Matene mi lavas mian vizaĝon per malvarma akvo, sed ne miajn okulojn.

In the morning I wash my face with cold water, but not my eyes.

Breakdown of Matene mi lavas mian vizaĝon per malvarma akvo, sed ne miajn okulojn.

• mi: I
• akvo: the water
• sed: but
• malvarma: cold

Questions & Answers about Matene mi lavas mian vizaĝon per malvarma akvo, sed ne miajn okulojn.

Why does Matene mean in the morning, and why does it end in -e?

Matene is an adverb made from mateno (morning).

• mateno = morning
• matene = in the morning / mornings / during the morning

The ending -e makes it adverbial, so it describes when the action happens.

A native English speaker may expect a preposition, like in the morning, but Esperanto often uses a simple adverb instead:

• Matene mi lavas... = In the morning, I wash...

You could also say en la mateno, but matene is shorter and very natural.

Why is lavas in the present tense? Does it mean I wash or I am washing?

Esperanto present tense often covers both ideas.

• mi lavas can mean I wash, I am washing, or I do wash
• the exact meaning depends on context

Here, because of Matene and the general, routine-like feel of the sentence, it most naturally means something like:

• In the morning I wash my face...

So it sounds like a habit or regular action, not necessarily something happening right this second.

Why do both mian and vizaĝon have endings? Why not just one of them?