# dar la chapa/vara/lata



## jonquiliser

How can I say this in English? Can't think of a good alternative. (A few examples; menuda chapa me ha soltado; qué chapa, qué chapas eres; no me des la vara; etc.) Meaning, more or less, something or someone is boring, tedious, long-winded... Someone can also be characteristically "chapas". "Pain in the arse" is one possibility, any other?

So, suggestions?


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## Elibennet

I don´t understand what "chapa " means exactly. But maybe that this person is a bore?


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## jonquiliser

Hmm.. for example, if you're going out, say, and your neighbour stops you and starts talking about his child; how well the kid is doing, all his achievements and goes on and on; once you finally get out of the house you might mumble to yourself "!menuda chapa me ha soltado!"

Does that make it any clearer?

Bore is definitely an option. Thanks!


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## Lules

A ver si encuentras algo que te sirva en estas definiciones de "pesado":

(fam) (fastidioso, aburrido) ‹ libro/película/conferencia › tedious; ¡qué pesado es! he’s such a pain in the neck! (colloq); ¡qué
pesado, no me deja en paz ni un minuto! what a pest, he won’t leave me alone for a minute (colloq); los niños están muy
pesados the children are being really annoying o (colloq) being real pests; no te pongas pesado don’t be so annoying o (colloq)
such a pest!, quit bugging me! (AmE colloq); ser más pesado que el plomo (fam) to be a pain (in the neck) (colloq) 
    b (fam) ‹ tarea/trabajo › (monótono) tedious
(Andes fam) (antipático) unpleasant; ¡qué tipo tan pesado! what a jerk! (colloq)


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## K-Milla

jonquiliser said:


> How can I say this in English? Can't think of a good alternative. (A few examples; menuda chapa me ha soltado; qué chapa, qué chapas eres; no me des la vara; etc.) Meaning, more or less, something or someone is boring, tedious, long-winded... Someone can also be characteristically "chapas". "Pain in the arse" is one possibility, any other?
> 
> So, suggestions?



Hello! 

I don´t know where the word "chapa" means something or someone boring...
Maybe is from Spain.


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## jonquiliser

Lules, perfect! Thank you 

K-Milla, yes, it's probably typically Spanish (as, from Spain)


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## Luigiyankee

K-Milla said:


> Hello!
> 
> I don´t know where the word "chapa" means something or someone boring...
> Maybe is from Spain.


 
Efectivamente,

En España dar la chapa, dar la vara, dar la barrila, dar la murga, dar el coñazo (y seguro que hay alguna otra que se me escapa) significan lo mismo y se aplica a una situación en la que una persona pesada te aburre con su conversación.

Slds. Luigi


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## Lules

Luigiyankee said:


> Efectivamente,
> 
> (y seguro que hay alguna otra que se me escapa)
> 
> Slds. Luigi



Se te ha escapado un clásico: dar la paliza (para completar la lista)


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## K-Milla

Well, we have the meaning of "CHAPA".

Thank you Luigi and Lules for the explanation


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## jonquiliser

No conocía ni _dar la barrila_ ni _dar la murga_. Encontré algunas más en Gúguel, además de una explicación mejor que la mía:



> _Dar la lata, dar la paliza, dar la murga, dar la       monserga, dar la barrila, dar el tostón, dar la serenata, dar la tabarra,       dar la matraca, dar la vara_, son locuciones de significado y aplicación       afines. Con todas ellas queremos expresar que se causa molestia, enojo,       generalmente por la pesadez y la reincidencia de propio acto molesto,       agobiando con impertinencia en algo que enfada a otro. Cualquiera diría,       viendo la variedad de modismos, que se trata de alguna especie de afición       general, y quizás estuviera en lo cierto.


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## romarsan

jajaja, no es una afición general, pero los que usualmente dan la tabarra (mi favorita) se hacen notar mucho. Cualquiera de estas expresiones es argot asi pues creo que en inglés la mas cercana sería what a jerk! aunque "pest" tiene buena pinta también


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## gotitadeleche

Another option in English could be "what a drag!"


