Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Lo mejor es dormir bien y despertarse temprano cada día. - The best thing is to sleep well and wake up early every day.

Because lo is the neuter article used to turn adjectives into abstract nouns (the “-ness/thing” idea). Lo mejor = “the best thing.” El mejor would refer to a masculine noun (e.g., el mejor café).

Why use Lo mejor es + infinitive? Could I say Lo mejor es que + subjunctive?

Both are possible. Lo mejor es + infinitive is generic and impersonal: “the best thing to do is…”. Lo mejor es que + subjunctive targets a specific subject: Lo mejor es que duermas bien y te despiertes temprano (“you” specifically).

Why dormir bien and not dormirse bien?

Dormirse means “to fall asleep.” Dormir means “to sleep.” Here we’re talking about the quality of sleeping, so it’s dormir bien, not dormirse bien.

Why does despertarse have se? Could I just say despertar temprano?

Despertarse is “to wake up (oneself),” which is what you need here. Despertar without the pronoun is transitive: “to wake someone/something up” (e.g., Despierto a mi hijo temprano).

Who does the se refer to if there’s no subject mentioned?

It’s a generic/implicit subject (“one,” “people in general”). You could paraphrase as Lo mejor es que uno duerma bien y se despierte temprano.

How do I change it if I want to refer to myself/you/we?

Change the reflexive pronoun: despertarme, despertarte, despertarse, despertarnos, despertaros (Spain), despertarse. Example: Lo mejor es dormir bien y despertarnos temprano cada día (“we”).

Can the reflexive pronoun go before the infinitive?

With a bare infinitive after es, it must attach to the end: despertarse. If there’s a conjugated auxiliary, it can go before that verb or attach to the infinitive: Debes despertarte / Te debes despertar.

Could I use a gerund like “Sleeping well and waking up…” in Spanish?

No. Spanish doesn’t use the gerund as a noun like English does. Use the infinitive: Dormir bien y despertarse…, not Durmiendo bien y despertándose… as the subject.

Why bien and not bueno?

Bien is an adverb (“well”) and modifies verbs: dormir bien. Bueno is an adjective (“good”) and modifies nouns: un buen sueño, una buena noche.

Temprano vs pronto — are they the same?

Both can work in Spain with daily routines. Temprano unambiguously means “early (in the day).” Pronto often means “soon,” but in Spain you’ll also hear levantarse/despertarse pronto; temprano is the safer choice if you want to avoid ambiguity.

Cada día vs todos los días vs a diario — any difference?

All mean “every day.” Cada día is a bit more “each day,” todos los días is very common in conversation, and a diario is an adverb meaning “daily.”

Why is día singular after cada?

Cada is invariable and always takes a singular noun: cada día, cada semana, cada mes.

Can I move cada día to a different place?

Yes. You can say Lo mejor es dormir bien y despertarse temprano cada día or Lo mejor es dormir bien y cada día despertarse temprano. Placing cada día at the end is the most common here.

Why does día have an accent? Do any other words here need one?

Día has an accent to mark the stressed vowel and break the diphthong (di-a). Despertarse, temprano, cada don’t need accents. When conjugated, despertarse has a stem change and may take accents in certain forms (e.g., me despierto, despiértate).

Despertarse vs levantarse — which should I use?

Despertarse = to wake up (stop sleeping). Levantarse = to get up (out of bed). Your sentence focuses on waking up; if you mean getting out of bed early, you can use levantarse temprano.

Could I replace despertarse with the noun el despertar?

Grammatically possible but more literary/abstract: el despertar = “the awakening.” In everyday speech, use the verb: despertarse.

Is there a nuance between Lo mejor es… and Es mejor… (or Lo mejor sería…)?

Lo mejor es… = “the best thing is…,” slightly stronger and more concrete. Es mejor… is more general (“it’s better…”). Lo mejor sería… softens it (“the best thing would be…”), sounding more tentative or polite.

Should I add para: Lo mejor es para dormir bien…?

No. After Lo mejor es, the infinitive acts as a noun (“the best thing is to…”). Adding para introduces a purpose and is incorrect here.

Why not temprana (feminine)? Isn’t día masculine anyway?

Here temprano is an adverb (“early”), not an adjective, so it doesn’t change for gender or number. You’re modifying the verb despertarse, not a noun.