Po oparzeniu nie wolno dotykać skóry brudną ręką ani zakładać zbyt ciasnego bandaża.

Nie wolno means it is not allowed / one must not. It expresses a rule, prohibition, or strong instruction.

So in this sentence:

Po oparzeniu nie wolno...
= After a burn, you must not...

By contrast, nie można often means one cannot / it is not possible / it is not allowed, depending on context. It can sometimes sound a bit less like a strict rule and more like inability or general impossibility.

Here, nie wolno is a very natural choice because the sentence gives a medical warning or instruction.

Because the preposition po here requires the locative case.

• oparzenie = a burn (dictionary form, nominative)
• po oparzeniu = after a burn / after being burned

So the noun changes:

• nominative: oparzenie
• locative: oparzeniu

This is a very common pattern:

• po obiedzie = after dinner
• po wypadku = after the accident
• po oparzeniu = after a burn

It can naturally be understood as after a burn or after being burned. In English, we often translate it more smoothly as:

• After a burn
• After being burned
• In the case of a burn

In practical context, it refers to what you should or should not do once the burn has happened.

Because they depend on nie wolno.

In Polish, after expressions like wolno / nie wolno, you normally use the infinitive:

• Nie wolno palić. = You must not smoke.
• Nie wolno wchodzić. = No entry / You must not enter.
• Nie wolno dotykać... ani zakładać... = You must not touch... or put on...

So:

• dotykać = to touch
• zakładać = to put on / apply

Because the verb dotykać usually takes the genitive case, not the accusative.

• skóra = skin
• genitive singular: skóry

So:

• dotykać skóry = to touch the skin

This is a very important pattern:

• dotykać stołu = to touch the table
• dotykać twarzy = to touch the face
• dotykać skóry = to touch the skin

A learner might expect accusative because English uses a direct object (touch the skin), but in Polish dotykać traditionally governs the genitive.

Because ręką is in the instrumental case.

Here brudną ręką means with a dirty hand. In Polish, when you express the means/tool/body part used to do something, the instrumental is very common.

• ręka = hand
• instrumental singular: ręką
• brudna → brudną to agree with ręką

So:

• brudną ręką = with a dirty hand

Compare:

• pisać długopisem = to write with a pen
• jeść widelcem = to eat with a fork
• dotykać brudną ręką = to touch with a dirty hand

Because Polish often expresses with/by means of just through the instrumental case, without a separate word.

So English says:

• with a dirty hand

But Polish can simply say:

• brudną ręką

The case ending itself helps express the meaning of with.

Ani means nor in this sentence.

The structure is:

nie wolno A ani B
= you must not A nor B
more natural English: you must neither A nor B

So:

nie wolno dotykać skóry brudną ręką ani zakładać zbyt ciasnego bandaża
= you must neither touch the skin with a dirty hand nor apply a bandage that is too tight

After a negative expression like nie wolno, ani is the natural connector.

There are two things happening here.

First, ciasnego bandaża is a noun phrase meaning a tight bandage:

• bandaż = bandage
• ciasny = tight

Second, after a negative structure, Polish often uses the genitive instead of the accusative for the object. That is why you see:

• zbyt ciasnego bandaża

rather than the expected accusative-like form.

So this part means:

• not to put on too tight a bandage

This genitive after negation is a classic Polish feature, although in modern Polish usage some verbs and contexts vary. In a sentence like this, the genitive sounds very natural and standard.

Zbyt means too in the sense of excessively.

• zbyt ciasny = too tight
• bardzo ciasny = very tight

So:

• bardzo = very
• zbyt = too much / excessively

In this sentence, zbyt is important because it warns against something dangerous: a bandage that is too tight, not just tight.

Here zakładać means to put on / apply.

In medical or practical contexts, it can be used for things like:

• zakładać bandaż = to put on a bandage
• zakładać opatrunek = to apply a dressing

So in this sentence it does not mean things like to assume or to found, which are other meanings of zakładać in different contexts.

This is about aspect.

• dotykać = imperfective
• dotknąć = perfective

After nie wolno, the imperfective infinitive is very common when talking about a general prohibition:

• Nie wolno dotykać. = You must not touch.
• Nie wolno palić. = You must not smoke.

The imperfective focuses on the action as a general activity, not a single completed event. That makes it the normal choice in instructions and warnings.

Yes, Polish word order is fairly flexible, but this sentence is in a very natural, neutral order for instructions.

Current order:

Po oparzeniu nie wolno dotykać skóry brudną ręką ani zakładać zbyt ciasnego bandaża.

This sounds clear and standard.

You could sometimes rearrange parts for emphasis, but not every version sounds equally natural. For example, moving po oparzeniu or brudną ręką is possible in some contexts, but the original order is probably the best one for a learner to model.

Not naturally. Even though wolno is historically connected with the idea of something being permitted, the whole expression nie wolno should be learned as a set phrase meaning:

• one must not
• it is forbidden to
• it is not allowed to

So it is better not to translate word by word. Treat nie wolno + infinitive as one useful pattern.

Here is a breakdown:

• Po oparzeniu

  • po
    • locative
  • oparzeniu = locative singular of oparzenie

• dotykać skóry

  • dotykać takes the genitive
  • skóry = genitive singular of skóra

• brudną ręką

  • instrumental
  • ręką = instrumental singular of ręka
  • brudną matches it

• zbyt ciasnego bandaża

  • genitive singular
  • used here in a negative structure with nie wolno
  • ciasnego matches bandaża

So this sentence is a good example of how Polish often relies on case endings where English relies on word order or prepositions.

Here are the main forms:

• po = after
• oparzenie = burn
• nie wolno = must not / not allowed
• dotykać = to touch
• skóra = skin
• brudny = dirty
• ręka = hand
• ani = nor
• zakładać = to put on / apply
• zbyt = too, excessively
• ciasny = tight
• bandaż = bandage

This is often helpful because many words in the sentence are not in their dictionary form.