Breakdown of Bez tej przepustki odmówią ci licencji i uprawnień.
i
and
ty
you (singular)
ten
this (m)
odmówić
to refuse (perf)
Questions & Answers about Bez tej przepustki odmówią ci licencji i uprawnień.
Why are licencji i uprawnień in the Genitive case here? I thought direct objects usually take the Accusative.
In English, 'license and authorizations' act as direct objects. However, in Polish, verbs of giving, refusing, or denying often have specific case requirements. The verb odmówić (to deny/refuse) requires the Dative case for the person you are denying something to (ci), and the Genitive case for the thing being denied (licencji i uprawnień).
Could I put the Dative pronoun ci at the very end of the sentence?
No, ci is a short-form (clitic) pronoun, so it naturally avoids the end of a clause. It prefers to tuck into the middle of the sentence right after the verb. If you wanted to place strong emphasis on 'you' (for example, 'they will deny YOU, but not ME'), you would use the long-form Dative tobie instead, which could go at the end.
What is the dictionary form of uprawnień, and why does it look so short here?
The dictionary singular form is uprawnienie, but it is used here in the plural (uprawnienia). To form the Genitive plural, neuter nouns ending in -nie take a 'zero ending' that leaves them ending in just -ń. That is why the word shrinks down to uprawnień.
The English translation says 'they will deny', but there is no word for 'they' in the Polish sentence. Who is 'they'?
The verb odmówią is in the 3rd-person plural. While it literally translates to 'they will deny', Polish frequently uses this form without a specific pronoun to express a general, impersonal action. It functions very much like the English passive voice ('you will be denied') or an abstract 'the authorities will deny'.