Despierto a mi primo temprano en la mañana.

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Breakdown of Despierto a mi primo temprano en la mañana.

• en: in
• mi: my
• la mañana: the morning
• temprano: early
• a: to
• el primo: the cousin
• despertar: to wake up

Questions & Answers about Despierto a mi primo temprano en la mañana.

Why do we use a before mi primo?

In Spanish, when the direct object refers to a person (or a beloved pet), we use the personal a. So we say Despierto a mi primo because mi primo is a person. Without the a, the sentence would be grammatically incorrect.

Why is despierto used instead of me despierto?

Despierto indicates I wake someone else, while me despierto indicates I wake up myself. Since the sentence says Despierto a mi primo, you’re the one causing someone else to wake up, not just waking up on your own.

Can I replace Despierto with Levanto?

They can sound similar, but despertar means to wake (someone) up, and levantar means to get (someone) up from bed or a seat. Although in daily conversation some speakers might use levanto in a similar context, despierto specifically focuses on waking someone from sleep.

Is it common to say temprano en la mañana?

Yes, it’s a common way to emphasize that you do something early in the morning. You can also shorten it to temprano por la mañana or simply por la mañana, depending on preference and context. All convey the idea that it happens in the morning.

Why do we say en la mañana not en la mañana without the article?

In Spanish, moments of the day (like morning, afternoon, evening) typically require a definite article when used in a prepositional phrase. So we say en la mañana, por la tarde, or en la noche. Omitting the article is not standard usage in these contexts.