Where, where to, from where: fii, ilaa, min and the article
Place rests on three prepositions. Fii — where: "fii al-bayt" — in the house. Ilaa — where to: "ilaa al-madrasa" — to the school. Min — from where: "min al-suuq" — from the market. The English "to" splits its work between fii and ilaa, and they are held strictly: where — fii, where to — ilaa. Mixing them is like saying "I am going to school at". For example: “المدرسة عبر الشارع، والمكتبة أمام البنك” — The school is…
How it works
Place rests on three prepositions. Fii — where: "fii al-bayt" — in the house. Ilaa — where to: "ilaa al-madrasa" — to the school. Min — from where: "min al-suuq" — from the market. The English "to" splits its work between fii and ilaa, and they are held strictly: where — fii, where to — ilaa. Mixing them is like saying "I am going to school at".
The exact landmarks go in a separate row: amaam — in front, khalf — behind, bijaanib — at the side, qurb — near, ʿibr — across. The article comes with them in a link: "al-" at moon letters, assimilation at sun letters — "ash-shaariʿ", "at-tarii". But "al-hadiis" and "al-hadiiqa" keep it whole: h does not assimilate.
The limit of the way sets hattaa — until: "hattaa nihaayat ash-shaariʿ" — to the end of the street. Distance is answered with a phrase of time: "ʿashar daqaaʾiq alaa al-aqdaam" — ten minutes on foot. The "far" of other languages is measured here in minutes, not kilometers.
Table
| preposition | sense | example | reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| في | where | في الزاوية | fii az-zaawiya |
| إلى | where to | إلى المدرسة | ilaa al-madrasa |
| من | from where | من المطار | min al-mataar |
| على | on / along | على طول الشارع | alaa tuul ash-shaariʿ |
| أمام | opposite | أمام البنك | amaam al-bank |
| خلف | behind | خلف البيت | khalf al-bayt |
| بجانب | at the side of | بجانب إشارة المرور | bijaanib ishaarat al-muruur |
| قرب | near | قرب المساء | qurb al-masaaʾ |
| عبر | across | عبر الشارع | ʿibr ash-shaariʿ |
| حتى | until | حتى نهاية الشارع | hattaa nihaayat ash-shaariʿ |
By example
- المدرسة عبر الشارع، والمكتبة أمام البنكаль-мадраса ʿибра аш-шаариʿ, ва-ль-мактаба амаам аль-банкThe school is across the street, and the library is opposite the bank
- امشي على طول الشارع حتى نهايتهамший аля тууль аш-шаариʿ хатта нихаятихиWalk along the street to its end
- إلى المحطة عشر دقائق على الأقدامиля аль-махатта ʿашар дакааʿик аля аль-акдаамThe station is ten minutes on foot
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
Fii vs ilaa in Arabic?
Place rests on three prepositions. Fii — where: "fii al-bayt" — in the house. Ilaa — where to: "ilaa al-madrasa" — to the school. Min — from where: "min al-suuq" — from the market. The English "to" splits its work between fii and ilaa, and they are held strictly: where — fii, where to — ilaa.…
How to say across the street in Arabic?
The limit of the way sets hattaa — until: "hattaa nihaayat ash-shaariʿ" — to the end of the street. Distance is answered with a phrase of time: "ʿashar daqaaʾiq alaa al-aqdaam" — ten minutes on foot. The "far" of other languages is measured here in minutes, not kilometers.
When the article assimilates in Arabic?
The exact landmarks go in a separate row: amaam — in front, khalf — behind, bijaanib — at the side, qurb — near, ʿibr — across. The article comes with them in a link: "al-" at moon letters, assimilation at sun letters — "ash-shaariʿ", "at-tarii". But "al-hadiis" and "al-hadiiqa" keep it whole: h…
How to say to the end of the street in Arabic?
The limit of the way sets hattaa — until: "hattaa nihaayat ash-shaariʿ" — to the end of the street. Distance is answered with a phrase of time: "ʿashar daqaaʾiq alaa al-aqdaam" — ten minutes on foot. The "far" of other languages is measured here in minutes, not kilometers.
What does it look like in a Arabic example sentence?
“المدرسة عبر الشارع، والمكتبة أمام البنك” (аль-мадраса ʿибра аш-шаариʿ, ва-ль-мактаба амаам аль-банк) — The school is across the street, and the library is opposite the bank. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.