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
- (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.
- (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?
- (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.
- (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 | – | – | – | ||||
| 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:
(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 | – | – | – | ||||
| 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:
(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
Further reading
- “valoir”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé [Digitized Treasury of the French Language], 2012.
Middle French
Alternative forms
- valloir (less common)
Verb
valoir
Descendants
- French: valoir
References
- valoir on Dictionnaire du Moyen Français (1330–1500) (in French)
Old French
Alternative forms
Verb
valoir
- 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.
| 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
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