naneun sukjereul hagi jeone soneul ssiseo.

나는 숙제를 하기 전에 손을 씻어.naneun sukjereul hagi jeone soneul ssiseo.
I wash my hands before doing my homework.
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Questions & Answers about naneun sukjereul hagi jeone soneul ssiseo.

What role does 나는 play in this sentence?

나는 is made up of 나 (informal “I”) plus the topic particle 는. It marks “I” as the topic.

  • In casual speech you often drop it if the subject is clear.
  • In polite or formal speech you’d use 저는 instead of 나는.
How is 숙제를 하기 전에 constructed? Can you break it into parts?

It breaks down as follows:

  1. 숙제 “homework”
  2. 를 object particle (since 숙제 ends in a vowel, you attach 를)
  3. 하다 “to do” → stem 하
    • nominalizer -기 → 하기 “doing”
  4. 전에 “before”
    Put together: 숙제를 하기 전에 = “before doing homework.”
If I want to say “before finishing the homework,” do I need to change anything?

Yes. Add 다 (all/to completion) after the verb:
“before finishing the homework” → 숙제를 다 하기 전에
Here 다 emphasizes “completely/entirely doing” the homework.

What’s the difference between -을 and -를 after a noun, as in 손을 씻어 vs. 숙제를 하기 전에?

They’re both object markers:

  • Use -을 if the noun ends in a consonant (e.g., 손 → 손을).
  • Use -를 if the noun ends in a vowel (e.g., 숙제 → 숙제를).
Why does the sentence end with 씻어 instead of 씻어요 or 씻습니다?

씻어 is the informal low-register present tense (declarative). Korean has several speech levels:

  • 씻어: informal (친구 사이, diary-style)
  • 씻어요: informal polite (most everyday conversations)
  • 씻습니다: formal polite (announcements, formal settings)
Why is 숙제를 하기 전에 placed before 손을 씻어? Can I put it after?

Korean is head-final, so time/subordinate clauses generally come before the main clause.
Correct: [time clause] + [main clause].
You might hear it slipped after for casual emphasis, but the standard order is to put 숙제를 하기 전에 first.

Could I simply say 손을 씻고 숙제를 해 instead? What’s the nuance?

Yes, you can say 손을 씻고 숙제를 해 (“wash your hands and do homework”).

  • -고 lists actions in sequence without highlighting “before.”
  • -기 전에 emphasizes “do Action A strictly before Action B”—often used for precautions or rules.
How would I express “after doing homework, I wash my hands” using a similar structure?

You can use -고 나서 or -한 후에:

  • 숙제를 하고 나서 손을 씻어
  • 숙제를 한 후에 손을 씻어
Do I always have to include 나는 at the beginning?
No. If the context already makes it clear you’re talking about yourself, Koreans often omit the topic (나는). In everyday informal speech especially, dropping the subject is very common.