• Prepositions are very important words in any language.
• Today, we are going to learn the Arabic prepositions and their meanings.
• Arabic prepositions are Mabni words كلمات مبنية which means that they mostly have a fixed pronunciation regardless of their position in the sentence.
• These nouns also inflect the noun that follows them and cause it to end in a Kasrah.
• There are about twenty one prepositions mentioned by the famous Arab grammarian; Ibn Maalik in these two grammar verses:

هــاك حــروف الـجـــر و هــــي : مِـِن , إلى             حتـّى , خلا , حاشا , عدا , في , عن , على

مـُـذ , مـُـنذ , رُبّ , اللام , كي , واو , و تا             و الــكــاف , و الــبـــاء , و لعــل , و مـتـى

* Now, we are going to discuss the meanings and uses of some common ones:

1) مِــن  = (from or some of or one of)

– This prepositions refers to initiating an action from some place or it can mean “some of“.

– It can also refer to the gender or species meaning “one of“.

Ex. – مشيتُ من بيتي إلى المدرسة.  = I walked from my home to school.

–   أنفقتُ مِـن مدخراتي.= I spent from (= some of) my savings.

–  قابلتُ واحداً من الأسودِ  = I met one of the lions.

2) إلى  = (to or at)

– This preposition refers to the destination.

Ex. – وصلَ القطارُ إلى المحطةِ  = The train arrived at (got to) the station.

3)  عـَـن  = (about)

– This preposition means about or away from something or someone.

Ex. – قرأتُ كتاباً عـن نجيب محفوظ = I read a book about Naguib Mahfouz.

– مشيتُ بعيداً عن الحشائش  = I walked away from grass.

4) على  = (on)

– This preposition refers to the top place of something and means on.

Ex. – الكتابُ على المكتبِ  = The book is on the desk.

5)  في  = (in)

– This preposition refers to something happening inside.

Ex.  – يوجد القليل من الطلابِ في الفصلِ   = There are a few students in the classroom.

6)  الباء  = (by or with or in or at)

– This preposition can refer to the reason meaning “by” or it can mean “with“.

– It can also refer to the place meaning “in or at“.

Ex.  –  تنجحُ بالعملِ الجاد  = You succeed by working hard.

–  بالعلمِ تبنى العقول  = With science, you build the minds.

–  محمدٌ بالبيتِ = Mohammad is at home.

– يجتمع الأصدقاءُ بالنادي = The friends meet in the club.  

(Note: Ibn Maalik has written all the Arabic Grammar in a thousand verses of poetry.)

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To be continued (Click here)

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Peace  سلام /Salam/