Ten spyte van die reën bereik ons die baken.

Yes. Ten spyte van is a fixed expression meaning despite or in spite of.

In this sentence:

• Ten spyte van = despite / in spite of
• die reën = the rain

So ten spyte van die reën means despite the rain.

It is best learned as a whole phrase rather than translated word by word. In modern Afrikaans, it can sound a bit more formal than some alternatives.

This is a very important Afrikaans word-order pattern.

Afrikaans is a verb-second language in main clauses. That means the finite verb usually comes in the second position of the sentence.

Here, the sentence starts with the fronted phrase:

• Ten spyte van die reën

Because that phrase takes the first position, the verb must come next:

• Ten spyte van die reën bereik ons die baken.

So the order is:

1. fronted phrase
2. finite verb
3. subject
4. rest of the sentence

If you start with the subject instead, you can also say:

• Ons bereik die baken ten spyte van die reën.

That is also grammatical.

Bereik here is in the simple present tense.

In Afrikaans, the simple present can often be used in ways that English might translate as:

• we reach
• we are reaching
• sometimes even we will reach, depending on context

In this sentence, without more context, bereik ons die baken most naturally means we reach the beacon/marker.

If you wanted a clear past tense, Afrikaans would normally use:

• Ons het die baken bereik. = We reached the beacon.

Afrikaans often uses the definite article die in places where English may or may not use the.

So:

• die reën literally looks like the rain
• but in natural English translation, it may simply be rain

In other words, Afrikaans and English do not always match exactly in article usage.

Here, die reën refers to the rain as the relevant weather condition in the situation, so it sounds completely normal in Afrikaans.

The two dots in reën are a diaeresis. They show that the vowels are pronounced in separate syllables, rather than blending into one sound.

So reën is pronounced as two syllables, roughly like:

• ree-ən / ree-in

The diaeresis helps the reader avoid reading it as a single vowel combination.

You will see the same thing in some other Afrikaans words where vowels must be kept separate.

A rough English-friendly guide would be:

• ten SPAY-tuh fun dee ree-un buh-RAKE ons dee BAH-kun

A few notes:

• spyte sounds roughly like spay-tuh
• reën has two syllables
• bereik sounds roughly like buh-rake
• g is not in this sentence, so there is no harsh guttural sound to worry about here
• baken is roughly bah-kun

This is only an approximation, but it is good enough as a starting point.

Baken can mean a beacon, marker, landmark, or something that serves as a point of guidance or reference.

The best English translation depends on context:

• in navigation: beacon or marker
• figuratively: landmark or guiding point

So in this sentence, die baken could be:

• a literal beacon
• a trail marker
• some known point the group is trying to reach

If you were learning the sentence out of context, beacon is a safe core meaning.

Yes. Ondanks die reën is a very natural alternative and also means despite the rain.

Compare:

• Ten spyte van die reën bereik ons die baken.
• Ondanks die reën bereik ons die baken.

Both are correct. A learner should know that:

• ten spyte van is a set phrase
• ondanks is often a little more compact and straightforward

In many contexts, ondanks may sound slightly more natural in everyday use, but both are perfectly good Afrikaans.

Because bereik is a direct transitive verb. It takes a direct object without a preposition.

So:

• bereik die baken = reach the beacon

You do not need a preposition like English sometimes uses with other verbs.

This is just the normal pattern:

• ons bereik die dorp = we reach the town
• hulle bereik die eindpunt = they reach the finish point

It is grammatical and natural, but it has a slightly elevated or careful feel, mainly because of ten spyte van and baken.

• ten spyte van can sound a bit more formal than everyday alternatives
• baken is a perfectly normal word, but it may feel more specific or descriptive than a simpler noun in casual speech

So the sentence is not strange, but it may sound a little more polished than very casual spoken Afrikaans.

Yes. A few natural alternatives are:

• Ondanks die reën bereik ons die baken.
• Ons bereik die baken ten spyte van die reën.
• Ons bereik die baken ondanks die reën.

These all keep the same basic meaning.

The main differences are:

• whether the despite-phrase comes first or later
• whether you use ten spyte van or ondanks

A learner should understand all of these as closely related versions.