atrevido vs. valiente
I would like to know if the two words are synonyms, or atrevido is a negative word while valiente a positive one. It is because the sentence I learned today is "Yo era muy atrevido" and the teacher said it means "I used to be very brave." But I looked up the dictionary and found that atrevido is "bold, cheeky, daring" but valiente is "brave, courageous".
4 Answers
First, I should admit I didn't consult RALE dictionary in order to answer to this question, so the following is my native point-of-view on the subject: Atrevida (o) is used for someone who doesn't (or didn't) mind the consequences of her (his) acts. It can be the case of someone who was supposed to be affraid of doing something and, yet, she (he) does (or did) it. "Atreverse" is rather a one-time fact than a characteristic. Valiente is used for someone who does what oughts to be done, even if something negative is to be suffered (a little kid is "valiente" when she lets the dentist do his job). This is, basically, a characteristic of a person, something more fundamental than behaving "atrevidamente".
I'm mexican, not sure of my question (according to language authorities) but sure this is the way I conceive those terms
They are similar but they are not exactly the same:
- Tu puedes atreverte a hacer algo, pero no necesariamente necesitas valor para hacerlo.
- You can dare to do something, but you don't necessarily need courage to do it.
For example, you need courage for dare to do parachuting, but not for try to speak a new language the first time.
Sometimesit can be used with a negative meaning, atrevido can mean insolent.
This time I have to disagree with your teacher. You're right: valiente (brave, courageous) is nearly always used with a positive connotation whilst atrevido (bold, cheeky, daring) can be easily used in derogatory terms (but not always).
As far as I understand it can be positive when meaning brave or bold and you would have to rely on the context and the tone of voice to understand if the person referring to any atrevido act was approving or disapproving.
Often when referring to speech (although not always) it can have the negative meaning of impudent or insolent. A positive example might be if someone spoke up for what was right to the authorities or some bullies etc, then it could be atrevido but also a good thing.
