Questions & Answers about Er lehnt es ab, seine Vorliebe zu erklären.
Why is there an es in this sentence if the English translation is just "He refuses to explain"?
The es acts as a placeholder (often called a Korrelat) for the infinitive phrase seine Vorliebe zu erklären. Some verbs, like ablehnen (to reject/refuse), expect a direct object. Since the actual "thing" being refused is a whole phrase that comes later, es holds its place in the main clause.
Is the comma before seine mandatory here?
Yes, it is mandatory. While commas before zu + infinitive phrases are sometimes optional in German, they are strictly required when the main clause contains a placeholder word like es that points directly to the infinitive phrase.
Why is the separable prefix ab placed before the comma, rather than at the very end of the sentence?
The main clause is just Er lehnt es ab. The separable prefix ab goes to the end of its own clause. Because the infinitive phrase (seine Vorliebe zu erklären) is treated as a completely separate subordinate clause, the main clause ends right at the comma.
The translation uses "refuses", but doesn't ablehnen usually mean "to reject"?
Yes, ablehnen primarily means "to reject" or "to decline." When you reject the idea of doing an action (expressed here with a zu infinitive clause), it translates smoothly to "refusing" to do it in English. Using es ablehnen, etwas zu tun is the most natural way to express "refusing to do something" in German.