Impersonal impossibility (nie sposób)

To express that an action is entirely impossible, Polish uses the impersonal phrase nie sposób (meaning "there is no way" or "it is impossible").

Simply follow nie sposób directly with a verb in the infinitive. Because it is an impersonal expression, there is no subject, and the verb does not conjugate.

It is impossible to break this mathematical cipher without a key.
Nie sposób złamać tego matematycznego szyfru bez klucza.
It is impossible to decode this message in one night.
Nie sposób odkodować tej wiadomości w jedną noc.

You will often see this structure paired with prepositional phrases that explain why the action is out of reach.

Without security measures, it is impossible to work on the internet.
Bez zabezpieczeń nie sposób pracować w internecie.
It is easy to intercept a letter, but it is impossible to decode it.
Łatwo przechwycić list, ale nie sposób go odkodować.

Contributors