# 部屋の掃除をする



## KaleNovice

One of the questions was 
弟は部屋＿掃除をしました。

At first sight I thought the answer was に but the true answer turned out to be の。Though the answer provided makes sense to me, but why is にnot suitable?

部屋に掃除をしました。   Did the cleaning in the room.
部屋の掃除をしました。   Did the cleaning of the room.

That's what I understood , at least. Any help is appreciated !


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## sunten

Hello,

I think you're absolutely right on your understanding of 部屋の掃除をしました (did the cleaning _of_ the room),
but I would rather say 部屋で掃除をしました to mean that I did the cleaning _in_ the room. hope it helps.


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## 810senior

> 部屋の掃除をする　 (do cleaning of the room)
> 部屋で掃除をする　 (do cleaning in the room)
> 部屋を掃除する　 (clean up the room)
> 部屋に掃除をする
> 部屋に掃除する



Greetings!

Between two choices in your post, only 部屋の掃除をしました is correct.
Because we don't normally say 【物】+に掃除をする but we put a word relevant to a specific time ahead of the に instead, as in *年末に*掃除をします。(I do cleaning at the end of the year).

P.S.
Added literal translations of each one.


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## KaleNovice

Thanks for the replies, it should be で instead of に, I confused these two already... Thank you once again !


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## karlalou

KaleNovice said:


> 部屋に掃除をしました。 Did the cleaning in the room.
> 部屋の掃除をしました。 Did the cleaning of the room.


To mean "did the cleaning in the room", it should be 部屋（の中）で掃除をしました.

We say 部屋に掃除機(vacuum cleaner)をかける, 床（ゆか）にモップをかける, 部屋にイスを置（お）く, 天井（てんじょう）に電気（でんき）を付ける, 窓（まど）にカーテンを掛（か）ける, テーブルに花瓶（かびん）を置く, 封筒（ふうとう）に宛先（あてさき）を書く
*but we don't say 部屋に掃除をする.*

When I hear 部屋に掃除を, I almost feel like continue it with かける, and it seems that some people do say 部屋に掃除をかける.

We say
部屋を掃除する
部屋の掃除をする
部屋で本を読む
部屋にいる
部屋の中にいる *but not 部屋でいる*


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## KaleNovice

Argh then what's the difference between 部屋に掃除機をかける and 部屋で掃除機をかける?


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## Flaminius

Only 部屋に掃除機をかける is appropriate for "vacuum a room."  In contrast 部屋で掃除機をかける is awkward because the object is unmentined that is to undergo the process of cleaning.  As a rule, _-de_ introduces the locale within which an action takes place.

You may know that _-ni_ also is used for the locale, but this _-ni_ is not (just a dative).  The _-ni locale_ is used with stative verbs such as _sumu_ and _iru_.


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## karlalou

KaleNovice said:


> Argh then what's the difference between 部屋に掃除機をかける and 部屋で掃除機をかける?


部屋に掃除機をかける sounds like you are cleaning the room.
部屋で掃除機をかける sounds like you turn the vacuum cleaner on in the room, just like 部屋で音楽をかける meaning you turn the music on in the room. I think it's virtually saying the same thin. 

We would say
部屋で掃除機をかけていたから、電話が鳴ったのに気づかなかった。
今日は家で掃除機をかけました。
No problem.


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## sunten

the both sentences (部屋に掃除機をかける and 部屋で掃除機をかける) make perfect sense to me, but in a slightly different senses.
on one hand, when I hear the former sentence, 部屋に掃除機をかける, the image I get is someone giving a vacuum _to_ the room.
on the other, when I hear the latter sentence, 部屋で掃除機をかける, the image I get is someone giving a vacuum _in_ the room.


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## sunten

As it was mentioned in the earlier posts, both に and で can be understood as a function to denote the location:
1) 私は部屋にいる (I am _in_ the room). 彼は東京に住む (he lives _in_ Tokyo). その本は部屋にある (the book is _in_ the room).
2) 私は部屋で勉強する (I study _in _the room). 彼女は図書館で働く (she works _in_ the library).

However, as you can see in the examples above, each are followed by different kinds of verbs. for example:
1) に is followed by those verbs such as いる ある 住む etc because it denotes the location where something or someone simply is.
2) で is followed by those verbs such as 勉強する 働く etc because it denotes the location where an action is taken place.

That being said, に in the sentence 部屋に掃除機をかける can be understood as a function to denote the object (rather than the location) of an action.
as it is in those sentences such as 友達に本をあげる (I give a book _to_ a friend) or 学校に行く (I go _to_ school). 
so there's no need at all to confuse に with で here, methinks.


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## 810senior

Just for summary, the *に* in the 部屋に掃除機をかける works as *a dative*(indirect object for 掃除機をかける, to vacuum), whereas the *で *in the 部屋で掃除機をかける as *a locative*(like _at _and _in _in English) that refers to the fact that vacuuming undergoes in the room.

Note that both work in a different way though they refer to vacuuming the room in the end.


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## karlalou

Very interesting. So, going back to the original question, why 部屋に掃除をする doesn't work, that is because 部屋 is the direct object of the action, 掃除（を）する.

So, it should be either 部屋*を*掃除する or 部屋*の*掃除*を*する.

Though 部屋に掃除をかける seems to be possible just like 部屋*に*掃除機*を*かける or 部屋*に*魔法*を*かける or 花*に*水*を*かける or 部屋*に*音楽*を*かける or 窓*に*カーテン*を*かける or 友だち*に*本*を*あげる.


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## frequency

KaleNovice said:


> （弟は）部屋＿掃除をしました。


部屋＿掃除をしました。
しました。（The past form of a verb する）　You say you did something. What? 掃除。Therefore, 掃除をしました。
Next, how do you deal with 部屋？ As you know, we can't say 部屋を掃除をしました。

We usually make it into 部屋の掃除.

If you say 部屋で掃除をしました, this focuses on the thing you did in the room.
What did you do?:  部屋の掃除
What did you do in the room?: 掃除

Therefore,
部屋で掃除をしました。   Did the cleaning in the room.
部屋の掃除をしました。   Did the cleaning of the room.
Good.



KaleNovice said:


> 部屋に掃除機をかける and 部屋で掃除機をかける?


Collocation. The verb かける takes に in your case. 部屋で掃除機をかける focuses on the thing you did in the room as well.

(Oof, cross-posted with 810)


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## KaleNovice

I think I understand it better now after all the explanations. Thanks a lot!


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