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## Juan Carlos Garling

jonquiliser said:


> Hmm.. for example, if you're going out, say, and your neighbour stops you and starts talking about his child; how well the kid is doing, all his achievements and goes on and on; once you finally get out of the house you might mumble to yourself "!menuda chapa me ha soltado!"
> 
> Does that make it any clearer?
> 
> Bore is definitely an option. Thanks!


_*lata = protracted and tedious*_ _*(conversation/visit/film)*_
_*latosa/o*_ = adj.
_*latera/o*_ = *a person that is tedious and repetitive in conversation*

_*chapa*_ is apparently used in Spain but unknown in Latinamerica. In Chile it's _*lata.*_


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## K-Milla

Maybe you could say Annoying!


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## jonquiliser

Juan Carlos Garling said:


> _*lata = protracted and tedious*_ _*(conversation/visit/film)*_



But would you say "don't be so protracted and tedious" when someone is being _chapas_?  
___

_Annoying_ is not as forceful, but definitely a possibility!


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## K-Milla

I understood that "chapa" is very informal, so maybe you could say that if is really your friend or someone you know really well.

I could say that someone is "latosa/enfadosa/molesta" [chapa] like this:

"¡No seas tan enfadosa!" 
"Don´t be so annoying!"


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## Laztana

Hi,
I used to wonder about this issue and my conclusion (after dar la murga to some native speakers ) is that "pest" is a quite good translation for "chapas" or "pesado".

saludos


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## jonquiliser

Laztana, _pest_ is going straight into my regular vocabulary!

K-Milla, yes it's definitely informal, not something you'd say to everyone. I think you're absolutely right about "don't be so annoying" (you're not _being _annoying, obviously! )


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## oliviaF

He or she's a pain in the ass

Hope it helps


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## K-Milla

oliviaF said:


> He or she's a pain in the ass
> 
> Hope it helps



That´s so rude! I suppose that they said that prhase in USA almost all the time, but it stills really... rude!


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## Luigiyankee

What about obnoxious. Could it be applied in this context?

Regards, Luigi.


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## Walter Andres

Walter Andres said:


> Dar la chapa en España significa lo mismo que dar la lata, la tabarra, la vara .. es decir que no te interesa lo que te estan contando, pero su uso es mas normal en gente joven y no es precisamente aconsejable en lenguaje habitual en conversacion formal fuera de un circulo amistoso.
> 
> Se puede utilizar ente amigos, conocidos..., no es jerga, pero tiene el castellano cantidad de terminos para decir lo mismo con mas gracia y contenido.
> 
> Yo  a un amigo le dire eres un plasta, pero nunca me estas dando la chapa, para mi es mas violento aun siendo amigo.
> 
> Desde luego si se usa en una entrevista de trabajo, en un ambito laboral de venta... uno no quedara muy bien.
> 
> Yo creo que *He´s such a bore* viene a ser lo mismo.


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## spacealligator

K-Milla said:


> That´s so rude! I suppose that they said that prhase in USA almost all the time, but it stills really... rude!



You can say "pain in the butt," not to be so rude. I think it just sounds worse when you translate it to Spanish. "No seas un dolor en el culo" - this doesn't sound right and also sounds really disgusting. In English it's rude, but you can say it if you are really ticked off.


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## Harmattan

You may use "a pain in the neck" or "to nag somebody". As well, beware that in Spain "chapa" is used coloquially to referr to the occupation of male-to-male young prostitution as in "hacerse una chapa". Young male prostituted ones are "chaperos".


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## kokopelado

Harmattan said:


> You may use "a pain in the neck" or "to nag somebody". As well, beware that in Spain "chapa" is used coloquially to referr to the occupation of male-to-male young prostitution as in "hacerse una chapa". Young male prostituted ones are "chaperos".



