uri timeun pyegimureul sugeohaessseupnida.

A natural breakdown is:

• 우리 = our / we
• 팀은 = team + 은 topic marker
• 폐기물을 = waste + 을 object marker
• 수거했습니다 = collected / carried out collection

So the sentence structure is:

• 우리 팀은 = as for our team,
• 폐기물을 = waste
• 수거했습니다 = collected

Korean usually puts the verb at the end, so the word order is different from English. A very literal version would be:

• As for our team, waste collected.

But in natural English, it becomes:

• Our team collected waste.

은/는 is the topic marker in Korean.

Here, 팀은 means something like:

• as for the team
• speaking of our team

In this sentence, 우리 팀은 sets up our team as the topic of the sentence.

Why 은 and not 는?

• 은 comes after a noun ending in a consonant.
• 는 comes after a noun ending in a vowel.

Since 팀 ends in ㅁ, a consonant, it becomes 팀은.

A learner-friendly way to think about it:

• 은/는 often introduces what the sentence is about.
• It does not always translate directly into English.

Both are possible in theory, but 우리 팀 is much more natural.

In Korean, possession is often shown simply by placing nouns next to each other:

• 우리 팀 = our team
• 제 친구 = my friend
• 학교 이름 = school name

The particle 의 can show possession, but in everyday Korean it is often omitted when the meaning is already clear.

So:

• 우리 팀 = natural, common
• 우리의 팀 = grammatical, but more explicit and often less natural in normal conversation

Yes. 우리 can mean:

• we / us
• our

The exact meaning depends on how it is used in the sentence.

Here, because it directly modifies 팀, it means our:

• 우리 팀 = our team

This is very common in Korean. Also, Korean uses 우리 more broadly than English uses our. For example, Koreans often say 우리 엄마 for my mom, not because the mom belongs to a group, but because 우리 has a warm, group-oriented feeling in Korean.

을/를 is the object marker. It marks the noun that receives the action of the verb.

Here:

• 폐기물 = waste
• 폐기물을 = waste + object marker

So 폐기물을 수거했습니다 means:

• collected waste

Why 을 and not 를?

• 을 is used after a consonant.
• 를 is used after a vowel.

Since 폐기물 ends in ㄹ, a consonant, it takes 을.

폐기물 means waste, especially in a somewhat formal, technical, or administrative sense.

It can refer to:

• trash
• refuse
• waste materials
• discarded materials

Compared with some other words:

• 쓰레기 = garbage, trash, everyday word
• 폐기물 = waste, often more formal or official
• 재활용품 = recyclables

So if you are talking about cleanup work, environmental management, sanitation, or official collection, 폐기물 sounds appropriate and professional.

수거하다 means to collect, especially in the sense of gathering and taking away items such as:

• waste
• garbage
• recycling
• donations
• hazardous materials

It has a practical, organized feeling.

Compare:

• 수거하다 = collect and take away, often official/systematic
• 모으다 = gather, collect together
• 줍다 = pick up from the ground
• 수집하다 = collect, often for gathering things systematically or as a collection, such as data, stamps, information

So for waste disposal or sanitation work, 수거하다 is a very natural choice.

했습니다 tells you two important things:

1. Past tense

   • The action happened in the past.
   • 수거했습니다 = collected / did collect

2. Formal polite style

   • This is the 습니다 style, often used in:
     • formal speech
     • presentations
     • reports
     • news
     • polite public communication

The dictionary form is:

• 수거하다 = to collect

How it becomes 수거했습니다:

• 수거하다
• 수거했어요 = polite casual past
• 수거했습니다 = formal polite past

So this sentence sounds appropriate in a report, announcement, or formal statement.

Yes.

The verb is 수거하다, which is a noun + 하다 verb:

• 수거 = collection
• 하다 = to do

So literally, 수거하다 is something like to do collection, but in natural English it means to collect.

Then:

• 수거하다 → dictionary form
• 수거했습니다 → formal polite past

This pattern is extremely common in Korean. For example:

• 공부하다 = to study
• 청소하다 = to clean
• 운동하다 = to exercise

Yes, you could say:

• 우리 팀이 폐기물을 수거했습니다

This is grammatical, but the nuance changes.

Very roughly:

• 우리 팀은 = as for our team, our team collected waste
• 우리 팀이 = it was our team that collected waste / our team is the one that collected waste

So:

• 은/는 often marks the topic and can feel more general or contrastive.
• 이/가 often focuses more directly on the subject itself.

If you are just making a neutral statement in a report, 우리 팀은 is very natural. If you are identifying who did it, especially in contrast with someone else, 우리 팀이 may fit better.

Sometimes Korean does omit object markers in casual speech, but in this sentence 폐기물을 sounds better and clearer, especially in formal style.

Compare:

• 폐기물을 수거했습니다 = clear, standard, formal
• 폐기물 수거했습니다 = possible in some contexts, but less complete-sounding as a full formal sentence

Because this sentence uses formal report-style language, keeping 을 is the most natural choice.

Yes, and in many situations 저희 팀은 may be more polite.

• 우리 팀은 = our team
• 저희 팀은 = our team, but humble/polite

Use 저희 when you want to lower your own side in a polite situation, such as:

• speaking to a customer
• formal business communication
• respectful introductions

So:

• 우리 팀은 폐기물을 수거했습니다 = neutral/polite formal statement
• 저희 팀은 폐기물을 수거했습니다 = more humble and polite toward the listener

Korean word order is more flexible than English, but the most neutral order here is:

• 우리 팀은 폐기물을 수거했습니다

Because Korean uses particles like 은 and 을, the grammatical role of each noun is clear even if the order changes.

For example, you might also see:

• 폐기물을 우리 팀은 수거했습니다

This can be used for emphasis, but it is less neutral.

Still, the verb usually stays at the end in normal Korean clauses. That is the most important part of Korean word order.

A learner-friendly pronunciation is close to:

• 수거해씀니다

What is happening?

• 했 often sounds closer to 핻 or 해 in connected speech
• 습니다 is commonly pronounced closer to 씀니다

So although it is written 수거했습니다, the spoken form sounds smoother and more connected than the spelling might suggest.

You do not need to pronounce every letter separately in a rigid way. Natural Korean pronunciation often changes slightly in connected speech.

It sounds formal and polite.

Because of:

• 폐기물 = somewhat formal vocabulary
• 수거하다 = official/practical word choice
• 했습니다 = formal polite ending

This sentence would fit well in:

• a report
• a presentation
• a volunteer activity summary
• a workplace update
• an official announcement

In everyday casual conversation, a person might say something like:

• 우리 팀이 쓰레기를 수거했어요
• 우리 팀이 쓰레기 치웠어요

Those sound less formal and more conversational.