There are two types of prepositions in Arabic: primary (or true) prepositions and secondary prepositions.
1. Primary (or true) prepositions: These prepositions are not derived from a consonantal root and cannot be preceded by another preposition. They are sometimes used to form a prepositional verb, e.g., سـاهَـمَ فـي (sāhama fī) ‘he contributed to,’ عَـبَّـرَ عَـنْ (‘abbara ‘an) ‘he expressed,’ etc. In Arabic, these prepositions are called حُـروف الْـجَـرّ (ḥurūf al-jarr).
2. Secondary prepositions: Most of these prepositions are adverbs of place and time that arise from a tri-consonantal root. They can sometimes be preceded by another preposition, e.g., مِـنْ فَـوْقِ (min fawqi) ‘from above,’ إِلـى داخِـلِ (’ilā dākhili) ‘to the inside of,’ etc.
From a grammatical perspective, the noun that follows a preposition is مَـجْـرور (majrūr) ‘genitive.’ In some cases, a preposition may be followed by a conjunction, such as أَنْ (’an) or أَنَّ (’anna), meaning ‘that.’ We will discuss conjunctions in greater detail in Lesson 6 of this level.
Primary Prepositions in Arabic
The most common primary prepositions in Arabic are:
| Prep. | Meaning | Examples |
| مِـنْ min | from | سافَـرْتُ مِـنْ لَـنْـدَنْ إِلـى كـورِيـا٠ sāfartu min landan ’ilā kūriyā. I traveled from London to Korea. |
| of | هـذا يُـعْـتَـبَـرُ جُـزْءًا مِـن الْـمُـشْـكِـلَـةِ٠ hādhā yu‘tabaru juz’an min al-mush kilah. This is considered part of the problem. | |
| than | لَـنْ أَنْـتَـظِـرَ أَكْـثَـرَ مِـنْ خَـمْـسِ دَقـائِـق٠ lan ’antaẓira ’akthara min khamsi daqā’iq. I will not wait for more than five minutes. | |
| إِلـى ’ilā | to | أَذْهَـبُ إِلـى الـمَـدْرَسَـةِ فـي الـصَّـبـاحِ٠ ’adh habu ’ilā -l-madrasati fī -ṣ-ṣabāḥ. I go to school in the morning. |
| into | أَحْـتـاجُ إِلـى تَـرْجَـمَـةِ الـمَـقـالِ إلـى الـعَـرَبِـيَّـةِ٠ ’aḥtāju ’ilā tarjamati -l-maqāli ’ilā -l-‘arabiyyah. I need to translate the article into Arabic. | |
| عَـنْ ‘an | about | سَـمِـعْــتُـهُـمْ يَـتَـحَـدَّثـونَ عَـنْ ذلِـكَ الـرَّجُـلِ٠ sami‘tuhum yataḥaddathūna ‘an dhālika -r-rajul. I heard them talking about that man. |
| عَـلـى ‘alā | on | وَضَـعَ أَخـي الْـمِـفْـتـاحَ عَـلـى الـطّـاوِلَـةِ٠ waḍa‘a ’akhī -l-miftāḥa ‘alā -ṭ-ṭāwilah. My brother put the key on the table. |
| فـي fī | in | الْـقِـطَّـةُ فــي الـصُّـنْـدوقِ٠ al-qiṭṭatu fī -ṣ-ṣundūq. The cat (is) in the box. |
| at | قـابَـلْـتُ صَـديـقـي فــي الـلَّـيْـلِ فــي الـمَـقْـهـى٠ qābaltu ṣadīqī fī -l-masā’i fī -l-maqhā. I met my friend at night at the coffee shop. | |
