This phrase comes from the verb valor.
Me vale madre is a way of saying "I don't give a damn". Actually, it's stronger than that, more like "I don't give a shit/fuck".
Here's a quick chart:
Te vale madre = You don't give a shit
Le vale madre = He/She doesn't give a shit
Nos vale madre = We don't give a shit
Les vale madre = They don't give a shit
There are times when you don't need such a strong response, in which case you can drop the "madre" and say "me vale", which simply means "I don't care". You can also say "no me importa". Think of it as:
Me vale = no me importa = I don't care.
That's it! If you speak enough Spanish, sooner or later you're going to come across this, it's actually quite common.
Before I go, let me say that madre is a very strong word in Spanish, at least in Mexican Spanish. There are plenty of ways to use this word, and we'll be looking at those later.
Cuidense!
I look forward for these "madre" uses as there's actually a lot of them, not all necesarilly strong.
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed with your spanish language man.
The verb in the phrase is "valer" (literally 'to be worth'), while "valor" is a noun meaning 'worth, value'.
ReplyDeleteSo how does "I value it" come to mean (I guess) I DON'T value it? Is it a sarcastic expression? Serious question. Thanks!
DeleteIt's not necessarily a sarcastic response, although it could be, depending on the context.
Delete"me vale" is an idiomatic expression in this context, so you just have to accept it's meaning, it can't really be explained logically.
It's the same as in the US the expression "I could care less" actually means "I couldn't care less". It starts as the later, and gradually gets shortened while keeping the original meaning.
Deleteah la verga!!!!
ReplyDeleteAsí lo es, pitufitos.
ReplyDeletewhat is the meaning of "reventarse la madre"?
ReplyDelete