La Palabra del Día : la vara

Question

la vara - (noun) stick, pole, rod, bar, shaft, branch, wand, switch, twig

Post your sentences in Spanish and English, then vote for the ones you like. The best answer will be chosen tomorrow on the basis of the greatest number of votes and language correctness.

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And don't forget to correct your posts as suggested. Do NOT use subject pronouns!

Las varas mágica de Harry Potter y de Voldemort comparten las plumas de mismo fénix

The magic wands of Harry Potter and Voldemort share the feathers from the same phoenix.

Please correct my English and Spanish - Vaanz, Nov 17, 2010

Great Vaanz, now I did not know that , thank you. - ray76, Nov 17, 2010

las varas mágicas... del mismo fénix - 0074b507, Nov 17, 2010

de Harry Potter y de Voldermort (English doesn't replicate the prepositons; Spanish does or else "Harry Potter and Voldemort" become a single entity. - 0074b507, Nov 17, 2010

It is more correct to say "de X y de Y" when X and Y are separate entities, yes, and I encourage you to do it as well. However, many native speakers would probably not bother making this distinction. - bill1111, Nov 17, 2010

By the way, small wands such as these are called "varitas" in Spain, while "varas" would mean staves. I'm not sure if this is the same in Latin America. - bill1111, Nov 17, 2010

Teeny English - you just forgot 'the' as in 'from the same phoenix'. I didn't know either, thx - margaretbl, Nov 17, 2010

Thank you, vaanz, I had forgotten that! Great picture! - Echoline, Nov 17, 2010

Thanks guys - Vaanz, Nov 17, 2010

Answer 1

¿No sería agradable si sólo tuviera una vara “mágica” para hacer que sea fácil de aprender un nuevo idioma?

Wouldn’t it be nice if they just had a “magic” wand to make it easy to learn a new language?

I vote for that! - JoyceM, Nov 17, 2010

That gets my vote and so do you Rolest. - ray76, Nov 17, 2010

This is grammatically correct, but it doesn't sound idiomatic. I'd say: "¿A que estaría bien que hubiese una varita mágica que hiciera fácil aprender idiomas? - bill1111, Nov 17, 2010

Thanks Billstpor for the suggestion. Since it is grammatically correct, I think I will leave it as it is. I was trying to emphasize the word “Magic”. - Rolest, Nov 17, 2010

Answer 2

The stick is not as good as the carrot to make the donkey work.

La vara no es tan buena como la zanahoria para hacer que trabaje el burro

"rough trnslation"- for doing heavy labor...I don't see the word donkey - 0074b507, Nov 17, 2010

Whoops! Sorry . - ray76, Nov 17, 2010

...para trabajar como un burro. ( idiom : hard work implicit here). Marvelous! :) - cogumela, Nov 17, 2010

Be careful Ray the frontal lobotomy is a nasty business jeje.. - sv2qp, Nov 17, 2010

Yes, the Spanish idiom is 'para trabajar como un burro'. However the literal translation of "to make the donkey work" is "para hacer que trabaje el burro". Just so you don't mix those two up. - bill1111, Nov 17, 2010

Thank you William , I see it all now at last. sv2gp. I am booked in tomorrow at 6 AM for exploratory surgery, so far they have not found anything there, no surprise realy. - ray76, Nov 17, 2010

I will be praying for you in surgery tomorrow ray. - amykay, Nov 17, 2010

Answer 3

Una línea Scotty tiene en una película de "Star Trek" es, ¡"arriba su vara"! (hablando con la voz ascensor)

One line Scotty has in a Star Trek movie is, "up your shaft"! (talking to the elevator voice)

Edit: Well I guess there is no real edit that will be proper in Spanish. So I'll just acknowledge the above sentences are incorrect.

'line' in that context is translated as 'frase'. And I'm afraid 'vara' is only the translation of 'shaft' when you talk about long wooden or metal rods used for measuring things and such. Elevator shafts, shafts of light, etc.. are not. - bill1111, Nov 17, 2010

'Scotty tiene una frase en..". 'up your shaft' is hard to translate, because in Spanish we don't use 'arriba' in those 'expressions' ;-) - bill1111, Nov 17, 2010

Answer 4

Hay que aguantar la vara como venga. - Face life as it comes.

Answer 5

Spare the rod spoil the child. My grandmother said that to me.
Retiene la vara botín el niño. Mi abuela dijo que a mi.

don't know if there's an 'official' translation of that saying, but I'd say "Evita la vara, y malcriarás al niño. Mi abuela me decía eso." or "Si te refrenas con la vara, malcriarás al niño" - bill1111, Nov 17, 2010

Answer 6

Modismo:

Medir las cosas con la misma vara.

