Learn Italian: Lei si sveglia ora.

Lei si sveglia ora.

She wakes up now.

Breakdown of Lei si sveglia ora.

himself, herself, themselves (reflexive)

Questions & Answers about Lei si sveglia ora.

Why is the word si in this sentence?

Si is a reflexive pronoun meaning "herself." In Italian, to say "to wake up," you use the reflexive verb svegliarsi (literally "to wake oneself"). Because the subject is lei (she), the matching pronoun is si.

Why does si come before the verb instead of after it?

In Italian, reflexive pronouns like si, mi, or ti always go immediately before a conjugated verb. Unlike in English where we say "she wakes herself," in Italian the order is literally "she herself wakes" (Lei si sveglia).

Could I drop the word lei and just say Si sveglia ora?

Yes, absolutely! Subject pronouns like lei are optional in Italian because the verb form usually tells us who is doing the action. Adding lei just adds a little emphasis or clarifies exactly who you are talking about.

I thought sveglia meant "alarm clock". How can I tell it's a verb here?

You're right that la sveglia means "the alarm clock"! However, sveglia is also the "he/she/it" form of the verb svegliare (to wake). The presence of the pronoun si right before it is a huge clue that it's functioning as a verb in this sentence.