mimo + Genitive

Mimo with the Genitive

Level 4

Use mimo (or the more formal pomimo) to express concession—when something happens regardless of an obstacle. In modern Polish, it is followed by a noun or pronoun in the genitive case.

How It Works

The preposition mimo is the standard way to say 'despite' in Polish. While it historically used the accusative case, modern standard Polish almost exclusively uses the genitive case.

1. Usage and Case
When you use mimo, the following noun and its adjectives must change to their genitive forms:

  • zła pogoda (nominative) → mimo złej pogody (despite the bad weather)
  • problemy (nominative plural) → mimo problemów (despite the problems)

2. Mimo vs. Pomimo
These two words are interchangeable in meaning. Mimo is neutral and very common, while pomimo is slightly more formal or literary.

3. Mimo vs. Mimo że
It is crucial to distinguish between the preposition and the conjunction:

  • Use mimo before a noun phrase: Mimo choroby... (Despite the illness...)
  • Use mimo że before a full clause with a verb: Mimo że był chory... (Despite the fact that he was ill...). Note: As a compound conjunction, you should not place a comma between mimo and że.

4. Fossilized Exceptions
You will encounter two very common phrases where mimo is followed by the accusative instead of the genitive: mimo to (despite that) and mimo wszystko (despite everything). These are fixed expressions from Old Polish and are the standard forms today.

5. Historical Spatial Meaning
Historically, mimo meant 'past' or 'by'. While this is rare today, it survives in the common idiom puścić coś mimo uszu (to let something go in one ear and out the other, literally 'to let something past the ears').

Examples (5)

  1. Mimo złej pogody poszliśmy na spacer.

    Despite the bad weather, we went for a walk.

    Word by Word: Despite bad weather we-went on walk.

    Notice how 'zła pogoda' changes to the genitive 'złej pogody' after 'mimo'.

  2. Zrobił to mimo zakazu rodziców.

    He did it despite his parents' ban.

    Word by Word: He-did it despite ban of-parents.

    'Zakaz' (ban) is in the genitive singular 'zakazu'.

  3. Mimo wszystko bardzo cię lubię.

    Despite everything, I like you very much.

    Word by Word: Despite everything very you I-like.

    This is the common fixed expression using the accusative 'wszystko' instead of the genitive.

  4. Warto próbować mimo trudności.

    It is worth trying despite the difficulties.

    Word by Word: Worth to-try despite difficulties.

    'Trudności' is the genitive plural form of 'trudność'.

  5. Pomimo zmęczenia pracował dalej.

    Despite the exhaustion, he kept working.

    Word by Word: Despite exhaustion he-worked further.

    Here 'pomimo' is used as a slightly more formal alternative to 'mimo'.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the accusative case for regular nouns.

    Mimo deszcz wyszliśmy.
    Mimo deszczu wyszliśmy.

    Learners often use the accusative because of the phrase 'mimo wszystko', but regular nouns must be in the genitive (deszczu).

  • Confusing 'mimo' with 'mimo że'.

    Mimo padało, poszliśmy.
    Mimo że padało, poszliśmy.

    If a verb follows (padało), use the conjunction 'mimo że'. Use 'mimo' alone only before a noun.

  • Adding unnecessary prepositions like 'od'.

    Mimo od problemów...
    Mimo problemów...

    'Mimo' is a standalone preposition; it does not need 'od' or 'z' to function.

How It Connects

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mimo + GenitiveLevel 4Mimo with the Genitive

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Learn Genitive Case before Mimo With The Genitive.

Words in This Pattern

mimo