Breakdown of W przypadku niedotrzymania umowy domagamy się pełnego zwrotu kosztów.
pełny
full
umowa
the contract
koszt
cost
w przypadku
in the case of, in the event of (+ Genitive; formal)
domagać się
to demand (persistently, e.g. one's rights)
zwrot
the refund
niedotrzymanie
the breach
Questions & Answers about W przypadku niedotrzymania umowy domagamy się pełnego zwrotu kosztów.
How does niedotrzymania represent a syntactic reduction in this sentence?
The verbal noun niedotrzymania (failure to keep / breach) replaces a full subordinate clause. In everyday speech, you might hear a conditional clause like Jeśli nie dotrzymają państwo umowy... (If you don't keep the contract...). Using W przypadku + [verbal noun in the Genitive] makes the sentence more formal and concise, which is typical of legal or business registers.
Why is niedotrzymania written as a single word when nie is usually separate from verbs?
Because niedotrzymanie is technically a noun (specifically, a verbal noun). In Polish, the negative particle nie is written as one word together with nouns, even if those nouns are formed directly from verbs. If it were a standard conjugated verb, it would be written separately, as in nie dotrzymamy.
Why is the object of our demand (pełnego zwrotu) in the Genitive case rather than the Accusative?
The reflexive verb domagać się (to demand) strictly requires its object to be in the Genitive case. This is a common pattern for Polish verbs that express seeking, desiring, or demanding, such as szukać, potrzebować, or żądać.
Why are both zwrotu and kosztów in the Genitive case here?
They are in the Genitive for two completely different reasons. pełnego zwrotu is Genitive because it is the object of the verb domagamy się. kosztów is Genitive because it modifies zwrotu, expressing possession or relation, much like the English word of (refund of costs). This creates a chain of Genitives, a very common feature in formal Polish.
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