Learn Hardcore Italian: Mi rado prima di fare colazione ogni mattina. - I shave before having breakfast every morning.

Mi rado is the first-person singular present of the reflexive verb radersi, literally “I shave myself.” In English we simply say “I shave,” but in Italian the action is reflexive.

Why is the verb radersi reflexive? Could I just say rado?

In Italian you always shave yourself, so radersi requires a reflexive pronoun. Mi is the pronoun for “myself” in the first person. Without mi, rado would be the (rarely used) non-reflexive form radere, which normally needs an object (e.g. “to shave a surface”).

Why is there no article before colazione? Why not la colazione?

Fare colazione (“to have breakfast”) is a fixed expression. After fare you omit the article. If you want to refer to a specific breakfast you could say la colazione, but not in the idiom fare colazione.

Why do we use prima di fare + infinitive?

When expressing “before doing something,” Italian uses prima di + infinitive. Here prima di fare colazione means “before having breakfast.”

Why is the present tense used? Could I use the past?

The present tense in Italian often denotes habitual actions. Mi rado prima di fare colazione ogni mattina means “I shave before breakfast every morning.” If you wanted to say “I shaved before breakfast,” you’d use passato prossimo: Mi sono rasato prima di fare colazione.

Can ogni mattina be placed elsewhere in the sentence?

Yes. Italian word order is flexible. You could say Ogni mattina mi rado prima di fare colazione. Moving ogni mattina to the front adds emphasis to the time frame.

What’s the difference between radersi and farsi la barba?

Both mean “to shave.” Radersi is a single verb (mi rado) and slightly more formal. Farsi la barba (“to make oneself the beard”) is equally common in speech: Mi faccio la barba prima di fare colazione.