bangeul cheongsohago chaekjangeul jeongrihaesseoyo.

I cleaned the room and organized the bookshelf.

Breakdown of bangeul cheongsohago chaekjangeul jeongrihaesseoyo.

• ~을: object particle
• 방: room
• 청소하다: to clean
• 정리하다: to organize
• 책장: bookshelf

Questions & Answers about bangeul cheongsohago chaekjangeul jeongrihaesseoyo.

Why is 방을 used instead of 방이 in this sentence?

Because 방 (room) is the direct object of the verbs 청소하다 (to clean) and 정리하다 (to organize). In Korean, objects take the particle -을/를, so we say 방을 to mark it as what’s being cleaned and organized. The particle -이/가 would mark a subject, which doesn’t fit here since the room isn’t doing the action.

What does the -고 ending in 청소하고 mean?

The connector -고 links two verbs or actions, similar to “and” in English. Here, 청소하고 literally means “clean(ed) and…” It shows that after (or while) cleaning the room, you did the next action—organizing the bookshelf.

Why is there only one 했어요 at the end instead of two separate past tense endings?

We use 청소하고 (dictionary form + -고) to link the first verb to the second, and then apply the past polite ending -었어요 only once at the end of the second verb: 정리했어요. It’s equivalent to saying “I cleaned and organized” in English. If you wanted to mark both actions separately, you could say 청소했고 책장을 정리했어요, using -했고 for “and then cleaned.”

How do 청소하다 and 정리하다 differ?

• 청소하다 means “to clean,” focusing on removing dirt, dust, trash, etc.
• 정리하다 means “to organize” or “to tidy up,” focusing on arranging things neatly.
  So 방을 청소하다 is cleaning the room (vacuum, dust, wipe), while 책장을 정리하다 is arranging books and items on the shelf in order.

What does 책장 mean?

책장 is a compound of 책 (book) + 장 (shelf/cabinet). It means “bookshelf” or “bookcase.”

Could I use 그리고 instead of -고 to connect the two actions?

You could, but you’d usually choose one connector:

• -고: 방을 청소하고 책장을 정리했어요 (“I cleaned the room and organized the bookshelf.”)
• 그리고: 방을 청소했어요. 그리고 책장을 정리했어요. (“I cleaned the room. And I organized the bookshelf.”)
  Using both together (청소하고 그리고) is redundant.

Does 청소하고 imply the actions happened simultaneously?

Not really. -고 generally indicates sequence: you did the first action, then the second. If you wanted to express doing both at exactly the same time, you’d use -(으)면서, as in 청소하면서 책장을 정리했어요 (“I cleaned and organized the bookshelf at the same time.”).

How would I make this sentence more casual or informal?

You can switch to the informal ending -어/아, drop some particles, or both. For example:

• 방을 청소하고 책장 정리했어.
• 방 청소하고 책장 정리했어.
  These forms are common in speech with friends or family.