| on | أَنـا فــي الـبـاص٠ سـأُقـابِـلُـكَ فــي الـحَـرَمِ الـجـامِـعِـيّ٠ ’anā fī -l-bāṣ. sa-’uqābiluka fī -l-ḥarami -l-jāmi‘iyy. I am on the bus. I will meet you on campus. | |
| per | يَـقـودُ بِـسُـرْعَـةِ سِـتّـيـنَ كـيـلومِـتْـرًا فــي الـسّـاعَـةِ٠ yaqūdu bi-sur‘ati sittīna kīlūmitran fī -s-sā‘ah. He drives at a speed of 60 kilometers per hour. | |
| (1) مُـنْـذُ mundhu | since | مُـنْـذُ طُـفـولَـتِـهِ يُـحِـبُّ كُـرَةَ الـقَـدَمِ٠ mundhu ṭufūlatihi yuḥibbu kurata -l-qadam. Since his childhood, he has loved soccer. |
| حَـتَّـى ḥattā | until | واصَـلْـتُ الْـمَـشْـيَ حَـتّـى آخِــرِ الـطَّـريـقِ٠ wāṣaltu -l-mashya ḥattā ’ākhiri -ṭ-ṭarīq. I kept walking until the end of the road. |
| (2) بِـ٠٠٠ bi… | in | وَجَـدْنـا مَـسْـجِـدًا بِــمَـنْـطِـقَـةٍ قَـريـبَـةٍ٠ wajadnā masjidan bi-manṭiqatin qarībah. We found a mosque in a nearby area. |
| at | قـابَـلْـتُ صَـديـقـي بِــالْـمَـقْـهـى٠ qābaltu ṣadīqī bi-l-maqhā. I met my friend at the coffee shop. | |
| on | الْـمَـحَـلُّ بِــالـشّـارِعِ الْـقَـريبِ مِـنْ بَـيْـتـيَ٠ al-maḥallu bi-sh-shāri‘i -l-qarībi min baytī. The shop (is) on the street near my house. | |
| by | ذَهَـبْـتُ إِلـى الـسّـوقِ بِــالـسَّـيّـارَة٠ dhahabtu ’ilā -s-sūqi bi-s-sayyārah. I went to the market by car. | |
| per | أَنْـهَـيْـتُ ثَـلاثـيـنَ بِــالْـمِـئَـةِ مِـنَ الْـعَـمَـلِ٠ ’anhaytu thalāthīna bi-l-mi’ati min al-‘amal. I finished thirty percent of the work. | |
| كَـ٠٠٠ ka… | like | يُـمْـكِـنُـكَ زِيـارَةُ بَـلَـدٍ عَــرَبِـيٍّ كَــالْـعِـراقِ٠ yumkinuka ziyāratu baladin ‘arabiyyin ka-l-‘irāq. You can visit an Arab country like Iraq. |
| as | يَـعْـمَـلُ كَــمُـديـرٍ فـي شَـرِكَـةِ اسْـتِـثْـمـارٍ٠ ya‘malu ka-mudīrin fī sharikati -stithmār. He works as a manager in an investment company. | |
| (3) لِـ٠٠٠ li… | because of, for | غـادَرَ بِـسُـرْعَـةٍ لِــسَـبَـبٍ لا أَعْـلَـمُـهُ٠ ghādara bi-sur‘atin li-sababin lā ’a‘lamuh. He left early for a reason that I do not know. |
| of | الْـمُـحـاضَـرَةُ كـانَـتْ شَـرحًـا لِــنَـفْـسِ الْـكِـتـابِ٠ al-muḥāḍaratu kānat sharḥan li-nafsi -l-kitāb. The lecture was an explanation of the same book. | |
| to | أَذْهَــبُ لِــلْـمَـدْرَسَـةِ فـي الـصَّـبـاحِ٠ ’adh habu li-l-madrasati fī -ṣ-ṣabāḥ. I go to school in the morning. | |
| into | أَحْـتـاجُ إِلـى تَـرْجَـمَـةِ الْـمَـقـالِ لِــلْـعَـرَبِـيَّـةِ٠ ’aḥtāju ’ilā tarjamati -l-maqāli li-l-‘arabiyyah. I need to translate the article into Arabic. |
(1) A less common alternative that has the same meaning is مُــذْ (mudh).
(2)In many regional dialects, people do not make a distinction between فـي (fī) and بِـ٠٠٠ (bi…) and use the two prepositions in Arabic interchangeably in most contexts.
