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Dimineața mă trezesc devreme, apoi pregătesc micul dejun.

Dimineața mă trezesc devreme, apoi pregătesc micul dejun.
In the morning I wake up early, then I prepare breakfast.
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Questions & Answers about Dimineața mă trezesc devreme, apoi pregătesc micul dejun.

Why is it dimineața and not just dimineață? What exactly does dimineața mean here?

The base noun is dimineață = morning (indefinite form).

Dimineața has the definite article attached (-a), so literally it is the morning, but in this position it is used adverbially and means:

  • in the morning
  • (every) morning / in the mornings (habitually)

So:

  • Dimineața mă trezesc devreme.
    ≈ In the morning I wake up early / I wake up early in the mornings.

If you used dimineață without the article, it would sound incomplete here; you would normally need something like dimineață la ora 7 (in the morning at 7) or într-o dimineață (one morning).

Why is there no eu in mă trezesc and pregătesc? How do I know it means I?

Romanian usually drops subject pronouns because the verb ending shows who the subject is.

  • mă trezesc – the ending -esc (1st person singular) tells you it is I wake (myself).

  • (eu) mă trezesc – with eu is also correct, but eu is only added for emphasis or contrast:

    • Eu mă trezesc devreme, tu te trezești târziu.
      I wake up early, you wake up late.

The same with pregătesc:

  • apoi pregătesc micul dejun
    = then I prepare breakfast

You infer I from the verb form, so eu is normally omitted.

What does mă do in mă trezesc? Why do I need it?

Mă is a reflexive pronoun (myself) and is part of the verb a se trezi = to wake up.

  • a trezi = to wake (someone)
    • Trezesc copilul. – I wake the child.
  • a se trezi = to wake up (oneself)
    • Mă trezesc devreme. – I wake up early.

In Romanian, you must include the reflexive pronoun:

  • mă trezesc – I wake up
  • te trezești – you wake up
  • se trezește – he/she wakes up

Without mă, trezesc means you are waking someone else:

  • Trezesc bunica. – I wake (my) grandma.
What tense is mă trezesc and pregătesc? Does it mean I’m doing it right now or that I usually do it?

Both mă trezesc and pregătesc are in the present tense.

Romanian present can express:

  1. A general/habitual action (like English I wake up early):

    • Dimineața mă trezesc devreme.
      = In the morning I wake up early / I usually wake up early.

  2. An action happening now (like English I am waking up), depending on context.

In this sentence, because of Dimineața and apoi, the natural reading is habitual: it describes a routine, what you normally do every morning.

What does devreme mean, and how is it different from mai devreme or timpuriu?

  • devreme = early (plain adverb)

    • Mă trezesc devreme. – I wake up early.

  • mai devreme = earlier (comparative)

    • Astăzi m-am trezit mai devreme. – Today I woke up earlier.

  • timpuriu = also early, but:

    • it is more formal or literary,
    • it often appears with nouns (adjective/adverbial use):
      • un ceas timpuriu – an early hour
      • a înflorit timpuriu – it bloomed early

In everyday speech about your schedule, devreme and mai devreme are by far the most common.

What does apoi mean? Can I replace it with something else like după aceea?

apoi means then / after that / afterwards.

You can often replace it with:

  • după aceea – after that
  • pe urmă – then / afterwards

All three fit in this sentence:

  • Dimineața mă trezesc devreme, apoi pregătesc micul dejun.
  • Dimineața mă trezesc devreme, după aceea pregătesc micul dejun.
  • Dimineața mă trezesc devreme, pe urmă pregătesc micul dejun.

apoi is short and neutral; după aceea is slightly more explicit and a bit more formal; pe urmă feels a bit more conversational.

How is micul dejun formed, and why is the article on mic and not on dejun?

Base words:

  • mic = small (masculine singular adjective)
  • dejun = breakfast (masculine singular noun)

Romanian uses a suffix definite article, which is attached to the first word of the noun phrase:

  • micul dejun – literally the small breakfast, but idiomatically (the) breakfast

Here:

  • mic
    • -ul (definite article) → micul
  • dejun stays in its base form
  • Together: micul dejun

Because the definite article attaches to the first word of the phrase, you do not say mic dejunul. Micul dejun is the normal fixed expression for breakfast.

Is there an indefinite form like a breakfast for micul dejun?

For the idiomatic phrase micul dejun meaning breakfast in general, speakers almost always use the definite form.

In some contexts you can have an indefinite idea, but it is usually expanded:

  • un mic dejun copios – a hearty breakfast
  • un mic dejun rapid – a quick breakfast

Here mic dejun behaves like a normal noun phrase (adjective + noun), and un is the indefinite article.

However, when you just say breakfast as a meal (like in the original sentence), Romanians normally say micul dejun, not an indefinite form.

Why is there a comma before apoi?

The sentence has two clauses with the same subject (I):

  1. (Eu) mă trezesc devreme – I wake up early.
  2. (Eu) pregătesc micul dejun – I prepare breakfast.

They are coordinated (joined) by apoi with a pause between them, so a comma is used:

  • Dimineața mă trezesc devreme, apoi pregătesc micul dejun.

You could also write:

  • Dimineața mă trezesc devreme și apoi pregătesc micul dejun.

Here și = and; the comma is typically dropped because și already joins the two clauses.

Can I change the word order? For example, can I say Mă trezesc devreme dimineața?

Yes, Romanian word order is flexible. All of these are possible and natural, with only slight changes in emphasis:

  • Dimineața mă trezesc devreme.
    (Strong focus on in the morning / in the mornings, then what you do.)

  • Mă trezesc devreme dimineața.
    (More focus on waking up early, with dimineața added as extra information.)

  • Mă trezesc dimineața devreme.
    (Also possible, but a bit less common; sounds more like spoken style.)

In the full original sentence, you could also say:

  • Dimineața, mă trezesc devreme și pregătesc micul dejun.

The basic meaning remains the same.

How do you pronounce dimineața and dejun? Where is the stress?

Approximate pronunciation (in simple English-like notation):

  • dimineața – dee-mee-NEA-tsa

    • syllables: di-mi-nea-ța
    • stress on nea
    • ț sounds like ts in cats
    • ă is like the a in sofa (a schwa sound)

  • dejun – de-ZHOON

    • stress: de-jun
    • j sounds like the s in measure or vision
    • final n is pronounced clearly

Correct stress is important; moving it can make the word sound odd or foreign.

What is the infinitive form of mă trezesc and pregătesc?

The infinitive forms are:

  • mă trezesc → a se trezi (reflexive)

    • a se trezi = to wake up

  • pregătesc → a pregăti

    • a pregăti = to prepare

If you look them up in a dictionary, you will find a se trezi and a pregăti.

Is there any difference between saying Dimineața mă trezesc devreme and În fiecare dimineață mă trezesc devreme?

Both express a habit, but în fiecare dimineață is a bit stronger and more explicit:

  • Dimineața mă trezesc devreme.
    = In the morning I wake up early / I wake up early in the mornings.
    (General statement about your routine.)

  • În fiecare dimineață mă trezesc devreme.
    = I wake up early every morning.
    (Emphasizes that this happens every single morning, without exception.)

Grammatically both are fine; the difference is mainly in emphasis.