Breakdown of Благодаря остроумию он не провалился.
не
not
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
благодаря
thanks to
остроумие
wit
Questions & Answers about Благодаря остроумию он не провалился.
This lesson teaches несмотря на + Accusative. Why is благодаря here, and what case does it take?
This sentence provides a contrast: cause ("thanks to") instead of concession ("despite"). Unlike несмотря на, which takes the Accusative case, the preposition благодаря requires the Dative case. That is why the neuter noun остроумие changes to остроумию.
Doesn't благодаря also mean "thanking"? How can I tell which meaning is intended?
Yes, it can be the verbal adverb (gerund) of благодарить (to thank). You can tell them apart by the case of the noun that follows. As a preposition meaning "thanks to," it takes the Dative case (благодаря остроумию). When used as a gerund meaning "while thanking," it takes the Accusative case (e.g., благодаря друга - "thanking a friend").
How is the word остроумию constructed?
It is a compound word formed from острый (sharp) and ум (mind, intellect). So остроумие literally means "sharp-mindedness," which perfectly captures the English concept of "wit."
What is the literal meaning of провалился, and how does it translate to "bomb"?
The perfective verb провалиться literally means "to fall through" (like falling through a floor or thin ice). Figuratively, much like the English "to fall through," it means to fail completely. When referring to a person at an event, it means to "bomb" or fail miserably at a performance, interview, or exam.