To judge things by the same standards.

the picture doesn't really match but oh well it's a wooden measuring stick at least lol :) - Kiwi-Girl, Nov 17, 2010

As I recall from my surveying days a vara is actually a length of measurement (approx. 33") - 0074b507, Nov 17, 2010

Great! Also, "por el mismo rasero". :) - cogumela, Nov 17, 2010

That is a stick for measuring the height of a horse. They are measured in "hands", with each hand being 4 inches. A horse that is 16.2 hands is 66 inches tall or 5 ft. 6 inches at the wither (top of shoulder). - Echoline, Nov 17, 2010

Answer 7

Habla suavemente y lleva una gran vara, así llegaras lejos.

Speak softly and carry a big stick, you will go far. (a proverb used by Roosevelt)

una :) Good - cogumela, Nov 17, 2010

Theodore Roosevelt, not Franklin - Echoline, Nov 17, 2010

Yes, that is right, Echoline - Brynleigh, Nov 17, 2010

Were you familiar with this phrase? - Brynleigh, Nov 17, 2010

Yes, it is a very famos saying. It was his policy regarding diplomatic foreign relations vs. the need for a strong national defense. - Echoline, Nov 17, 2010

Answer 8

Con esta vara voy a convertirme el pelo a color moreno o mejor, añadir un poco mas pelo a la cabeza! With this wand I am going to change my hair to brown, even better add a little more hair to my head!

English translation? - JoyceM, Nov 17, 2010

Can I borrow that wand Joe ? - ray76, Nov 17, 2010

Answer 9

Proverbios 13:24 Traducción del Nuevo Mundo de las Santas Escrituras

El que retiene su vara odia a su hijo, pero el que lo ama es el que de veras lo busca con disciplina.

The one holding back his rod is hating his son, but the one loving him is he that does look for him with discipline.

Perfect - cogumela, Nov 17, 2010

The New King James Version says, He who spares his rod hates his son, But he who loves him disciplines him promptly. We say: Spare the rod and spoil the child. - JoyceM, Nov 17, 2010

Answer 10

La publicidad es el repicar de una vara en el interior de un cubo de desperdicios.

( Advertising is the rattling of a stick inside a swill bucket. )

George Orwell

Superb sentence! It has a really hard translation. This needs a professional translation. I can't think about an equivalent now... I'll think about it. - cogumela, Nov 17, 2010

Yes please.. :) - sv2qp, Nov 17, 2010

'es el repicar de una vara en el interior de un cubo..' - bill1111, Nov 17, 2010

Thanks Bill.. - sv2qp, Nov 17, 2010

wow! - margaretbl, Nov 17, 2010

Answer 11

The official replicas of Harry Potter's magic wand are available in Spain; I bought one in Toledo.

Las copias oficiales de la varita mágica de Harry Potter están disponibles en España; compré una en Toledo.

'compré una' - bill1111, Nov 17, 2010

Answer 12

Mmmm, me gustan las varitas de merluza, mmmm.

(whoops, didn't read the parameters of the thread! added later

Mmmm, I like fishsticks, mmmm.

-Charlius-

Charlius, can you post your sentence in English so I can read it. - Maria-Russell, Nov 17, 2010

Answer 13

The second little pig used a pole to built his house of sticks.

El segundo cerdito usó uno vara a construir su casa de palitos.

Same as 'shaft' above: it can only be translated as 'vara' in certain contexts. 'built his house of sticks' would be translated as 'construyó su casa con palitos' ('vara' usually has a role, as a handle, measuring tool, weapon.. but not as a raw material) - bill1111, Nov 17, 2010

I just couldn't give up the pig picture. - Leatha, Nov 17, 2010

Answer 14

Algunas personas piensan que puede encontrar agua con una vara de zahorí.

Some people think that you can find water with a dowsing rod.

Answer 15

La vara era una antigua unidad de longitud española que equivalía a 3 pies.

The rod was an old Spanish unit of length which amounted to 3 feet .

An American yardstick would be its equivalent. - Maria-Russell, Nov 17, 2010

'unidad de longitud española antigua' sounds a little weird. 'una antigua unidad de longitud española' or 'una unidad antigua de longitud española' sound a bit better - bill1111, Nov 17, 2010

Te agradezco tu ayuda. I thank you for your help. - Maria-Russell, Nov 17, 2010