Barra and sbarra

By Sigrid Lee

In a recent episode of Romanzo italiano, there is a noun with an S-prefix that we perhaps haven't seen before. It's a word we encounter quite often, however, as we travel around Italy: la sbarra. We can perhaps figure out that it comes from barra, which resembles the noun "bar" — not the kind of bar where one can have a drink, but a physical bar, that's long and narrow.

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Clicca su "Play" o semplicemente premi sulla barra spaziatrice della tua tastiera.

Click on "Play" or simply press the space bar on your keyboard.

Captions 5-6, Tutorial Yabla Comandi base del riproduttore
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Barra also means "slash," as in a URL. We can use it in casual conversation to indicate a range or option. Here too, it could be translated as "slash."

E io, naturalmente, ho già preparato un impasto perché deve lievitare, deve lievitare almeno due barra tre ore,

And naturally, I already prepared a batch of dough because it has to rise, it has to rise for at least two to/slash three hours,

Captions 66-67, L'Italia a tavola Panzerotti Pugliesi - Part 1
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Barra can also be part of an address, un numero civico: For example, one address might be via nuova, 41 and another address nearby might be via nuova, 41/A — quarantuno barra A.

Barrare is a verb we use when we cross off an item from a list, or when we check a box on a multiple-choice quiz. We often make a slanted line (that is naturally, narrow and long).

We have seen that the S- prefix can give a negative value to a word, whether it be a noun, verb, or adjective. But it can also reinforce the meaning.

Finché Lei resta lì, no, mi sbarra la strada.

As long as you stay there, no. You're blocking my path.

Caption 37, Volare - La grande storia di Domenico Modugno Ep. 1 - Part 11
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The noun la sbarra is the gate or barrier that blocks you from crossing a threshold until you get a ticket, pay, or show some ID. We find una sbarra in parking lots, toll booths, private driveways, level crossings, and yes, prisons, as in the following example.

Alla sbarra, quando mi fermo per farmi riconoscere, mi viene da abbassare gli occhi e la vedo alzarsi con uno sforzo enorme, quella sbarra.

At the barrier, when I stop to identify myself, it makes me want to lower my eyes and I see it rise with enormous effort, that barrier.

Captions 37-41, Romanzo Italiano Campania - Part 3
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Può dirsi fortunato chi imbocca un passaggio a livello un attimo prima che calino le sbarre.

He can count himself lucky, whoever crosses a railroad crossing an instant before the barriers are lowered.

Caption 28, La Mille Miglia del passato per vivere quella di oggi - Part 2
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And since prison bars are used to block inmates from leaving, sbarre is used for these, too.

In this example, journalist Oriana Fallaci is talking about the conditions of Muslim women in Islamic countries.

Attraverso quei buchi, le donne guardano il cielo come attraverso le sbarre di una prigione.

Through these holes, the women look at the sky as through the bars of a prison.

Captions 3-4, L'Oriana film - Part 4
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And here, Alberto Manzi is teaching young kids in a juvenile detention center.

Se guardi il cielo, non ci sono sbarre, non ci sono muri.

If you look at the sky, there are no bars, there are no walls.

Captions 22-24, Non è mai troppo tardi EP1 - Part 12
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La sbarra can be negative and imply being imprisoned, but it's also commonplace in so many places where there is no free passage, so it's a good word to have in your toolbox, along with its variants.

Thanks for reading. Write to us with questions and ideas at [email protected].