Postpositions

Telugu Postpositions: The Magic Words That Tell “Where”

🎯 The Big Idea

Imagine you have a toy box. Now, where is your teddy bear?

• Inside the box?
• On top of the box?
• Next to the box?

In English, we use words like “in,” “on,” “to,” “from” before the thing we’re talking about. We call them prepositions (pre = before).

But in Telugu, something magical happens! These special words come AFTER the thing. That’s why we call them postpositions (post = after).

🌟 Simple Rule: In Telugu, first say WHAT, then say WHERE!

🏠 Location Postpositions: “Where Is It?”

These words help you answer the question: ఎక్కడ? (ekkada?) - “Where?”

Think of your house. You can describe where everything is!

లో (lō) - “In / Inside”

When something is inside another thing, use లో.

Example Story:

నా బొమ్మ పెట్టెలో ఉంది। (Nā bomma peṭṭelō undi.) “My toy is in the box.”

మీద (mīda) - “On / On top of”

When something sits on top of another thing, use మీద.

Example Story:

పిల్లి బల్ల మీద కూర్చుంది। (Pilli balla mīda kūrcundi.) “The cat is sitting on the table.”

కింద (kinda) - “Under / Below”

When something is below or underneath, use కింద.

Example Story:

కుక్క మంచం కింద దాక్కుంది। (Kukka mancam kinda dākkundi.) “The dog is hiding under the bed.”

పక్కన (pakkana) - “Beside / Next to”

When something is next to another thing, use పక్కన.

Example Story:

నా స్నేహితుడు నా పక్కన కూర్చున్నాడు। (Nā snēhituḍu nā pakkana kūrcunnāḍu.) “My friend is sitting beside me.”

ముందు (mundu) - “In front of”

When something is before or in front of you, use ముందు.

వెనుక (venuka) - “Behind”

When something is at the back or behind, use వెనుక.

graph TD
    A["🏠 House<br>ఇల్లు"] --> B["🔵 లో<br>Inside"]
    A --> C["⬆️ మీద<br>On top"]
    A --> D["⬇️ కింద<br>Under"]
    A --> E["➡️ పక్కన<br>Beside"]
    A --> F["⏩ ముందు<br>In front"]
    A --> G["⏪ వెనుక<br>Behind"]

🚗 Direction Postpositions: “Which Way?”

These words help you describe movement - where things are going to or coming from.

కి / కు (ki / ku) - “To / Towards”

When going toward a place, use కి or కు.

🎯 Quick Tip: Use కి after vowels, కు after consonants!

Example Story:

నేను బడికి వెళ్తున్నాను। (Nēnu baḍiki veḷtunnānu.) “I am going to school.”

నుండి / నుంచి (nuṇḍi / nunci) - “From”

When coming from a place, use నుండి or నుంచి.

Example Story:

నాన్న ఆఫీసు నుండి వచ్చారు। (Nānna āphīsu nuṇḍi vaccāru.) “Dad came from the office.”

వైపు (vaipu) - “Toward / In the direction of”

When pointing in a direction, use వైపు.

Example Story:

కుడి వైపు తిరగండి। (Kuḍi vaipu tiragaṇḍi.) “Turn toward the right.”

దాకా / వరకు (dākā / varaku) - “Until / Up to”

When describing how far, use దాకా or వరకు.

Example Story:

బస్ స్టేషన్ దాకా నడిచాను। (Bas sṭēṣan dākā naḍicānu.) “I walked up to the bus station.”

graph TD
    A["📍 Movement"] --> B["➡️ కి/కు<br>To"]
    A --> C["⬅️ నుండి<br>From"]
    A --> D["↗️ వైపు<br>Toward"]
    A --> E["🏁 దాకా<br>Until"]

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Relationship Postpositions: “Connected to Who?”

These words describe relationships between people or things.

తో (tō) - “With”

When you’re doing something together with someone, use తో.

Example Story:

నేను అమ్మతో మార్కెట్‌కు వెళ్ళాను। (Nēnu ammatō mārkeṭku veḷḷānu.) “I went to the market with mom.”

కోసం (kōsam) - “For”

When something is meant for someone, use కోసం.

Example Story:

ఈ బహుమతి నీ కోసం। (Ī bahumati nī kōsam.) “This gift is for you.”

గురించి (gurin̄ci) - “About”

When talking about something, use గురించి.

Example Story:

టీచర్ భారతదేశం గురించి చెప్పారు। (Ṭīcar bhāratadēśam gurin̄ci ceppāru.) “The teacher told about India.”

వల్ల (valla) - “Because of”

When something happened due to a cause, use వల్ల.

Example Story:

వర్షం వల్ల ఆట ఆగిపోయింది। (Varṣam valla āṭa āgipōyindi.) “The game stopped because of rain.”

లాగా (lāgā) - “Like / Similar to”

When comparing to something else, use లాగా.

Example Story:

ఆమె నక్షత్రం లాగా మెరుస్తోంది। (Āme nakṣatram lāgā merustōndi.) “She shines like a star.”

graph TD
    A["🤝 Relationships"] --> B["👥 తో<br>With"]
    A --> C["🎁 కోసం<br>For"]
    A --> D["💬 గురించి<br>About"]
    A --> E["🔗 వల్ల<br>Because of"]
    A --> F["✨ లాగా<br>Like"]

🧠 The Golden Pattern

Remember this simple formula:

[NOUN] + [POSTPOSITION] = Location/Direction/Relationship

🌟 Remember: Telugu is like a train - the engine (postposition) comes AFTER the carriages (noun)!

🎉 You Did It!

You’ve just learned the three families of Telugu postpositions:

1. Location - Where something IS (లో, మీద, కింద, పక్కన, ముందు, వెనుక)
2. Direction - Where something is GOING (కి/కు, నుండి, వైపు, దాకా)
3. Relationship - How things are CONNECTED (తో, కోసం, గురించి, వల్ల, లాగా)

Now you can describe your whole world in Telugu!