Si svegliano sempre presto la mattina.

Questions & Answers about Si svegliano sempre presto la mattina.

Why is there a si before the verb?
The Italian verb for "to wake up" is svegliarsi, which is a reflexive verb. This means the action reflects back on the subject (literally, "to wake oneself"). Si is the reflexive pronoun for "themselves".
Since si can also mean "himself" or "herself", how do we know this means "they"?
You can tell by the verb ending! Svegliano ends in -ano, which is the "they" form for an -are verb. If it were "he wakes up" or "she wakes up", the verb would be si sveglia.
Why is sempre placed after the verb instead of before it?
In English we say "always wake up", but in Italian, adverbs of frequency like sempre (always) usually go immediately after the verb. So it translates structurally as "they wake themselves always".
Why does the sentence use la mattina instead of a word for "in" the morning?
To express "in the morning" or "in the evening" for a recurring, habitual action, Italian simply uses the definite article (la or il) plus the time of day. You don't need to add a preposition for "in".

Learn Si svegliano sempre presto la mattina and more in Italian

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free