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No hay es que ni pero que valga (No hay (ni) pero que valga)

 

An idiom is an expression whose meaning is not readily apparent based on the individual words in the expression. This forum is dedicated to discussing idioms and other sayings.


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  #1  
Old April 21, 2016, 02:11 PM
Wahooka Wahooka is offline
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No hay es que ni pero que valga (No hay (ni) pero que valga)

Here is another phrase from Tintin comic book.

CONTEXT: Captain is yelling at Tintin.

PHRASE: No hay es que ni pero que valga.

This is a tough one to translate!
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  #2  
Old April 21, 2016, 03:14 PM
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aleCcowaN aleCcowaN is offline
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It depends on a wider context, but it seems a so-so translation of something equivalent to "no ifs, ands or buts"
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Old April 21, 2016, 05:03 PM
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I think you will find more commonly "no hay (ni) pero que valga", which means something like "there is no excuse".
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Old April 26, 2016, 02:08 PM
Wahooka Wahooka is offline
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Okay, thanks.

I thought "valga" means "to be worth something".

How did you arrive at that?
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Old April 26, 2016, 03:18 PM
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The verb "valer" also conveys the idea that something is useful. That's how it's used in this expression.
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Old April 26, 2016, 05:37 PM
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Here valer means "be used as a defense or protection":

no hay excusa que valga
no le valdrá su amistad con el juez
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