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  What it means

  Literally “to refuse obedience.” While it could describe a disobedient child, it is most frequently used for inanimate objects. When your car won’t start or your computer freezes, they are “refusing to obey.”

  Vocabulary

  • odmawiać — to refuse / deny
  • posłuszeństwo — obedience
  • zepsuć się — to break (down)

  Grammar note

  'Odmawiać' requires the genitive case when meaning "to refuse [something]"; thus, 'posłuszeństwa'.

  Cultural context

  It adds a slightly dramatic or personified touch to everyday mechanical failures.

  Intermediate

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