È da ieri che il portiere aspetta il barbiere, perché vuole farsi sistemare la barba.

It means it’s been since yesterday that..., which in natural English is usually has been ... since yesterday.

So:

È da ieri che il portiere aspetta il barbiere
= The porter / doorman has been waiting for the barber since yesterday

This is a very common Italian way to talk about something that started in the past and is still continuing now.

Because Italian often uses the present tense for an action that began in the past and continues into the present, especially with da + time expression.

So:

• Aspetta da ieri = He has been waiting since yesterday
• literally, Italian uses the present
• in English, we usually use the present perfect or present perfect continuous

This is a major difference between English and Italian.

Yes. That is completely natural and means the same thing.

Compare:

• È da ieri che il portiere aspetta il barbiere
• Il portiere aspetta il barbiere da ieri

The version with È da ieri che... gives a bit more emphasis to since yesterday. It highlights the duration more strongly.

Here da means since.

So:

• da ieri = since yesterday
• da lunedì = since Monday
• da due ore = for two hours

With ongoing actions, da can correspond to either since or for, depending on the time expression.

Because aspettare is normally a direct transitive verb in Italian. It takes a direct object with no preposition.

So you say:

• aspettare qualcuno = to wait for someone
• aspettare il treno = to wait for the train

English uses for, but Italian does not.

So aspetta il barbiere is correct.

Portiere can mean different things depending on context:

• doorman / concierge / porter
• goalkeeper

In this sentence, the most likely meaning is doorman/porter, because he is waiting for the barber to have his beard fixed. But strictly speaking, the word itself can mean either one.

So context decides the meaning.

Generally:

• barbiere = barber
• parrucchiere = hairdresser / hairstylist

A barbiere is especially associated with men’s grooming, shaving, and beards.
A parrucchiere is more general for hair.

In modern usage, the distinction can blur a little, but in this sentence barbiere makes sense because of la barba.

This is a very common Italian structure:

farsi + infinitive

It means to have something done for oneself or to get something done.

Here:

• farsi = to have done for oneself
• sistemare = to fix / tidy / trim / neaten
• la barba = the beard

So:

vuole farsi sistemare la barba
= he wants to have his beard tidied/trimmed
= he wants to get his beard fixed up

The idea is that someone else will do the action for him.

Because the meaning is different.

• sistemarsi la barba = to fix/tidy one’s own beard oneself
• farsi sistemare la barba = to have someone else fix/tidy one’s beard

So farsi + infinitive usually suggests arranging for another person to do it.

That is why the barber is relevant here.

Italian very often uses the definite article with body parts when the owner is already clear.

So instead of saying:

• his beard

Italian often says:

• the beard

when the context already shows whose beard it is.

In this sentence, it is obvious that the beard belongs to the subject, so la barba is the normal choice.

This is very common with body parts:

• Mi lavo le mani = I wash my hands
• Si è rotto la gamba = He broke his leg

Sistemare is a broad verb. It can mean things like:

• to arrange
• to put in order
• to fix up
• to tidy
• to sort out

With la barba, it usually means something like:

• trim
• tidy
• shape
• neaten

So here it does not mean repair in a mechanical sense. It means making the beard look neat.

Because perché here means because, introducing a real reason.

So:

..., perché vuole farsi sistemare la barba.
= ..., because he wants to have his beard tidied.

After perché meaning because, Italian normally uses the indicative, not the subjunctive.

In this specific structure, yes.

The pattern is:

È da + time expression + che + clause

For example:

• È da un’ora che aspetto = I’ve been waiting for an hour
• È da ieri che piove = It’s been raining since yesterday

If you do not want to use che, you usually switch to the simpler structure:

• Aspetto da un’ora
• Piove da ieri

So the che belongs to this particular expression.

Not necessarily.

Sistemare la barba usually suggests:

• tidying it
• trimming it
• shaping it
• making it neat

If Italian wanted to say shave it off completely, it would normally use a more specific verb, such as radere or expressions related to shaving.

So this sentence suggests grooming, not necessarily removing the beard.

Yes. The sentence is built in two parts:

1. È da ieri che il portiere aspetta il barbiere
2. perché vuole farsi sistemare la barba

The first part puts emphasis on the time span: since yesterday.
The second part gives the reason: because he wants to get his beard tidied.

So the word order helps organize the information:

• first, the long wait
• then, the reason for it

That makes the sentence sound natural and well-structured in Italian.