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Italian · Pronunciation Guide
How do you pronounce "sinistra" in Italian?
see-NEES-trah, stressed on the middle syllable. In IPA: /si.ˈnis.tra/. Notice the s tucks onto the stressed syllable in natural speech, giving "nees" rather than a clean "nee" followed by "stra."
Written as three syllables, si-ni-stra, but said aloud the s slides over to join the stressed middle syllable, so it comes out closer to si-NIS-tra than the spelling alone would suggest.
Listen: sinistra
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Sound it out
English speakers have a head start here thanks to the cognate "sinister" — but that's also the trap, since English stresses the first syllable (SIN-is-ter) while Italian stresses the second (si-NIS-tra), and getting that flipped is one of the most common mistakes with this exact word.
Hear it in a sentence
La banca è a sinistra.
The bank is on the left.
Listen: La banca è a sinistra.
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"La banca è a sinistra" uses "essere" (to be) plus "a sinistra" to describe location — "the bank is on the left" — the mirror image of how "destra" was used with "è a destra" elsewhere in this vocabulary set. Learning "destra" and "sinistra" as a pair, both taking the same "a + [direction]" pattern, makes both easier to remember.
"Sinistra" is also used on its own as a noun for "the left" in a political sense (la sinistra, the political left), just as English uses "left" and "right" for political leanings — the parallel with English holds up well here, even though the pronunciation doesn't.
Where English speakers slip
The cognate "sinister" is a genuine trap: English speakers who recognize the connection often carry over the English stress pattern and say SIN-is-tra, stressing the first syllable. Italian stress falls on the second syllable, si-NIS-tra, and misplacing it is one of the more noticeable non-native errors with this specific word because the cognate is so recognizable.
The other slip is treating "si-ni-stra" as three evenly weighted syllables, matching the spelling literally. In fast, natural speech the s effectively migrates to close the stressed syllable, so "si-NEES-tra" is closer to what you'll actually hear than a flat "si-NEE-stra."