(3)In many regional dialects, people do not make a distinction between إِلـى (’ilā) and لِـ٠٠٠ (li…) and use the two prepositions in Arabic interchangeably in most contexts.
Notice that the prepositions بِـ٠٠٠ (bi…), كَـ٠٠٠ (ka…), and لِـ٠٠٠ (li…) attach to the noun that follows the preposition.
The following three prepositions are used in Arabic to take an oath:
| وَ wa | وَرَبِّ الْـكَـعْـبَـةِ سَـأَقـولُ الـصِّـدْقَ٠ wa-rabbi -l-ka‘bati sa-’aqūlu -ṣ-ṣidq. By the Lord of the Kaaba, I will tell the truth. |
| بِـ٠٠٠ bi… | بِـاللّـهِ هَـلْ هـذا صَـحـيـحٌ؟ bi-llāhi hal hādhā ṣaḥīḥ? By God, is that true? |
| تَـ٠٠٠ ta… | تَــاللّـهِ مـا كُـنّـا نَـعْـلَـمُ٠ ta-llāhi mā kunnā na‘lam. By God, we didn’t know. |
Among the three oath prepositions in Arabic, وَ (wa) is the most commonly used, whereas تَـ٠٠٠ (ta…) is rarely used today and can only be used with the word اللّـه (Allāh) ‘God.’
Swearing by God is deeply rooted in Arabic culture. Do not be surprised if you ask someone كَـيْـفَ حــالُـكَ؟ (kayfa ḥāluka) ‘How are you?’ and they respond وَاللّـهِ بِـخَـيْـرٍ (wa-llāhi bi-khayr) ‘By God, I’m good.’
Another primary preposition that is used only in formal speech is رُبَّ (rubba). Depending on the context, it can indicate either abundance or scarcity. For example:
| Arabic Proverb: رُبَّ ضـارَّةٍ نـافِـعَـةٍ٠ rubba ḍārratin nāfi‘ah. Often, a harmful thing may turn out to be beneficial. Explanation: ضـارَّة (ḍārrah) means “harmful” and نـافِـعَـة (nāfi‘ah) means “beneficial.” The closest English proverb to this Arabic proverb is: Every cloud has a silver lining. |
In addition, there are prepositional verbs that require a specific primary preposition to form complete expressions. For example:
| فَـكّـرَ فـي fakkara fī he thought of | فَـكّـرَ فـي الـسَّـفَـرِ فـي الـصَّـيْـف٠ fakkara fī -s-safari fī -ṣ-ṣayf. He thought of traveling in the summer. |
| اِعْـتَـنـى بِـ٠٠٠ i‘tanā bi… he took care of | اِعْـتَـنـى بِــحَـديـقَـةِ الْـمَـنْـزِل٠ i‘tanā bi-ḥadīqati -l-manzil. He took care of the home garden. |
| سـاعَـدَ فـي sā‘ada fī he helped with | سـاعَـدَ فـي تَـحْـضـيـرِ الـطَّـعـامِ٠ sā‘ada fī -t-taḥḍīri -ṭ-ṭa‘ām. He helped with food preparation. |
Secondary Prepositions in Arabic
The following are the most common secondary prepositions in Arabic:
| Prep. | Meaning | Examples |
| فَـوْقَ fawqa | above, on | الْـمِـفْـتـاحُ فَـوْقَ الـطّـاوِلَـةِ٠ al-miftāḥu fawqa -ṭ-ṭāwilah(-ti). The key (is) above the table. |
| تَـحْـتَ taḥta | under | الْـقِـطُّ تَـحْـتَ الْـكُـرْسِـيِّ٠ al-qiṭṭu taḥta -l-kursiyy(i). The cat (is) under the chair. |
| أَمـامَ ’amāma | in front of | أَنـا أَمـامَ الْـمَـدْرَسَـةِ٠ ’anā ’amāma -l-madrasah(-ti). I (am) in front of the school. |
