Il faro sinistro dell’auto non funziona bene.

The car’s left headlight doesn’t work well.

Breakdown of Il faro sinistro dell’auto non funziona bene.

• di: of
• non: not
• bene: well
• l'auto: the car

Questions & Answers about Il faro sinistro dell’auto non funziona bene.

Why is it il faro and not just faro?

Italian usually uses the definite article more often than English. So il faro literally means the headlight. In a sentence like this, Italian normally includes the article, while English might sometimes leave it out depending on context.

• il = the (masculine singular)
• faro = headlight or lamp

So Il faro sinistro dell’auto means The left headlight of the car.

What does faro mean here? Doesn’t it also mean lighthouse?

Yes. Faro can mean both lighthouse and headlight, depending on context.

In this sentence, because of dell’auto (of the car), faro clearly means headlight.

Examples:

• un faro sul mare = a lighthouse by the sea
• i fari della macchina = the car’s headlights

Why is sinistro after faro?