Learn Hardcore Korean: achime ireonaseo tellebijeoneul kyeoyo. - I wake up in the morning and turn on the television.

The connective ending -아서/어서 (as in 일어나서) indicates that one action happens and then another follows—“after waking up, (then) ….” In contrast, -고 simply means “and” without the nuance of sequence or cause. Using just 일어나 would make it the final verb of the sentence, not a lead-in to the next action.

Why is 텔레비전을 followed by -을 instead of -를?

Korean object markers are -을 after a consonant and -를 after a vowel. Since 텔레비전 ends in the consonant ㄴ, you attach -을, giving 텔레비전을 to mark “the TV” as the direct object of 켜다.

What does 켜요 mean, and what function does -요 serve?

켜다 means “to turn on.” The ending -요 makes the verb polite yet informal (often called “polite style” or 존댓말). So 켜요 means “(I) turn on (it)” in a polite conversational tone.

Why is there no subject like 저는 or 내가 in this sentence?

Korean frequently omits subjects when they’re clear from context. In a simple routine description like this, the speaker (“I”) is understood, so saying 저는 is optional and often dropped for brevity.

Could I say 텔레비전을 틀어요 instead of 켜요, and what’s the difference?

Yes. Both 켜다 and 틀다 can mean “to turn on” a device. 틀다 is sometimes more colloquial and can also mean “to play” (e.g., music or video), while 켜다 is the more general term for switching something on. In everyday speech about the TV, they’re largely interchangeable.

Why does 텔레비전을 come before 켜요, instead of after like in English?

Korean follows a subject-object-verb (SOV) order. You put the object (텔레비전을) before the verb (켜요), whereas English uses subject-verb-object (SVO).