Questions & Answers about Dlaczego zawsze mi odmawiasz?
Why do we use mi here instead of mnie?
mi is the short form of the pronoun ja (I) in the Dative case. The verb odmawiać (to refuse) requires the Dative case because you are conceptually giving a refusal to someone. We use the short form mi instead of the long form mnie because it is in the middle of the sentence and we aren't putting special emotional emphasis on the word "me".
In English, we just "refuse" someone directly. Why does Polish use the Dative case here?
Many Polish verbs use the Dative case where English just uses a direct object. Verbs that involve giving, communicating, or directing an action towards a person often take the Dative case. Other common Dative verbs you might remember from earlier lessons include pomagać (to help) and dziękować (to thank).
Is odmawiasz an imperfective or perfective verb?
It is imperfective (the infinitive is odmawiać). We must use the imperfective aspect here because of the word zawsze (always). It describes a repeated, ongoing habit rather than a single, completed action. The perfective form, which you would use for a single event, is odmówić.
Could I put mi at the end of the sentence and say: Dlaczego zawsze odmawiasz mi?
You would be understood, but it sounds less natural. Short pronouns like mi, cię, or go are "weak" words that prefer to hide in the middle of a sentence. They cannot start a sentence, and native speakers usually avoid putting them at the very end unless they have no other choice.
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