gireul geonneogi jeone sinhodeungeul hwaginhaeyo.

Before crossing the street, I check the traffic light.

Breakdown of gireul geonneogi jeone sinhodeungeul hwaginhaeyo.

• ~을: object particle
• 전에: before
• 확인하다: to check
• 신호등: traffic light

Questions & Answers about gireul geonneogi jeone sinhodeungeul hwaginhaeyo.

What does -기 전에 mean, and why is 건너기 used here?

-기 전에 means before doing (something).
To use it, you take a verb stem + -기 (a noun-forming ending) and then add 전에 (before).

• 건너다 (to cross) → stem 건너-
• 건너- + 기 → 건너기 = crossing (the act of crossing)
• 건너기 전에 = before crossing

So 길을 건너기 전에 literally means before (the act of) crossing the road.

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Why is 길을 marked with -을? What does that particle do?

-을/를 marks the direct object of the verb. Here, the thing being crossed is 길 (road), so it becomes:

• 길 + 을 → 길을 = the road (as the object)

It tells you that 길 is what you cross in 길을 건너다.

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Why is 신호등을 also marked with -을? Can a sentence have two -을/를 objects?