Breakdown of Pomimo złej pogody chcą osiągnąć ten szczyt.
ten
this (m)
zły
bad
chcieć
to want
pogoda
weather
Questions & Answers about Pomimo złej pogody chcą osiągnąć ten szczyt.
Why does the sentence use złej pogody instead of zła pogoda?
The preposition pomimo (despite) requires the noun phrase that follows it to be in the Genitive case. Because of this rule, the Nominative phrase zła pogoda (bad weather) must change to the Genitive złej pogody.
Could I use mimo instead of pomimo in this sentence?
Yes, absolutely! Mimo and pomimo mean exactly the same thing ("despite" or "in spite of") and both require the Genitive case. You can say either Mimo złej pogody or Pomimo złej pogody without changing the meaning or the grammar.
I learned that osiągnąć means "to achieve". Does it also mean "to reach" a physical place?
It applies to both! While it often means to achieve an abstract goal (like osiągnąć cel - to achieve a goal), it is the standard verb used for reaching a mountain peak (szczyt). In Polish, you conceptually "achieve" the summit.
Why isn't ten szczyt changed to a different ending, since it's the direct object of the verb?
It actually is in the Accusative case here! The word szczyt is a masculine inanimate noun. For masculine inanimate nouns, the Accusative form looks exactly the same as the basic Nominative form, so ten szczyt doesn't change its spelling.