Learn Hardcore Romanian: Mă trezesc devreme ca să pregătesc micul dejun.

The verb is a se trezi = to wake up (oneself).
In Romanian, many verbs that mean “to get up / to wake up / to wash / to sit down” are reflexive:
- Mă trezesc. = I wake (myself) up.
- Te speli. = You wash (yourself).
Without mă, trezesc means “I wake (someone/something)”, not “I wake up”:
- Trezesc copiii devreme. = I wake the children up early.

So mă is required to show that the action comes back to the subject (I wake myself up). You can’t drop it in this meaning.

How is the verb a se trezi (“to wake up”) conjugated in the present tense?

Here is the full present tense of a se trezi (to wake up):

eu mă trezesc – I wake up
tu te trezești – you wake up (singular, informal)
el / ea se trezește – he / she wakes up
noi ne trezim – we wake up
voi vă treziți – you wake up (plural / formal)
ei / ele se trezesc – they wake up (masc. / fem.)

Notice:

The reflexive pronoun changes with the person: mă, te, se, ne, vă, se.
It always comes before the verb in this tense: mă trezesc, not trezesc mă.

Why is it Mă trezesc and not Eu mă trezesc?

In Romanian, the subject pronoun (eu, tu, etc.) is usually dropped, because the verb ending already shows the person:

Mă trezesc devreme. = I wake up early.
(the -esc ending already tells you it’s “I”)

You only add eu for emphasis or contrast:

Eu mă trezesc devreme, dar el se trezește târziu.
I wake up early, but he wakes up late.

So Mă trezesc devreme is the natural, neutral way to say it.

What exactly does devreme mean, and what kind of word is it?

Devreme is an adverb of time. It means “early”, as in “at an early time in the day” or “earlier than usual”.

You can modify it like this:

foarte devreme – very early
mai devreme – earlier
prea devreme – too early

Some related expressions:

dis-de-dimineață – very early in the morning
de dimineață – in the morning (often “earlier in the day”)

So in your sentence, devreme describes when you wake up.

What does ca să mean, and why do we need both words?

Ca să is a fixed expression that introduces a purpose clause. It means roughly:

“in order to”
“so that (I/we/etc.) can”

In your sentence:

Mă trezesc devreme ca să pregătesc micul dejun.
= I wake up early in order to prepare breakfast.

Details:

ca by itself means “as/like”, but in the combination ca să it loses that meaning and just works as part of the purpose marker.
să introduces a subjunctive verb form: (ca) să pregătesc.

So you can think of ca să + verb as the natural way to express purpose with a verb: “to do something / in order to do something”.

Could I say just să pregătesc micul dejun instead of ca să pregătesc micul dejun?

Yes, in everyday speech Romanians often drop ca and just say:

Mă trezesc devreme să pregătesc micul dejun.

This is common and generally acceptable, especially in casual or spoken language.

However:

ca să is slightly more standard/neutral, suitable for both spoken and written Romanian.
Just să can sometimes feel more informal or clipped, depending on context.

For a learner, it’s safe (and a bit more “textbook”) to prefer ca să, but you’ll hear both.

What tense is pregătesc and why isn’t it a future form like “I will prepare”?

Pregătesc is present tense, 1st person singular, from a pregăti = to prepare.

In this sentence, both verbs mă trezesc and pregătesc are in the present tense, but they express a habitual action:

Mă trezesc devreme ca să pregătesc micul dejun.
= I wake up early (habitually) in order to prepare breakfast (habitually).

Romanian, like English, can use the present tense for routines:

English: “I wake up early to prepare breakfast.”
Romanian: Mă trezesc devreme ca să pregătesc micul dejun.

You’d only use a future form (e.g. mă voi trezi, voi pregăti) if you were talking about a specific future occasion, not a regular habit.

What does micul dejun literally mean, and why is it not just mic dejun?

Literally:

mic = small
dejun = meal (an older/learned word)

Historically, mic dejun = small meal, which came to mean breakfast.

Now:

mic dejun = a breakfast / breakfast (indefinite)
micul dejun = the breakfast

In your sentence, micul is the definite form of mic:

micul = the small (one)
So micul dejun = literally the small meal, but functionally just “the breakfast”.

Grammar point: when an adjective comes before the noun, the definite article attaches to the adjective, not the noun:

mic dejun – a breakfast
micul dejun – the breakfast
(similar pattern: frumos băiat / frumosul băiat = (a) handsome boy / the handsome boy)

What would the indefinite form of micul dejun be?

The indefinite forms are:

un mic dejun – a breakfast
mic dejun – breakfast (in a more general sense, without “the”)

Examples:

Mă trezesc devreme pentru un mic dejun sănătos.
I wake up early for a healthy breakfast.
Mic dejun inclus.
Breakfast included. (e.g. in a hotel ad)

In your sentence, micul dejun suggests a specific, known breakfast (for example, the usual breakfast you prepare every day).

Why is there no pe before micul dejun, since it’s a direct object?

In Romanian, pe is used before definite direct objects that are usually animate (people or sometimes pets):

Văd pe Maria. – I see Maria.
Sun pe profesor. – I call the teacher.

For inanimate things (objects, concepts, food, etc.), you normally do not use pe:

Pregătesc micul dejun. – I prepare the breakfast.
Citesc cartea. – I read the book.
Spăl farfuria. – I wash the plate.

So micul dejun is an inanimate thing (a meal), so no pe is needed.

Is the word order fixed, or can I move the ca să part?

You can move the ca să clause to the front without changing the meaning:

Mă trezesc devreme ca să pregătesc micul dejun.
Ca să pregătesc micul dejun, mă trezesc devreme.

Both are correct. The difference is:

Original: focuses first on the action (“I wake up early”) and then gives the reason.
Reordered: highlights the purpose first (“In order to prepare breakfast…”) and then says what you do for that purpose.

Word order is relatively flexible as long as the reflexive pronoun stays with its verb (mă trezesc, să pregătesc) and the sentence remains clear.

Are there more formal or alternative ways to say the same idea?

Yes, you can rephrase while keeping the same meaning. For example:

Mă trezesc devreme pentru a pregăti micul dejun.
Here pentru a + infinitive is a bit more formal/literary, roughly “in order to prepare”.

You can also slightly vary the structure:

Mă trezesc devreme, ca să pot pregăti micul dejun.
I wake up early so that I can prepare breakfast.

But Mă trezesc devreme ca să pregătesc micul dejun. is perfectly natural and very common in everyday Romanian.