Arabic Prepositions: The Magic Bridges of Language 🌉
Imagine you have a toy box, a ball, and your favorite teddy bear. Now, how do you tell someone WHERE the ball is?
- The ball is IN the box
- The ball is ON the box
- The ball is NEAR the teddy bear
These little words—in, on, near—are called prepositions. They’re like magic bridges that connect things together and tell us WHERE something is or WHO it belongs to!
In Arabic, these magic bridges are called حُروف الجَر (huroof al-jarr). Let’s discover them together!
🎯 What Are Arabic Prepositions?
Think of prepositions as tiny direction signs. Just like road signs tell cars where to go, prepositions tell us:
- WHERE something is
- TO WHOM something belongs
- FROM WHERE something came
The cool thing? Arabic prepositions are usually just ONE or TWO letters! Super short and easy to remember.
📍 Common Prepositions (حُروف الجَر الشائعة)
Let’s meet the most important Arabic prepositions. Think of them as your new friends!
1. فِي (fee) = IN / INSIDE
The “Inside” Friend 🏠
When something is INSIDE another thing, use فِي
الكِتابُ فِي الحَقيبة
al-kitaabu fee al-haqeeba
The book is IN the bag
More Examples:
- السَمَكُ فِي الماء = The fish is in the water
- أنا فِي البَيت = I am in the house
- الطالِب فِي الفَصل = The student is in the classroom
2. عَلى (ala) = ON / UPON
The “On Top” Friend 📚
When something sits ON TOP of another thing, use عَلى
القَلَمُ عَلى الطاوِلة
al-qalamu ala at-taawila
The pen is ON the table
More Examples:
- الطائِر عَلى الشَجَرة = The bird is on the tree
- الكوب عَلى المَكتَب = The cup is on the desk
- الصورة عَلى الجِدار = The picture is on the wall
3. مِن (min) = FROM
The “Starting Point” Friend 🚀
When something comes FROM somewhere, use مِن
أنا مِن مِصر
ana min misr
I am FROM Egypt
More Examples:
- الرِسالة مِن صَديقي = The letter is from my friend
- جِئتُ مِن المَدرَسة = I came from school
- هذا مِن الطَبيعة = This is from nature
4. إلى (ila) = TO / TOWARD
The “Going There” Friend ✈️
When something goes TO somewhere, use إلى
ذَهَبتُ إلى السوق
dhahabtu ila as-sooq
I went TO the market
More Examples:
- سافَرتُ إلى باريس = I traveled to Paris
- أرسَلتُ الرِسالة إلى أُمي = I sent the letter to my mom
- المَفتاح إلى النَجاح = The key to success
5. بِ (bi) = WITH / BY
The “Together” Friend 🤝
When something is done WITH something or BY something, use بِ
كَتَبتُ بِالقَلَم
katabtu bil-qalam
I wrote WITH the pen
More Examples:
- ذَهَبتُ بِالسَيّارة = I went by car
- قَطَعتُ بِالسِكّين = I cut with the knife
- مَرحَبا بِكَ = Welcome to you (with you)
6. لِ (li) = FOR / TO (belonging)
The “For You” Friend 🎁
When something is FOR someone or belongs TO them, use لِ
هذا الكِتابُ لِأحمَد
hadha al-kitaabu li-ahmad
This book is FOR Ahmad
More Examples:
- الحَمدُ لِله = Praise is for God
- الجائِزة لِلفائِز = The prize is for the winner
- قُلتُ لَهُ = I said to him
7. عَن (an) = ABOUT / AWAY FROM
The “About” Friend 💬
When talking ABOUT something or moving AWAY FROM something, use عَن
تَكَلَّمتُ عَن الرِحلة
takallamtu an ar-rihla
I talked ABOUT the trip
More Examples:
- سَألتُ عَن الطَريق = I asked about the way
- إبتَعِد عَن النار = Stay away from fire
- الكِتاب عَن العُلوم = The book is about science
8. مَعَ (ma’a) = WITH (together)
The “Buddy” Friend 👫
When someone is together WITH someone else, use مَعَ
لَعِبتُ مَعَ صَديقي
la'ibtu ma'a sadeeqi
I played WITH my friend
More Examples:
- أنا مَعَكَ = I am with you
- ذَهَبتُ مَعَ العائِلة = I went with the family
- الله مَعَنا = God is with us
🔮 Prepositions with Pronouns (حُروف الجَر مَعَ الضَمائِر)
Here’s where the magic happens! In Arabic, we can ATTACH pronouns directly to prepositions. It’s like gluing two Lego pieces together!
