vale la pena probar
“vale la pena probar” — it's worth a try in Spanish. Phrase, level B1, topic — basic words. Valer la pena — to be worth it. Merece la pena is exactly the same, and in Spain you hear it even more. In a live sentence: “El sitio es caro, pero vale la pena probar” — The place is expensive, but it's worth a try. You can hear how it sounds right here. One of 305 words in the set “basic words” in the Spanish course.
In short
| Written in Spanish | vale la pena probar |
| Translation | it's worth a try |
| Part of speech | phrase |
| Level | B1 |
- vale la pena probarit's worth a try
Why it looks that way
Valer la pena — to be worth it. Merece la pena is exactly the same, and in Spain you hear it even more
A word with a story stays in memory longer than one learned as a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
In a live sentence
A single word almost never appears alone in conversation. A sentence shows where it fits and what stands next to it.
- El sitio es caro, pero vale la pena probarThe place is expensive, but it's worth a try
Nearby words: basic words
Yes, no, good, bad, very. The small change of a language — and no sentence assembles without it.
- síyesSí with the accent mark means 'yes'; si without it means 'if'. Only the written stress separates them
- nonoOne word serves as both 'no' and as the verb negator: no entiendo means 'I don't understand'
- bienwellAn adverb — it answers 'how?'. The adjective 'good' is a different word, bueno
- malbadlyThe partner of bien, also an adverb. 'Bad' as in a bad thing or person is a different word, malo
- muy bienvery wellMuy means 'very' and always stands right before the word it strengthens
- más o menosso-soLiterally 'more or less'. The same phrase also means 'about': más o menos veinte — about twenty
- la mitadhalfHalf of some whole. Half a kilo is said differently: medio kilo
- otro másone moreLiterally another more. About a feminine thing: otra más
- suficienteenoughIt doesn't change for gender. In conversation people cut it shorter: ya está or basta
- en totalin totalThe till total: son doce euros en total. Merely, just only — that's a different word, solo
Test yourself
Five questions from the same set — “basic words”. Recalling a spelling from meaning is harder than knowing a familiar word on sight, and therefore more useful.
- How do you say “it's worth a try” in Spanish?
Valer la pena — to be worth it. Merece la pena is exactly the same, and in Spain you hear it even more
- How do you say “half” in Spanish?
Half of some whole. Half a kilo is said differently: medio kilo
- How do you say “well” in Spanish?
An adverb — it answers 'how?'. The adjective 'good' is a different word, bueno
- How do you say “in total” in Spanish?
The till total: son doce euros en total. Merely, just only — that's a different word, solo
- How do you say “so-so” in Spanish?
Literally 'more or less'. The same phrase also means 'about': más o menos veinte — about twenty
How not to forget this word
Reading a word and remembering it are different jobs. A day later, little survives of a single reading — and that is not bad memory, that is how memory works.
- This has been tested on foreign words too. The difference shows up most when you test yourself a few days later rather than straight away.checked many timesKim & Webb, 2022, Language Learning 72(2) · 48 experiments, 3,411 participants, 98 comparisons.
- Recalling beats re-reading. Covering the translation and trying to remember it does more than reading it ten more times.checked many timesAdesope, Trevisan & Sundararajan, 2017, Review of Educational Research 87(3) · 188 experiments, 272 comparisons. g = 0.61; against plain re-reading 0.51, against passive review 0.93.
- An answer you worked out yourself sticks better than one handed to you.checked many timesBertsch et al., 2007, Memory & Cognition 35(2) · 86 studies, 445 comparisons, d = 0.40.
Frequently asked
How do you say “it's worth a try” in Spanish?
«vale la pena probar». In a live sentence: “El sitio es caro, pero vale la pena probar” — The place is expensive, but it's worth a try. You can hear how it sounds right on this page. Phrase, level B1, from the set “basic words”.
Why does this word look the way it does?
Valer la pena — to be worth it. Merece la pena is exactly the same, and in Spain you hear it even more. A word with a story stays in memory longer than a “spelling — translation” pair: memory holds on to meaning, not to a string.
Can I hear how it sounds?
Yes, right on this page: click the word and it will play. The sound works on any phone, and nothing needs to be installed.