| وَراءَ warā’a | behind | الـشَّـجَـرَةُ وَراءَ الْـمَـنْـزِلِ٠ ash-shajaratu warā’a -l-manzil(i). The tree is behind the house. |
| خَـلْـفَ khalfa | behind | الـشَّـجَـرَةُ خَـلْـفَ الْـمَـنْـزِلِ٠ ash-shajaratu khalfa -l-manzil(i). The tree is behind the house. |
| بَـيْـنَ bayna | between, among | الـطّـائِـرُعـالِـقٌ بَـيْـنَ الْأَغْـصـانِ٠ aṭ-ṭā’iru ‘āliqun bayna -l-’aghṣān(i). The bird (is) stuck between the branches. |
| حَـوْلَ ḥawla | around, about | الـنِّـقـاشُ حَـوْلَ تِـلْـكَ الْـحـادِثَـةِ انْـتَـهـى٠ an-niqāshu ḥawla tilka -l-ḥādithati -ntahā. The debate about that incident has ended. |
| خِـلالَ khilāla | during, through | خِـلالَ الْـمُـفـاوَضـاتِ نـوقِـشَـتْ كُـلُّ الْـمَـواضـيـعِ٠ khilāla -l-mufāwḍāti nūqishat kullu -l-mawāḍī‘. During the negotiations, all topics were discussed. |
| نَـحْـوَ naḥwa | towards | رَكَـضَ الـرَّجُـلُ نَـحْـوَ الْـمَـخْـرَجِ٠ rakaḍa -r-rajulu naḥwa -l-makhraj(i). The man ran towards the exit. |
| ضِــدَّ ḍidda | against | أَنـا ضِـدَّ الـظُّـلْـمِ٠ ’anā ḍidda -ẓ-ẓulm(i). I (am) against injustice. |
| مَــعَ ma‘a | with | الْـوَلَـدُ يَـتَـحَـدَّثُ مَـعَ صَـديـقِـهِ٠ al-waladu yataḥaddathu ma‘a ṣadīqih. The boy speaks with his friend. |
| قَـبْـلَ qabla | before | سَـأَتَّـصِـلُ بِـكَ قَـبْـلَ أَنْ أُغـادِرَ٠ sa-’attaṣilu bika qabla ’an ’ughādir. I will call you before I leave. |
| بَـعْـدَ ba‘da | after | نِـمْـتُ بَـعْـدَ الْـغَـداءِ الْـيَـوْم٠ nimtu ba‘da -l-ghadā’i -l-yawm. I slept after lunch today. |
| داخِـلَ dākhila | inside | الْـكُـرَةُ داخِـلَ الـصُّـنْـدوقِ٠ al-kuratu dākhila -ṣ-ṣundūq(i). The ball (is) inside the box. |
| خـارِجَ khārija | outside | الْـمِـرْآبُ خـارِجَ مَـرْكَـزِ الـتَّـسَـوُّقِ٠ al-mir’ābu khārija markazi -t-tasawwuq. The garage (is) outside the shopping mall. |
| دونَ dūna | without | الـسَّـمَـكَـةُ لا تَـسْـتَـطـيـعُ الْـعَـيْـشَ دونَ مـاءٍ٠ as-samakatu lā tastaṭī‘u -l-‘aysha dūna mā’(in). The fish cannot live without water. |
| بِـدونِ bi-dūni | without | الـسَّـمَـكَـةُ لا تَـسْـتَـطـيـعُ الْـعَـيْـشَ بِـدونِ مـاءٍ٠ as-samakatu lā tastaṭī‘u -l-‘aysha bi–dūni mā’(in). The fish cannot live without water. |
| لَـدى ladā | at, upon, when | كـانَ حَـزيـنًـا لَـدى سَـمـاعِـهِ الْأَخْـبـارَ٠ kāna ḥazīnan ladā samā‘ihi -l-’akhbār. He was sad upon hearing the news. |
| عِـنْـدَ ‘inda | at, upon, when | الْـتَـقَـيْـتُ بِـهِ عِـنْـدَ مَـدْخَـلِ الْـمَـبْـنـى٠ iltaqaytu bihi ‘inda madkhali -l-mabnā. I met him at the entrance of the building. |
| مِـثْـلَ mithla | like, such as | حـاوِلْ أَنْ تُـمـارِسَ رِيـاضَـةً مِـثْـلَ الْـجَـرْيِ٠ ḥāwil ’an tumārisa riyāḍatan mithla -l-jary(i). Try doing a sport, such as running. |
Notice that most secondary prepositions are adverbs of place or time.