The Pronoun Endings
| Person | Ending | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| أنا (I) | ـي (-i/ee) | me/my |
| أنتَ (you m.) | ـكَ (-ka) | you |
| أنتِ (you f.) | ـكِ (-ki) | you |
| هُوَ (he) | ـهُ (-hu) | him |
| هِيَ (she) | ـها (-ha) | her |
| نَحنُ (we) | ـنا (-na) | us |
| أنتُم (you pl.) | ـكُم (-kum) | you all |
| هُم (they) | ـهُم (-hum) | them |
Let’s See It In Action! 🎬
مِن (from) + Pronouns
graph TD A["مِن = FROM"] --> B["مِنّي = from me"] A --> C["مِنكَ = from you m."] A --> D["مِنهُ = from him"] A --> E["مِنها = from her"] A --> F["مِنّا = from us"] A --> G["مِنهُم = from them"]
Examples:
- الهَدِيَّة مِنّي = The gift is from me
- الرِسالة مِنهُ = The letter is from him
- تَعَلَّمتُ مِنها = I learned from her
لِ (for/to) + Pronouns
| Arabic | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| لي | lee | for me |
| لَكَ | laka | for you (m.) |
| لَكِ | laki | for you (f.) |
| لَهُ | lahu | for him |
| لَها | laha | for her |
| لَنا | lana | for us |
| لَكُم | lakum | for you all |
| لَهُم | lahum | for them |
Examples:
- هذا لي = This is for me
- الجائِزة لَهُ = The prize is for him
- قُلتُ لَها = I said to her
عَلى (on) + Pronouns
| Arabic | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| عَلَيَّ | alayya | on me |
| عَلَيكَ | alayka | on you (m.) |
| عَلَيهِ | alayhi | on him |
| عَلَيها | alayha | on her |
| عَلَينا | alayna | on us |
| عَلَيهِم | alayhim | on them |
Examples:
- السَلامُ عَلَيكُم = Peace be upon you
- الحَق عَلَيهِ = The fault is on him
- يَجِبُ عَلَينا = It is obligatory on us
فِي (in) + Pronouns
| Arabic | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| فِيَّ | fiyya | in me |
| فيكَ | feeka | in you (m.) |
| فيهِ | feehi | in him/it |
| فيها | feeha | in her/it |
| فينا | feena | in us |
| فيهِم | feehim | in them |
Examples:
- الخَير فيها = The good is in her
- ما فيهِ مُشكِلة = There’s no problem in it
- الأمَل فينا = Hope is in us
مَعَ (with) + Pronouns
| Arabic | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| مَعي | ma’ee | with me |
| مَعَكَ | ma’aka | with you (m.) |
| مَعَهُ | ma’ahu | with him |
| مَعَها | ma’aha | with her |
| مَعَنا | ma’ana | with us |
| مَعَهُم | ma’ahum | with them |
Examples:
- الله مَعي = God is with me
- هَل مَعَكَ وَقت؟ = Do you have time?
- نَحنُ مَعَكُم = We are with you
🧠 Memory Trick: The Preposition House
Imagine a HOUSE 🏠
🏠 THE HOUSE
═══════════════════
عَلى (on) → 🐦 Bird ON the roof
│
فِي (in) → 📦 Box INSIDE
│
مِن (from) → 🚪 Coming FROM the door
│
إلى (to) → 🏃 Going TO the house
│
مَعَ (with) → 👫 Friends WITH each other
│
لِ (for) → 🎁 Gift FOR someone
⚡ Quick Practice Sentences
Read these sentences and spot the prepositions:
- الوَلَد فِي الحَديقة = The boy is in the garden
- الكِتاب عَلى الرَف = The book is on the shelf
- جاءَ مِن المَدرَسة = He came from school
- ذَهَبَت إلى السوق = She went to the market
- كَتَبتُ لَها رِسالة = I wrote a letter to/for her
- تَكَلَّمنا عَنهُ = We talked about him
- لَعِبتُ مَعَهُم = I played with them
🎯 Key Takeaways
-
Prepositions are tiny but powerful — usually just 1-2 letters!
-
The 8 Most Common:
- فِي (in) | عَلى (on) | مِن (from) | إلى (to)
- بِ (with/by) | لِ (for) | عَن (about) | مَعَ (with)
-
Pronouns attach directly — Arabic glues pronouns onto prepositions!
-
Practice makes perfect — Look for prepositions in every Arabic sentence you read.
🌟 You Did It!
Now you know the magic bridges of Arabic! Every time you see these little words, you’ll know exactly what direction they’re pointing. Keep practicing, and soon using prepositions will feel as natural as breathing!
Remember: Prepositions are like GPS for your sentences — they tell everyone WHERE things are and WHO they belong to! 🗺️