Breakdown of Szef odmówił im tego przywileju i nowego uprawnienia.
i
and
ten
this (m)
nowy
new
oni
they (masculine personal)
Questions & Answers about Szef odmówił im tego przywileju i nowego uprawnienia.
Why does the sentence use tego przywileju i nowego uprawnienia in the Genitive case instead of the Accusative?
The verb odmówić (to deny or refuse) requires a double object: the person being denied takes the Dative case, while the thing being denied takes the Genitive case. Since the boss is denying the privilege and the authorization, both of those noun phrases must be in the Genitive.
Which word is in the Dative case here to represent the person being denied?
The pronoun im (them) is in the Dative. Verbs of giving and denying usually take the Dative case for the recipient or the person who loses out. It acts as the indirect object.
Why is the pronoun im placed right after the verb instead of at the end of the sentence?
Short pronouns like im are unstressed words that naturally cling to the verb. Placing a short, unstressed pronoun at the very end of a long sentence sounds unnatural in Polish. It usually sounds best right after the verb.
What are the dictionary (Nominative) forms of the two things being denied?
They are ten przywilej (masculine inanimate) and nowe uprawnienie (neuter). In the Genitive case, the masculine noun takes the -u ending to become przywileju, while the neuter noun changes its -e to -a, becoming uprawnienia.