Perdo il treno ogni mattina.

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Breakdown of Perdo il treno ogni mattina.

• ogni: every
• la mattina: the morning
• il treno: the train

Questions & Answers about Perdo il treno ogni mattina.

Why don't we need the subject pronoun io before the verb perdo?

Italian is a pro-drop language: the verb ending in -o already tells you the subject is io. Adding io perdo is grammatically correct but redundant unless you want to put emphasis or contrast.

Does perdo il treno literally mean “I lose the train”?

No. Even though perdere can mean “to lose,” when talking about transport like trains, buses or flights, perdere il treno means “to miss the train.” It’s the standard way to say you arrived too late.

Why is there a definite article il before treno? Could I say perdo un treno?

Italian often uses the definite article before things that are generally understood. Il treno here means “the train we normally take.” You could say perdo un treno to mean “I miss one of the trains” or “I miss a train (every now and then),” but habitual routines normally use the definite article.

Why do we say ogni mattina instead of tutte le mattine or la mattina?