was worth (i.e. had the exchange value of) the Hispanic vote for Barack Obama, or conversely, the Hispanic vote was worth an empty promise to Hispanic voters.

Su interpretación en El último rey de Escocia le valió el Oscar al mejor actor. ? His performance in "The Last King of Scotland" earned him the Oscar for best actor.

Again we see an exchange value, where the actor's performance was valued by the Academy in terms of an Oscar award.

La parada me valió una severa advertencia de una guardia municipal ? The stop cost/earned me a severe warning from a municipal guard.

Here we see that a negative value can also be ascribed to an activity. In such cases, it is often appropriate to translate the sentence in terms of its cost.

I'm not sure that my explanation really offered more than a quick trip to a good dictionary would have, but hopefully you found something useful herein.

Answer 2

Good question! Someone will be able to help you soon