LingoDrop
French · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "sympa" in French?
san-PA — the "y" plus "m" makes a nasal vowel, and the stress goes on the second syllable.
sym-PA, weight on the second syllable. The word is a clipped form of "sympathique", and like most French abbreviations it keeps the stress pattern of the language rather than the original word.
Listen: sympa
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Sound it out
Hear it in a sentence
Ton ami est très sympa.
Your friend is very nice.
Listen: Ton ami est très sympa.
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"Ton ami est très sympa" opens with an obligatory liaison: "ton ami" is /tɔ̃.n‿a.mi/, so the nasal of "ton" yields a real "n". Note that "sympa" is invariable in the singular — a woman is also "sympa", never "sympae" — which is unusual and a mark of its informal, clipped status.
Where English speakers slip
English speakers pronounce the "m", producing "SIM-pa" with the stress at the front, under the influence of "sympathy". The "m" is a nasalization marker only, and the weight belongs at the end. Note also that "sympa" does not mean sympathetic — it means nice or friendly, and using it for someone showing compassion would be a false friend.