Introduction

Valer means “to be worth”, and this page covers exactly one thing: valer in the preterite tense. The preterite is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about what is finished and done. On this page you will find the full preterite table for valer, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the imperfect, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about valer in the preterite. Valer in the preterite describes one finished action in the past. For example: “Yo valí mucho” — "I was worth a lot". Everything on this page uses the forms of valer exactly as they are conjugated in the preterite, so you can trust every form you see here.

Valer in the Preterite Tense — full table

Person Form
yo valí
tú valiste
él/ella/Ud. valió
nosotros/as valimos
vosotros/as valisteis
ellos/ellas/Uds. valieron

Gerund: valiendo · Past participle: valido

The gerund is valiendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy valiendo” means the action of valer is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is valido, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he valido” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the preterite is only one part of how valer is used.

How the preterite of valer is formed

Valer is regular in the preterite, even though it is irregular in the present. Take the stem val and add the preterite endings for -er verbs: -í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron, giving valí, valiste, valió, valimos, valisteis, valieron. Watch the accents: yo takes an accent on the í (valí) and él takes one on the ó (valió). The irregularity of valer is in its present tense (valgo), not in the preterite, so the table above is fully regular. The preterite of valer is fully regular in its endings, but two details deserve attention. First, the accents: valí carries an accent on the í, and valió carries one on the ó, because the stress falls on the ending rather than the stem. Second, the nosotros form valimos is identical to the present-tense nosotros form, so only the surrounding words tell you which tense is meant.

When to use the preterite of valer

The preterite is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use valer in the preterite most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. One finished action

The preterite is the tense of one finished action. When something started and ended in the past, with a clear end, valer goes in the preterite. Example: “Yo valí la pena” — "I was worth it".

2. A sequence of events

When several things happened one after another, each one goes in the preterite. The preterite moves the story from one event to the next, in order. Example: “Él valió dos euros” — "It was worth two euros".

3. A completed time frame

When the action happened inside a finished period of time — ayer, anoche, la semana pasada, el mes pasado — the preterite is the right choice, and valer follows the same rule. Example: “Yo valí mucho” — "I was worth a lot".

4. A sudden change

The preterite also marks a sudden change or the start of a new state. Something changed at one moment, and the preterite names that moment. Example: “Él valió la pena” — "It was worth it".

5. A specific point in time

When you can point to the exact moment something happened — a las nueve, a medianoche, en 2019 — the preterite counts it as one event at that point in time. Example: “Nosotros valimos dos euros” — "We were worth two euros".

Preterite Tense vs Imperfect: how to choose

The closest tense to the preterite is the imperfect, and choosing between them is one of the hardest decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the preterite reports one finished action, while the imperfect describes background, habits in the past, or an action that was in progress when something else happened. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is finished and counted, or ongoing and descriptive. Time words help: ayer and de repente point to the preterite, while mientras and todos los días in the past point to the imperfect.

  • Preterite Tense: “Yo valí mucho” — "I was worth a lot".

  • Imperfect: “Yo valía mucho” — "I used to be worth a lot".

  • The preterite sentence counts one finished action; the imperfect sentence describes how things used to be. That difference — finished event versus background — is the whole decision.

  • Preterite Tense: “Él valió la pena” — "It was worth it".

  • Imperfect: “Él valía la pena” — "It used to be worth it".

  • The preterite sentence counts one finished action; the imperfect sentence describes how things used to be. That difference — finished event versus background — is the whole decision.

  • Preterite Tense: “Nosotros valimos dos euros” — "We were worth two euros".

  • Imperfect: “Nosotros valíamos dos euros” — "We used to be worth two euros".

  • The preterite sentence counts one finished action; the imperfect sentence describes how things used to be. That difference — finished event versus background — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: valer in the preterite

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Yo valí la pena” — "I was worth it"

  2. “Tú valiste dos euros” — "You were worth two euros"

  3. “Él valió mucho” — "It was worth a lot"

  4. “Nosotros valimos la pena” — "We were worth it"

  5. “Vosotros valisteis dos euros” — "You were worth two euros"

  6. “Ellos valieron mucho” — "They were worth a lot"

  7. “Yo valí la pena” — "I was worth it"

  8. “Él valió dos euros” — "It was worth two euros"

Common mistakes with valer in the preterite

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Ellos valió mucho” Right: “Ellos valieron mucho” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form valieron. The singular valió belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.

  • Wrong: “Ayer, yo valgo” Right: “Ayer, yo valí” Why: The present tense cannot describe a finished action yesterday. Ayer forces the preterite, so the form must change to valí.

  • Wrong: “Ayer, yo valía” Right: “Ayer, yo valí” Why: Ayer names one finished day, so the preterite is right. The imperfect (valía) describes background or a habit, not one finished action.

  • Wrong: “Nosotros valiste mucho.” Right: “Nosotros valimos mucho” Why: Nosotros needs valimos. The tú form valiste belongs with tú.

Quiz: valer in the preterite

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ___ dos euros.” (yo form)

A. valieron B. valisteis C. valiste D. valí

2. Complete the sentence: “Tú ___ mucho.” (tú form)

A. valiste B. valisteis C. valieron D. valí

3. Complete the sentence: “Él ___ la pena.” (él/ella/Ud. form)

A. valiste B. valimos C. valisteis D. valió

4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ___ dos euros.” (nosotros/as form)

A. valí B. valió C. valisteis D. valimos

5. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ___ mucho.” (vosotros/as form)

A. valieron B. valimos C. valió D. valisteis

6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ___ la pena.” (ellos/ellas/Uds. form)

A. valimos B. valisteis C. valieron D. valiste

7. Which time expression points to the preterite tense?

A. ayer B. todos los días C. cada semana D. mientras

8. Which sentence is correct?

A. Ayer, yo valí B. Ayer, yo valía

Answer key

  1. valí — The yo preterite of valer is valí.
  2. valiste — The tú preterite of valer is valiste.
  3. valió — The él/ella/Ud. preterite of valer is valió.
  4. valimos — The nosotros/as preterite of valer is valimos.
  5. valisteis — The vosotros/as preterite of valer is valisteis.
  6. valieron — The ellos/ellas/Uds. preterite of valer is valieron.
  7. ayer — Ayer names one finished day, so the preterite is right. Todos los días, cada semana and mientras point to the present or the imperfect.
  8. Ayer, yo valí — Ayer is one finished day, so the preterite is correct. The imperfect describes background or a habit.

Frequently asked questions

When do I use the preterite of valer?

Use the preterite for one finished action in the past. For example: Yo valí mucho. If the action is finished and counted, the preterite is the right choice.

How is the preterite of valer formed?

Take the stem val- and add the preterite endings for -er verbs (-í, -iste, -ió, -imos, -isteis, -ieron), giving valí, valiste, valió, valimos, valisteis, valieron.

What is the difference between the preterite and the imperfect for valer?

The preterite (valí) counts one finished action, while the imperfect (valía) describes background or a habit in the past. Compare the two sentences in the contrast section above: the verb is the same, only the tense changes.

How can I practise valer in the preterite?

Say the six forms out loud — valí, valiste, valió, valimos, valisteis, valieron — then use them in the example sentences above, changing the person each time. Then try the valer examples and quiz page, and the full conjugation of valer when you want to compare the preterite with the other tenses.

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