Prepositions of Place

Prepositions of place tell you where something is located. They are essential for giving directions, describing locations, and understanding spatial relationships. Arabic prepositions always come before the noun they govern, just like in English.

Essential Prepositions of Place

Preposition	Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning	Example
in	في	fī	in / at	في البيت (fī al-bayt) — in the house
on	على	3alā	on / upon	على الطاولة (3alā aṭ-ṭāwila) — on the table
under	تحت	taḥt	under	تحت الكرسي (taḥta al-kursī) — under the chair
above	فوق	fawq	above / over	فوق السقف (fawq as-saqf) — above the roof
in front of	أمام	amāma	in front of	أمام البنك (amāma al-bank) — in front of the bank
behind	خلف	khalf	behind	خلف الباب (khalf al-bāb) — behind the door
between	بين	bayna	between	بين البيت والمدرسة (bayna al-bayt wal-madrasa) — between the house and school
at / near	عند	3inda	at / near	عند المكتبة (3inda al-maktaba) — at the library

Prepositions and Pronouns

Prepositions can attach pronoun suffixes:

Meaning	Arabic	Transliteration
in me	فيّ	fīya
on me	عليّ	3alayya
from me	منّي	minnee
with me	معي	ma3iya
to me	إليّ	ilayya
at me	عندي	3indī
in you (m.)	فيك	feeka
on you (m.)	عليك	3alayka
with you (m.)	معك	ma3aka

Sentences with Prepositions

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
الكتاب على الطاولة	al-kitābu 3alā aṭ-ṭāwila	the book is on the table
القلم في الحقيبة	al-qalamu fī al-ḥaqība	the pen is in the bag
الولد أمام المسجد	al-waladu amāma al-masjid	the boy is in front of the mosque
البنت خلف الباب	al-bintu khalf al-bāb	the girl is behind the door
البيت بين المدرسة والمستشفى	al-baytu bayna l-madrasati wal-mustashfa	the house is between the school and hospital
أنا عند المكتبة	ana 3inda l-maktaba	I am at the library

Prepositions and Verbs

Many Arabic verbs combine with prepositions:

Arabic	Transliteration	Meaning
ي LOOK AT	yanẓuru ilā	he looks at
ي live في	yaskunu fī	he lives in
ي sit ON	yajlisu 3alā	he sits on
ي talk WITH	yatakallamu ma3a	he talks with
ي go TO	yadhhabu ilā	he goes to
y come FROM	ya’tee min	he comes from

Common Mistakes

1. Confusing في and على:

في البيت — inside the house (enclosed)
على البيت — on top of the house (surface)

2. “من” has two meanings:

Origin: من القاهرة — from Cairo
Comparison: أكبر مني — bigger than me

3. Preposition + noun case: After most prepositions, the noun takes the kasra (ِ) case ending.

Dialog: Giving Directions

Asking for directions

A
ayna l-maktaba?Where is the library?
B
al-maktabatu amāma l-bankThe library is in front of the bank
A
hal hiya qareeba?Is it near?
B
na3am, khalf al-masjidYes, behind the mosque
A
kam yab3ud?How far is it?
B
3alā ba3d khamsi daqā'iqin mashyanFive minutes walk

Practice

How do you say 'on the table' in Arabic?

hint: Use the preposition 'على'

What is the difference between 'في' and 'على'?

hint: Think of inside vs. on top

How do you say 'behind the door' in Arabic?

hint: Use 'خلف' for 'behind'

Match each pair — start with Arabic (left)

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