Spanish words as used in Spain

What does ‘vale’ mean in Spain?

Published 5 October 2026 · Lince editorial team

In Spain, vale means “okay” or “all right”: it is the everyday way to agree, accept a plan or confirm you have understood. Added to the end of a sentence, ¿vale? asks “okay?”, and it works with friends, family, shop staff and colleagues alike.

What vale means

Okay, agreed Neutral

The core use: accepting a suggestion, an instruction or a plan. —¿Te recojo a las ocho? —Vale. Doubling it (vale, vale) can sound reassuring or a little impatient, depending on the tone.

¿Vale? — okay? Neutral

At the end of a sentence, ¿vale? checks that the other person agrees or has understood, like “okay?” or “all right?” in English: Te espero en la puerta, ¿vale?

¡Vale ya! — that’s enough Informal

With ya, it tells someone to stop: ¡Vale ya! means “That’s enough!”. Keep it for people you know well, because the tone can be sharp.

From the verb valer Neutral

Vale is also the ordinary form of valer, “to cost” or “to count”. ¿Cuánto vale? means “How much is it?”, and in a game ¡Eso no vale! means “That doesn’t count!”. These uses are shared across the Spanish-speaking world.

Where and when you will hear it

You will hear vale all over Spain, from every age group and in almost any setting short of a formal speech. In a work email or a meeting it is perfectly normal: Vale, lo reviso esta tarde (“Okay, I’ll look at it this afternoon”).

Vale as “okay” is strongly associated with Spain. Speakers in Latin America understand it, but they more often say ok, está bien or a local favourite such as dale in Argentina and Uruguay.

Examples from everyday Spain Spanish

  • —¿Quedamos a las ocho en la puerta del cine? —Vale, allí nos vemos.“Shall we meet at eight outside the cinema?” “Okay, see you there.”
  • Te mando la dirección por WhatsApp, ¿vale?I’ll send you the address on WhatsApp, okay?
  • Vale, vale, ya lo he entendido.Okay, okay, I’ve got it.
  • ¡Vale ya! Llevas toda la tarde con lo mismo.That’s enough! You’ve been going on about the same thing all afternoon.
  • ¿Cuánto vale este libro?How much is this book?

How to say it

BAH-leh: two syllables, stress on the first. Spanish v sounds like b — a full b at the start of a phrase, softer between vowels, with the lips barely touching. The a is open, as in “father”, and the e is short and clear, so it never sounds like the English word “vale”.

Dictionary sources