Dar la chapa: to be annoying and all the others already mentioned before
Hacer una chapa: to wank
A pain in the ass: un coñazo

Beware also about chapero/chapista, the first one is the male prostituted and the second one is the one that repair the car's bodywork. 

Also, FYI, the Mitsubitsi "Pajero" was transformed into "Montero" in Spain due to potntiel misunderstundings because "paja" has the same meaning that "chapa" in the above context ...


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## specialed10

Hey there!

I don't think "pest" or "annoying" would necessarily be the best translations here-- I feel like while those words might describe the person "dando la chapa," it's not necessarily what the phrase means, as far as I understand it. 

While it's hard to think of a direct translation, I know that in New York at least, we use the word "spiel", which means a long, dragged amount of talk. For example, we might say something like, "I simply asked how he was doing, but he ended up giving me a whole spiel about his life." I'm not sure if the word is used outside of the US, or even outside of NY (I believe it has a Yiddish origin), but I think that's the closest translation I could come up with. 

Also, "pain in the ass" not only seems completely rude and unnecessary in this context, but definitely wrong for a translation 

Hope that was of help!


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## aurilla

"What a bore / pain"


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## neizan

oliviaF said:


> He or she's a pain in the ass
> 
> Hope it helps



This is an old thread, but I wanted to add my two cents:

"pain in the ass" is a common expression, but I don't think it's the best translation here.  Going off topic of this thread a little, "pain in the ass" would be used more for someone that is always asking little favors, or someone that causes you an inconvenience in some way. A boring conversation could be an inconvenience, I guess, but still, not the best translation. Example: you have to babysit your nephew who is always breaking glasses or jumping on the couch, or just doesn't listen to you in general.  You might say, "I have to babysit my nephew tonight...he's such a pain in the ass."

The boring person or pest that corners you in a boring conversation could be called just that, boring, a pest...but I'd also say annoying.  I feel like there are other, better ways to express this in English, but none are coming to me right now.


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## loudspeaker

jonquiliser said:


> How can I say this in English? Can't think of a good alternative. (A few examples; menuda chapa me ha soltado; qué chapa, qué chapas eres; no me des la vara; etc.) Meaning, more or less, something or someone is boring, tedious, long-winded... Someone can also be characteristically "chapas". "Pain in the arse" is one possibility, any other?
> 
> So, suggestions?



*'Get off my back! *'  seems to me closer to the original.


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## neizan

loudspeaker said:


> *'Get off my back! *'  seems to me closer to the original.



No estaba familiarizado con la frase "dar la chapa" antes de buscarla aqui. Sin embargo, si quiere decir aburrir a alguien con, por ejemplo, una conversacion sobre tus hijos, como se ha comentado anteriormente, entonces diria que "get off my back" no encaja.

"Get off my back" es una forma un poco agresiva de decir "dejame en paz" o "no me agobies" (seguro que hay otros) en algunos contextos. Por ejemplo, una madre repetidamente dice a su hijo que busque un trabajo...a final el hijo le dice a la madre, "Get off my back! I'll look for a job when I'm ready!"


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## ROUSELE

jonquiliser said:


> How can I say this in English? Can't think of a good alternative. (A few examples; menuda chapa me ha soltado; qué chapa, qué chapas eres; no me des la vara; etc.) Meaning, more or less, something or someone is boring, tedious, long-winded... Someone can also be characteristically "chapas". "Pain in the arse" is one possibility, any other?
> 
> So, suggestions?



HELLO,  IN URUGUAY WE SAY "Me aplico la masa".  Dar lata lo he escuchado en otros países. Pero puede ser que digan aveces aquí. "Me dió lata" el significado es el que tu comentas.


