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Dyrektor żąda, żebyście zmniejszyli budżet dla działu.

Dyrektor żąda, żebyście zmniejszyli budżet dla działu.
The director demands that you (plural) reduce the budget for the department.
From Lesson 238:Wishes and commands (żeby)·Polish

Questions & Answers about Dyrektor żąda, żebyście zmniejszyli budżet dla działu.

Why does it say żebyście zmniejszyli instead of żeby zmniejszyliście?
When using żeby for commands or desires, the personal ending (like -ście for "you plural") detaches from the verb and attaches directly to żeby. The verb itself is left in the past tense form (the L-participle) without the personal ending. So, it becomes żeby + ście + zmniejszyli.
How would the sentence change if the director was talking only to a group of women?
The verb form zmniejszyli is masculine personal, meaning the group being spoken to contains at least one man. If the director were demanding this of a group of only women, the non-masculine personal form zmniejszyły would be used instead, making it: Dyrektor żąda, żebyście zmniejszyły...
Why do we use the past tense zmniejszyli if the director is demanding something for the future?
This is a strict grammar rule in Polish. Whenever a subject wants, desires, or demands that a different subject do something, you must use żeby followed by the past-tense form (L-participle) of the verb. Even though the action hasn't happened yet, this structure is required.
Why is the word for department działu here instead of dział?
The preposition dla (for) always requires the Genitive case. The base word is dział (a masculine inanimate noun), and its Genitive form takes the -u ending, becoming działu.
Is budżet in the Nominative or Accusative case in this sentence?
It is in the Accusative case because it is the direct object being reduced by the verb zmniejszyli. However, since budżet is a masculine inanimate noun, its Accusative form looks exactly identical to its Nominative (dictionary) form.

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