Questions & Answers about Muszę mu jutro odmówić.
Why does the sentence use mu instead of the accusative go?
The verb odmówić (to refuse) is a verb that requires the Dative case. In English, we say "refuse someone," but in Polish, the logic is closer to "give a refusal TO someone." Mu is the short Dative form of on (he).
Why is mu placed before jutro and odmówić? Could I put it at the end?
Short pronouns like mu sound awkward at the very end of a sentence. They prefer to hide in the middle, often tucking in right after the first verb. Placing it early, like in Muszę mu jutro odmówić, sounds much more natural than putting it at the end.
How would I say "I must refuse her" instead of "him"?
You would swap mu for the Dative form of "she" (ona), which is jej. The sentence would then be Muszę jej jutro odmówić.
The verb odmówić is perfective. Why are we using a perfective verb for something happening tomorrow?
Modal verbs like muszę (I must) take an infinitive. You can use either perfective or imperfective infinitives depending on the action. Because refusing him tomorrow is a single, one-time action that will be completed, the perfective odmówić is used rather than the imperfective odmawiać.