valoir

French

Etymology

Inherited from Middle French valoir, from Old French valoir, valeir, from Latin valēre, from Proto-Italic *walēō, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wl̥h₁éh₁yeti, from *h₂welh₁- (“to rule, be strong”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /va.lwaʁ/

• audio

  (file)

• Rhymes: -waʁ

Verb

valoir

1. (intransitive) to be worth

   Selon leur mère, une femme vaut deux hommes.

   According to their mother, a woman is worth two men.

   • 2003, Carla Bruni, Quelqu'un m'a dit:

     On me dit que nos vies ne valent pas grand-chose ; elles passent en un instant comme fanent les roses.

     Someone told me our lives aren't worth much; they pass in an instant like roses wither.

2. (transitive) to earn, to win, to bring (something of value, ironic usage notwithstanding)

   Qu’est-ce qui nous vaut la visite indési—euh, inopinée ?

   To what do we owe this unwant— erm, unexpected visit?

3. (transitive, mathematics) to be equal to

   Une année-lumière vaut donc approximativement 63 241 [soixante-trois-mille-deux-cent-quarante-et-une] unités astronomiques.

   One light year is equal to approximately 63,241 astronomical units.

4. (reflexive) to be the same, to have no difference between

Conjugation

Conjugation of valoir (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	simple	valoir
	compound	avoir + past participle
present participle or gerund1	simple	valant /va.lɑ̃/
	compound	ayant + past participle
past participle		valu /va.ly/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	vaux /vo/	vaux /vo/	vaut /vo/	valons /va.lɔ̃/	valez /va.le/	valent /val/
	imperfect	valais /va.lɛ/	valais /va.lɛ/	valait /va.lɛ/	valions /va.ljɔ̃/	valiez /va.lje/	valaient /va.lɛ/
	past historic2	valus /va.ly/	valus /va.ly/	valut /va.ly/	valûmes /va.lym/	valûtes /va.lyt/	valurent /va.lyʁ/
	future	vaudrai /vo.dʁe/	vaudras /vo.dʁa/	vaudra /vo.dʁa/	vaudrons /vo.dʁɔ̃/	vaudrez /vo.dʁe/	vaudront /vo.dʁɔ̃/
	conditional	vaudrais /vo.dʁɛ/	vaudrais /vo.dʁɛ/	vaudrait /vo.dʁɛ/	vaudrions /vo.dʁi.jɔ̃/	vaudriez /vo.dʁi.je/	vaudraient /vo.dʁɛ/
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of avoir + past participle
	past anterior2	past historic of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que je (j’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	que nous	que vous	qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple tenses)	present	vaille /vaj/	vailles /vaj/	vaille /vaj/	valions /va.ljɔ̃/	valiez /va.lje/	vaillent /vaj/
	imperfect2	valusse /va.lys/	valusses /va.lys/	valût /va.ly/	valussions /va.ly.sjɔ̃/	valussiez /va.ly.sje/	valussent /va.lys/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect2	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	—	—	—	—	—
compound		—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	simple imperative of avoir + past participle	—
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way: past historic → present perfect past anterior → pluperfect imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive (Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Conjugation of se valoir (see also Appendix:French verbs)

infinitive	simple	se valoir
	compound	s'être + past participle
present participle or gerund1	simple	se valant /sə va.lɑ̃/
	compound	ayant or étant + past participle
past participle		valu /va.ly/
		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		je (j’)	tu	il, elle, on	nous	vous	ils, elles
(simple tenses)	present	me vaux /mə vo/	te vaux /tə vo/	se vaut /sə vo/	nous valons /nu va.lɔ̃/	vous valez /vu va.le/	se valent /sə val/
	imperfect	me valais /mə va.lɛ/	te valais /tə va.lɛ/	se valait /sə va.lɛ/	nous valions /nu va.ljɔ̃/	vous valiez /vu va.lje/	se valaient /sə va.lɛ/
	past historic2	me valus /mə va.ly/	te valus /tə va.ly/	se valut /sə va.ly/	nous valûmes /nu va.lym/	vous valûtes /vu va.lyt/	se valurent /sə va.lyʁ/
	future	me vaudrai /mə vo.dʁe/	te vaudras /tə vo.dʁa/	se vaudra /sə vo.dʁa/	nous vaudrons /nu vo.dʁɔ̃/	vous vaudrez /vu vo.dʁe/	se vaudront /sə vo.dʁɔ̃/
	conditional	me vaudrais /mə vo.dʁɛ/	te vaudrais /tə vo.dʁɛ/	se vaudrait /sə vo.dʁɛ/	nous vaudrions /nu vo.dʁi.jɔ̃/	vous vaudriez /vu vo.dʁi.je/	se vaudraient /sə vo.dʁɛ/
(compound tenses)	present perfect	present indicative of s'être + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect indicative of s'être + past participle
	past anterior2	past historic of s'être + past participle
	future perfect	future of s'être + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional of s'être + past participle
subjunctive		que je (j’)	que tu	qu’il, qu’elle	que nous	que vous	qu’ils, qu’elles
(simple tenses)	present	me vaille /mə vaj/	te vailles /tə vaj/	se vaille /sə vaj/	nous valions /nu va.ljɔ̃/	vous valiez /vu va.lje/	se vaillent /sə vaj/
	imperfect2	me valusse /mə va.lys/	te valusses /tə va.lys/	se valût /sə va.ly/	nous valussions /nu va.ly.sjɔ̃/	vous valussiez /vu va.ly.sje/	se valussent /sə va.lys/
(compound tenses)	past	present subjunctive of s'être + past participle
	pluperfect2	imperfect subjunctive of s'être + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nous	vous	–
simple		—	—	—	—	—	—
compound		—	simple imperative of s'être + past participle	—	simple imperative of s'être + past participle	simple imperative of s'être + past participle	—
1 The French gerund is usable only with the preposition en.
2 In less formal writing or speech, these tenses may be found to have been replaced in the following way: past historic → present perfect past anterior → pluperfect imperfect subjunctive → present subjunctive pluperfect subjunctive → past subjunctive (Christopher Kendris [1995], Master the Basics: French, pp. 77, 78, 79, 81).

