merecer la pena
A transitive verb phrase is a phrase that combines a verb with a preposition or other particle and requires a direct object (e.g. Take out the trash.).
transitive verb phrase
1. (general)
a. to be worth
Como ves, merece la pena esforzarse. Los resultados son mucho mejores.As you can see, it's worth making an effort. You get much better results.
b. to be worthwhile
Quizá merezca la pena gastar un poco más en unos zapatos de mejor calidad.Maybe it's worthwhile spending a bit more money in some better quality shoes.
c. to be worth the trouble
No merece la pena hacer un viaje de cinco horas para pasar solo dos allí.It isn't worth the trouble traveling for five hours to then spend only two there.
d.
This refers to an idiomatic word or phrase for which there is no word-for-word translation.
no direct translation
El libro merece la pena, pero la película es muy mala.The book is worth reading, but the movie is really bad.
No sabemos si lograremos llegar a la cima de la montaña, pero merece la pena intentarlo.We don't know whether we'll be able to reach the mountain summit, but it's worth a try.
Examples
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