Learn Polish: Opinia publiczna brzydzi się korupcją w tym kraju. - Public opinion is disgusted by corruption in this country.

The verb brzydzić się (to be disgusted by) requires its object to be in the Instrumental case. In Polish, several verbs expressing a strong emotional attitude, like disgust, contempt, or admiration, take the Instrumental instead of the typical Accusative. Since korupcja is a feminine noun ending in -a, its Instrumental form is korupcją.

Why is it opinia publiczna instead of publiczna opinia?

In Polish, descriptive adjectives usually come before the noun. However, classifying adjectives that define a specific, official category or established concept go after the noun. Since public opinion is a fixed concept rather than just a random opinion that happens to be public, the adjective comes second.

What happens if I drop się from brzydzi się?

Without się, the verb brzydzić means to disgust someone else and takes the Accusative case for the person feeling the disgust. For example, to mnie brzydzi means this disgusts me. By keeping się, the subject is the one experiencing the feeling, which then triggers the Instrumental case for the thing causing the disgust.

Why does tym kraju end in -u if this lesson is about the Instrumental case?