Breakdown of Mi preparo con calma prima di uscire di casa.
io
I
con
with
la casa
the house
la calma
the calm
Questions & Answers about Mi preparo con calma prima di uscire di casa.
Why is it mi preparo and not just preparo?
Because prepararsi is a reflexive verb, meaning to get oneself ready.
- preparo = I prepare / I get something ready
- mi preparo = I get ready / I prepare myself
In this sentence, the speaker is talking about their own routine, so Italian uses the reflexive form.
What exactly does mi mean here?
Mi is the reflexive pronoun meaning myself.
In mi preparo:
- mi = myself
- preparo = I prepare
So literally it is something like I prepare myself, though in natural English we usually say I get ready.
Also notice the position: with a normal conjugated verb, pronouns like mi, ti, si, ci, vi usually come before the verb:
- mi preparo
- ti alzi
- si veste
Is preparo present tense here?