Prepositions Followed by Attached Personal Pronouns
Most prepositions can be followed by an attached personal pronoun. Here are examples using the prepositions عَـــنْ (‘an), فــي (fī), and بِـ٠٠٠ (bi… in Arabic):
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |
| 1st person (m/f) | عَـنّـي، فـيَّ، بـي ‘annī, fiyya, bī | عَـنّــا، فـيـنـا، بِـنـا ‘annā, fīnā, binā | |
| 2nd person masculine | عَـنْـكَ، فـيـكَ، بِــكَ ‘anka, fīka, bika | عَـنْـكُما، فـيكُـما، بِـكُـما ‘ankumā, fīkumā, bikumā | عَـنْـكُـمْ، فـيـكُـمْ، بِـكُـمْ ‘ankum, fīkum, bikum |
| 2nd person feminine | عَـنْـكِ، فـيـكِ، بِــكِ ‘anki, fīki, biki | عَـنْكُـنَّ، فـيكُـنَّ، بِكُـنَّ ‘ankunna, fīkunna, bikunna | |
| 3rd person masculine | عَـنْـهُ، فـيـهِ، بِــهِ ‘anhu, fīhi, bihi | عَـنْـهُما، فـيـهِما، بِـهِـمـا ‘anhumā, fīhimā, bihimā | عَـنْـهُـمْ، فـيـهِـمْ، بِــهِـمْ ‘anhum, fīhim, bihim |
| 3rd person feminine | عَـنْـهـا، فـيـهـا، بِــهـا ‘anhā, fīhā, bihā | عَـنْـهُـنَّ، فـيـهِـنَّ، بِــهِـنَّ ‘anhunna, fīhinna, bihinna | |
Prepositions that end with ى (’alif maqṣūrah) change their final letter into ي (yā’) ‘y.’ In the first person, the suffix has a شَـدَّة (shaddah). Here are examples using the prepositions إِلـى (’ilā), عَـلـى (‘alā), and لَـدى (ladā):
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |
| 1st person (m/f) | إِلَـيَّ، عَـلَـيَّ، لَـدَيَّ ’ilayya, ‘alayya, ladayya | إِلَـيْـنـا، عَـلَـيْـنـا، لَـدَيْـنـا ’ilaynā, ‘alaynā, ladaynā | |
| 2nd person masculine | إِلَـيْـكَ، عَـلَيْـكَ، لَـدَيْكَ ’ilayka, ‘alayka, ladayka | إِلَـيْكُما، عَـلَيْكُما، لَـدَيْكُما ’ilaykumā, ‘alaykumā, ladaykumā | إِلَـيْـكُـمْ، عَلَيْكُـمْ، لَدَيْكُمْ ’ilaykum, ‘alaykum, ladaykum |
| 2nd person feminine | إِلَـيْـكِ، عَـلَيْـكِ، لَـدَيْـكِ ’ilayki, ‘alayki, ladayki | إِلَـيْكُنَّ، عَـلَيْكُنَّ، لَـدَيْكُنَّ ’ilaykunna, ‘alaykunna, ladaykunna | |
| 3rd person masculine | إِلَـيْـهِ، عَـلَيْـهِ، لَـدَيْـهِ ’ilayhi, ‘alayhi, ladayhi | إِلَـيْـهِمـا، عَـلَيْـهِمـا، لَـدَيْـهِمـا ’ilayhimā, ‘alayhimā, ladayhimā | إِلَـيْهِـمْ، عَـلَيْهِمْ، لَـدَيْهِـمْ ’ilayhim, ‘alayhim, ladayhim |
| 3rd person feminine | إِلَـيْـهـا، عَـلَيْهـا، لَـدَيْهـا ’ilayhā, ‘alayhā, ladayhā | إِلَـيْـهِـنَّ، عَـلَيْـهِـنَّ، لَـدَيْـهِـنَّ ’ilayhinna, ‘alayhinna, ladayhinna | |
Here are some examples in context:
| سَـأخْـبِـرُكَ عَـنّـي sa-’ukhbiruka ‘annī I will tell you about myself | سَـمِـعْـتُ مِـنْـكُـنَّ sami‘tu minkunn(a) I heard from you (all – female) |
