What it is done with: the preposition bi glues to the word
Other languages cut "with a knife" with a case ending; Arabic cuts it with the preposition bi. The preposition glues onto the word like a hyphen: "bi-s-sikkiin" — with the knife, "bi-l-miftaah" — with the key. No special ending is needed — there is a short tool-word. For example: “يكتب بالقلم القديم” — He writes with the old pen. A rule from the Arabic course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
Other languages cut "with a knife" with a case ending; Arabic cuts it with the preposition bi. The preposition glues onto the word like a hyphen: "bi-s-sikkiin" — with the knife, "bi-l-miftaah" — with the key. No special ending is needed — there is a short tool-word.
After "bi" the article either merges into "l" or dissolves into the first letter of the word. So "bi-l-habl" — with the rope, where the letter h is deaf to the merging. But "bi-s-silk" — with the wire. Here the "s" of the wire and the "s" of the preposition have merged into one. A double "s-s" at the seam is not a slip of the tongue — it is assimilation.
The same "bi" answers "with what", "how" and "about what": "bi-l-lams" — by touch, literally "by the touching"; "bi-jidd" — seriously, earnestly. One preposition — three English questions.
By example
- يكتب بالقلم القديمйяктуб би-ль-калям аль-кадиимHe writes with the old pen
- فتح الصندوق بالمفتاحфатах ас-сандуук би-ль-мифтаахHe opened the box with the key
- ربط الحبل بالسلكрабатт аль-хабль би-с-салькHe tied the rope with the wire
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
The preposition bi in Arabic?
Other languages cut "with a knife" with a case ending; Arabic cuts it with the preposition bi. The preposition glues onto the word like a hyphen: "bi-s-sikkiin" — with the knife, "bi-l-miftaah" — with the key. No special ending is needed — there is a short tool-word.
How to say with a knife in Arabic?
Other languages cut "with a knife" with a case ending; Arabic cuts it with the preposition bi. The preposition glues onto the word like a hyphen: "bi-s-sikkiin" — with the knife, "bi-l-miftaah" — with the key. No special ending is needed — there is a short tool-word.
Bi-l assimilation in Arabic?
Other languages cut "with a knife" with a case ending; Arabic cuts it with the preposition bi. The preposition glues onto the word like a hyphen: "bi-s-sikkiin" — with the knife, "bi-l-miftaah" — with the key. No special ending is needed — there is a short tool-word.
Bi vs li in Arabic?
Other languages cut "with a knife" with a case ending; Arabic cuts it with the preposition bi. The preposition glues onto the word like a hyphen: "bi-s-sikkiin" — with the knife, "bi-l-miftaah" — with the key. No special ending is needed — there is a short tool-word.
What does it look like in a Arabic example sentence?
“يكتب بالقلم القديم” (йяктуб би-ль-калям аль-кадиим) — He writes with the old pen. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.