Derived terms

• deux avis valent mieux qu’un
• deux précautions valent mieux qu’une
• donner et retenir ne vaut
• faire valoir
• faire-valoir
• le jeu n’en vaut pas la chandelle
• mieux vaut prévenir que guérir
• mieux vaut tard que jamais
• ne rien dire qui vaille
• un homme averti en vaut deux
• un tiens vaut mieux que deux tu l’auras
• une image vaut mille mots
• vaille que vaille
• valoir la peine
• valoir le détour
• valoir mieux
• valoir son pesant d’or

 

Related terms

• vaillant
• valence
• valeur
• valide
• valoriser
• valoir mieux
• en valoir la peine

Further reading

• “valoir”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.

Middle French

Alternative forms

• valloir (less common)

Etymology

From Latin valēre, present active infinitive of valeō.

Verb

valoir

1. to be worth; to have a certain value
2. (of a person) to have merit; to be have positive qualities

Descendants

• French: valoir

References

• valoir on Dictionnaire du Moyen Français (1330–1500) (in French)

Old French

Alternative forms

• valeir

Etymology

From Latin valēre, present active infinitive of valeō.

Verb

valoir

1. to have value; to be worth
   • c. 1170, Chrétien de Troyes, Érec et Énide:

     Qui plus de çant mars d'arjant vaut

     Which is worth more than 100 marks of silver

Conjugation

This verb conjugates as a third-group verb. This verb has irregularities in its conjugation. Old French conjugation varies significantly by date and by region. The following conjugation should be treated as a guide.

    Conjugation of valoir (see also Appendix:Old French verbs)

		simple			compound
infinitive		valoir			avoir valu
gerund		en valant			gerund of avoir + past participle
present participle		valant
past participle		valu
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	il	nos	vos	il
simple tenses	present	vail, val	vaus	vaut	valons, vaillons	valez, vailliez	valent, vaillent
	imperfect	valoie, valeie	valoies, valeies	valoit, valeit	valiiens, valiens	valiiez, valiez	valoient, valeient
	preterite	valui, vaus	valus, vausis	valu, vaust	valumes, vausimes	valustes, vausistes	valurent, vaustrent
	future	vaudrai	vaudras	vaudra	vaudrons	vaudroiz, vaudreiz, vaudrez	vaudront
	conditional	vaudroie, vaudreie	vaudroies, vaudreies	vaudroit, vaudreit	vaudriiens, vaudriens	vaudriiez, vaudriez	vaudroient, vaudreient
compound tenses	present perfect	present tense of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect tense of avoir + past participle
	past anterior	preterite tense of avoir + past participle
	future perfect	future tense of avoir + past participle
	conditional perfect	conditional tense of avoir + past participle
subjunctive		que jo	que tu	qu’il	que nos	que vos	qu’il
simple tenses	present	vaille	vailles	vaille	vailliens, vaillons	vailliez	vaillent
	imperfect	valusse, vausisse	valusses, vausisses	valust, vausist	valussons, valussiens, vausissons, vausissiens	valussoiz, valussez, valussiez, vausissoiz, vausissez, vausissiez	valussent, vausissent
compound tenses	past	present subjunctive of avoir + past participle
	pluperfect	imperfect subjunctive of avoir + past participle
imperative		–	tu	–	nos	vos	–
		—	—	—	—	—	—

Derived terms

• vaillant

Descendants

• Middle French: valoir
  • French: valoir
• Norman: valeir, vaussir (from unattested *valsir from the past tense forms)
• Walloon: valeur
• → Middle English: availen (< a (“to”) + vail)
  • English: avail
  • Scots: avail, avale