Question 1

Why do we need the word ci before both verbs?

Accepted Answer

Ci is the reflexive pronoun for "we" (literally "ourselves"). Many everyday actions in Italian are reflexive, even when they aren't in English. So, instead of just saying "we fall asleep" or "we get up," Italians literally say "we put ourselves to sleep" (ci addormentiamo) and "we raise ourselves" (ci alziamo).

Question 2

What do the infinitive (dictionary) forms of these verbs look like?

Accepted Answer

Reflexive verbs end in -si in the dictionary. The verbs here come from addormentarsi (to fall asleep) and alzarsi (to get up). To conjugate them for "we", you drop the -si, use the normal "we" ending (-iamo), and put the matching pronoun (ci) in front.

Question 3

Why does stanchi end with -chi instead of -ci?

Accepted Answer

Stanchi is the plural form of the adjective stanco (tired), agreeing with the plural "we". Normally, an -o ending changes to an -i for masculine plurals. However, if we just wrote stanci, the c would make a soft "ch" sound. We add the h to keep the hard "k" sound of the original word stanco.

Question 4

Can I attach ci to the end of the verb instead, like addormentiamoci?

Accepted Answer

Not in a normal present tense sentence like this one! When a reflexive verb is conjugated in the present tense, the pronoun (like ci) must always go before the verb. You will learn about attaching it to the end when you study commands and infinitives later on.

Ci addormentiamo subito, ma ci alziamo stanchi.

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