Breakdown of Io e la mia famiglia ci svegliamo presto domani e ci vestiamo per incontrare l’insegnante di musica.
io
I
di
of
e
and
per
for
svegliarsi
to wake up
la famiglia
the family
l'insegnante
the teacher
la musica
the music
la mia
my
vestirsi
to get dressed
incontrare
to meet
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Questions & Answers about Io e la mia famiglia ci svegliamo presto domani e ci vestiamo per incontrare l’insegnante di musica.
Why does the sentence say io e la mia famiglia ci svegliamo rather than just io e la mia famiglia svegliamo?
In Italian, reflexive verbs (like svegliarsi) always need the reflexive pronoun ci when referring to noi (we). Saying io e la mia famiglia svegliamo would be incorrect for a reflexive action. The full expression io e la mia famiglia ci svegliamo literally means “My family and I wake ourselves up.”
What does the ci before vestiamo mean?
In ci vestiamo, ci is again the reflexive pronoun used with the verb vestirsi (to get dressed). Reflexive verbs require a pronoun that matches the subject: mi for io, ti for tu, si for lui/lei, ci for noi, etc. Hence, ci vestiamo means “we dress ourselves.”
How do I know when to use the reflexive form versus a non-reflexive form?
Use the reflexive form when the subject is performing an action on itself. For instance, svegliarsi (to wake oneself up) or vestirsi (to dress oneself) both describe personal actions done by the subject to itself. If you’re talking about waking or dressing someone else, you’d use svegliare or vestire without the reflexive pronoun.
Why is domani placed after presto (…ci svegliamo presto domani…) instead of before?
In Italian, most adverbs of time, like domani, can be placed flexibly in the sentence. You can say ci svegliamo presto domani or domani ci svegliamo presto. Both are understandable. Position often depends on style or emphasis. Placing domani at the end here just slightly shifts the focus onto when you are getting up early.
Why do we say per incontrare l’insegnante di musica instead of adding a preposition like “con” after “incontrare”?
In Italian, incontrare (to meet) doesn’t require an extra preposition like “con” (with). To say “to meet the music teacher,” you simply use incontrare l’insegnante di musica. The per is part of the construction indicating purpose (in order to meet), while incontrare itself doesn’t need “con.”
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