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## loudspeaker

neizan said:


> No estaba familiarizado con la frase "dar la chapa" antes de buscarla aqui. Sin embargo, si quiere decir aburrir a alguien con, por ejemplo, una conversacion sobre tus hijos, como se ha comentado anteriormente, entonces diria que "get off my back" no encaja.
> 
> "Get off my back" es una forma un poco agresiva de decir "dejame en paz" o "no me agobies" (seguro que hay otros) en algunos contextos. Por ejemplo, una madre repetidamente dice a su hijo que busque un trabajo...a final el hijo le dice a la madre, "Get off my back! I'll look for a job when I'm ready!"



Para mí 'get off my back' encaja perfectamente en el contexto dado por el que inició este hilo, por lo menos en inglés británico. 
'No me des la vara', 'no me ralles' son sinónimos de 'Get off my back'.  Yo es lo que digo en inglés cuando no quiero que alguien me ralle.


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## phil_66

En Inglaterra es muy común usar el verbo "to mither" (pronunciado mái-da).


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## neizan

loudspeaker said:


> Para mí 'get off my back' encaja perfectamente en el contexto dado por el que inició este hilo, por lo menos en inglés británico.
> 'No me des la vara', 'no me ralles' son sinónimos de 'Get off my back'.  Yo es lo que digo en inglés cuando no quiero que alguien me ralle.



Must be a British thing then, because for me, an American, although it might be understood what was meant, it would sound a little unnatural or overly agressive to say "get off my back" for someone lecturing you or boring you with conversation. I'll add one more thought. "Get off my back", for me, is used more when someone is _telling you to do something_, not just _talking to you about something_, as would be the case with a boring conversation or a lecture. For example, do your homework, get a job, take out the garbage, wash the car, clean up your room, etc. If there are other contexts to use these expressions (dar la chapa...) in Spanish, then maybe "get off my back" could work, but without knowing these other situations, I can't say.


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## levmac

jonquiliser said:


> Hmm.. for example, if you're going out, say, and your neighbour stops you and starts talking about his child; how well the kid is doing, all his achievements and goes on and on; once you finally get out of the house you might mumble to yourself "!menuda chapa me ha soltado!"
> 
> Does that make it any clearer?
> 
> Bore is definitely an option. Thanks!



He went on [and on] at me!

He went on [and on] about his kid.

He does go on. (in general)


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## kalamazoo

A less rude thing is describing someone as 'talkative' which implies that the person talks too much and it is difficult to get away from them.


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## phil_66

Pues igual dices tú eso pero recuerda que en la Norteamérica de habla inglesa emplearán otras expresiones.


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## sisiseñor

otra traducción puede ser "gas bag" - que se refiere a un tipo pesado que te aburre sobre todo por la enorme cantidad de palabras que se usan mientras un par de ellas es suficiente - tal como el ejemplo del profesor que no deja de explicar algo que todos ya entienden. Espero que ayude.


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## ucles

Chapar en España es aburrir a alguien unido a la retención física, es cortar las vías de escape como tras una puerta -metálica-, emplear la autoridad. Y ¡plack! cerrada la puerta, sin descansos, sin posibilidad de salir, empezar una lección, una charla, algo muy aburrido.

Hoy día los arquitectos no diseñan oficinas o escuelas donde la gente se pueda sentir así.


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## levmac

ucles said:


> Chapar en España es aburrir a alguien unido a la retención física, es cortar las vías de escape como tras una puerta -metálica-, emplear la autoridad. Y ¡plack! cerrada la puerta, sin descansos, sin posibilidad de salir, empezar una lección, una charla, algo muy aburrido.
> 
> Hoy día los arquitectos no diseñan oficinas o escuelas donde la gente se pueda sentir así.



Para la connotación de retención física, podría valer:

"I *got* *stuck* *with* [Person] for 10 minutes."

"I *got* *stuck* *listening to* [Person] for 10 minutes." (suena como si participaras en la conversación, quizás de buena voluntad, pero durante más tiempo del que querías)

"I *got* *stuck* *talking to* [Person] for 10 minutes." (suena como si participaras en la conversación, quizás de buena voluntad, pero durante más tiempo del que querías)


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