Where and where to: the prepositions of place
The preposition is set BEFORE the word, and the article does not vanish. "Fii al-ghurfa" — in the room; "ilaa al-madiina" — to the city. Listen to the seam: the preposition and the article make an "l" that merges with the sun letter. "Fii as-suuq" — at the market. For example: “القط في الغرفة، والكلب في الخارج” — The cat is in the room, and the dog is outside. A rule from the Arabic course: worked out on examples…
How it works
The preposition is set BEFORE the word, and the article does not vanish. "Fii al-ghurfa" — in the room; "ilaa al-madiina" — to the city. Listen to the seam: the preposition and the article make an "l" that merges with the sun letter. "Fii as-suuq" — at the market.
The verb of motion changes the preposition: to stand — "fii", to go — "ilaa". "On" for a horizontal surface — "alaa", "under" — "taht", "above" — "fawqa". And "at, by" — ʿinda: "ʿinda al-baab" — by the door.
From where — "min": "min al-ghaaba" — from the forest. Between — "bayn": "bayn al-buyuut" — between the houses. The eight prepositions of this lesson close almost any "where?".
Table
| question | preposition | reading | example | in English |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| where? inside | في | fii | في الغرفة | in the room |
| where to? | إلى | ilaa | إلى الغرفة | into the room |
| where? on | على | alaa | على الطاولة | on the table |
| where? under | تحت | tahta | تحت الطاولة | under the table |
| where? above | فوق | fawqa | فوق الخزانة | above the cupboard |
| where? by | عند | ʿinda | عند الباب | by the door |
| from where? | من | min | من الغابة | from the forest |
| where? between | بين | bayn | بين البيوت | between the houses |
By example
- القط في الغرفة، والكلب في الخارجаль-катт фи аль-гурфа, ва-ль-кальб фи аль-хаариджThe cat is in the room, and the dog is outside
- ذهبنا إلى المدينة عبر الطريق الجديدзахабна иля аль-мадина ʿабр ат-таарик аль-джадидWe went to the city by the new road
- القطة تحت الطاولة والطائر فوق الخزانةаль-китта таха ат-таавиля ва-т-тааʾир фаука аль-хизаанаThe cat is under the table, and the bird is above the cupboard
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
Where and where to in Arabic?
The preposition is set BEFORE the word, and the article does not vanish. "Fii al-ghurfa" — in the room; "ilaa al-madiina" — to the city. Listen to the seam: the preposition and the article make an "l" that merges with the sun letter. "Fii as-suuq" — at the market.
Fii vs ilaa prepositions of place?
The verb of motion changes the preposition: to stand — "fii", to go — "ilaa". "On" for a horizontal surface — "alaa", "under" — "taht", "above" — "fawqa". And "at, by" — ʿinda: "ʿinda al-baab" — by the door.
How to say under the table in Arabic?
The preposition is set BEFORE the word, and the article does not vanish. "Fii al-ghurfa" — in the room; "ilaa al-madiina" — to the city. Listen to the seam: the preposition and the article make an "l" that merges with the sun letter. "Fii as-suuq" — at the market.
How to say from the forest in Arabic?
From where — "min": "min al-ghaaba" — from the forest. Between — "bayn": "bayn al-buyuut" — between the houses. The eight prepositions of this lesson close almost any "where?"
What does it look like in a Arabic example sentence?
“القط في الغرفة، والكلب في الخارج” (аль-катт фи аль-гурфа, ва-ль-кальб фи аль-хааридж) — The cat is in the room, and the dog is outside. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.