| أَرْسَـلَـهَـا إِلَـيَّ ’arsalahā ’ilayy(a) He sent it to me | لا يـوجَـدُ مـاءٌ فـيـهِ lā yūjadu mā’un fīh(i) There is no water in it |
| لَـدَيْـكَ وَقْــتٌ ladayka waqt(un) You have time | الـثَّـلّاجَـةُ يـوجَـدُ بِــهـا مـاءٌ ath-thallājatu yūjadu bihā mā’ The fridge, there is water in it |
Prepositions Meaning “To Have”
The following prepositions in Arabic can mean “to have” as illustrated in these examples:
| لَـدى ladā | لَـدى الـرَّجُـلِ مَـالٌ كَـثِـيـرٌ٠ ladā -r-rajuli mālun kathīr. The man has a lot of money. |
| عِـنْـدَ ‘inda | عِـنْـدي سَـيّـارَةٌ صَـغـيـرَةٌ ٠ ‘indī sayyāratun ṣaghīrah. I have a small car. |
| لِـ٠٠٠ li… | بـابٌ لِــلْـبَـيْـتِ كَـبـيـرٌ٠ li-l-bayti bābun kabīr. The house has a large door. |
In general, the preposition لِـ٠٠٠ (li…) indicates inalienable (obligatory) possession, whereas لَـدى (ladā) and عِـنْـدَ (‘inda) indicate alienable (transferable or non-obligatory) possession.
When referring to temporary possession of an object at a specific point in time, the preposition مَـعَ (ma‘a) ‘with’ can be used, e.g., مَــعــي قَــلَــمٌ (ma‘ī qalam) ‘I have (with me) a pen.’
As we have seen earlier, both لَـدى (ladā) and عِـنْـدَ (‘inda) can also serve as adverbs of place or time. For example:
| لَـدى وُصـولِـهِ ladā wuṣūlih(i) upon his arrival | عِـنْـدَ الـبـابِ ‘inda -l-bāb(i) at the door |
Other Uses of حَـتَّـى (ḥattā)
In addition to its use as a preposition, meaning “until” when followed by a noun, حَـتَّـى (ḥattā) can also be followed by a verb. For example:
| عَـمِـلَ حَـتّـى تَـعِـبَ٠ ‘amila ḥattā ta‘ib(a). Heworked until he got tired. | اِنْـتَـظَـرْتُ حَـتّـى غـادَرَ٠ intaẓartu ḥattā ghādar(a). I waited until he left. |
Another usage of حَـتَّـى (ḥattā) is as a conjunction meaning “even.” For example:
| حَـتَّـى عِـنْـدَمـا ٠٠٠ ḥattā ‘indamā … even when … | حَـتَّـى لَـوْ ٠٠٠ ḥattā law … even if … |
The word حَـتَّـى (ḥattā) can also mean “so that” or “in order that.” For example:
| اِسْـمَـعْ حَـتّـى تَـفْـهَـمَ٠ isma‘ ḥattā tafham(a). Listen so that you understand. | حَـتَّـى يَـتَـمَـكَّـنَ مِـن الـنَّـوْمِ ḥattā yatamakkana min an-nawm so that he can sleep |
An alternative to حَـتَّـى (ḥattā) that means “so that” or “in order that” is مِــنْ أَجْــلِ أَنْ (min ’ajli ’an). For example:
| اِسْـمَـعْ مِـنْ أَجْـلِ أَنْ تَـفْـهَـمَ٠ isma‘ min ’ajli ’an tafham(a). Listen so that you understand. | مِـنْ أَجْـلِ أَنْ يَـتَـمَـكَّـنَ مِـن الـنَّـوْمِ min ’ajli ’an yatamakkana min an-nawm so that he can sleep |
Other lessons in Level IV: