Breakdown of Kierownik odmawia pracownikowi przepustki do biura i zabrania mu wstępu.
i
and
on
he / it (m)
biuro
office
pracownik
employee
do
to
kierownik
manager
zabraniać
to forbid
odmawiać
to refuse (imperf)
przepustka
the pass (permit)
wstęp
the admission
Questions & Answers about Kierownik odmawia pracownikowi przepustki do biura i zabrania mu wstępu.
Why are both przepustki and wstępu in the Genitive case here instead of the Accusative?
This highlights the core rule for verbs of denying and forbidding. Verbs like odmawiać (to deny/refuse) and zabraniać (to forbid) require the Dative case for the person you are denying something to (pracownikowi, mu) and the Genitive case for the thing being denied (przepustki, wstępu).
Why does wstęp take the -u ending in the Genitive (wstępu) instead of -a?
Wstęp (admission/entry) is an inanimate masculine noun. While there are no absolute rules for inanimate masculine nouns, abstract concepts and nouns derived from verbs typically take the -u ending in the Genitive singular, whereas tangible objects or tools more often take -a.
Could I use the long form pronoun jemu instead of mu in the second half of the sentence?
You would only use the long form jemu if you wanted to emphasize exactly who is being forbidden (e.g., "forbids him admission, but lets someone else in"). Since there is no contrast or special emphasis here, the short, unstressed pronoun mu is the natural and correct choice.
Why is mu placed between zabrania and wstępu?
Why do we use the preposition do in do biura instead of just using the Dative case for direction?
In Polish, physical destinations or access to a place are typically expressed with do + Genitive (like przepustka do biura). The Dative case is rarely used for physical locations; it is almost exclusively reserved for people or entities that are the recipients or beneficiaries of an action.
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