Core
Use فِي، إِلَى، مِنْ، عَلَى، عَنْ and مَعَ in short sentences.
A
Why this matters لِمَاذَا نَحْتَاجُ إِلَى حُرُوفِ الْجَرِّ؟
Prepositions make relationships clear: location, direction, source, topic, means, purpose and company.
Develop
Control بِـ and لِـ, including بِالـ and لِلـ.
Stretch
Recognise genitive forms with duals and sound masculine plurals.
Communication target: describe where you are, where you are going, where you came from, what you are talking about and how you travel.
B
Diagnostic start
This is a low-stakes check. Use the feedback to decide which table you need most.
🔎 Entry Check
0/61. Choose “in the house”.
فِي locates something inside or within a place.
2. Choose “to the school”.
إِلَى marks movement or direction towards a destination.
3. Which preposition means “about”?
عَنْ commonly introduces a topic or movement away from something.
4. Which is written correctly?
The one-letter preposition بِـ attaches directly to the next word.
5. After فِي, the noun is usually…
A noun governed by a true preposition is genitive.
6. Choose “for the student”.
لِـ attaches to the article: لِلـ, and the noun is genitive.
1
Meaning first: the common prepositions
Do not choose a preposition because its English translation looks familiar. Choose it because the Arabic relationship is correct.
| Preposition | Core function | Worked example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| فِي | inside / in / during | أَدْرُسُ فِي الْمَدْرَسَةِ. | I study at school. |
| إِلَى | towards / to | أَذْهَبُ إِلَى الْمَكْتَبَةِ. | I go to the library. |
| مِنْ | from / out of / since a point | عُدْتُ مِنَ السُّوقِ. | I returned from the market. |
| عَلَى | on / upon / responsibility | الْكِتَابُ عَلَى الطَّاوِلَةِ. | The book is on the table. |
| عَنْ | about / away from | تَحَدَّثْنَا عَنِ الرِّحْلَةِ. | We spoke about the trip. |
| مَعَ | with / in the company of | ذَهَبْتُ مَعَ أُسْرَتِي. | I went with my family. |
| بِـ | by / with / using | ذَهَبْتُ بِالْحَافِلَةِ. | I went by bus. |
| لِـ | for / belonging to / intended for | هَذِهِ هَدِيَّةٌ لِصَدِيقَتِي. | This is a gift for my friend. |
Meaning boundary: مَعَ means accompanying someone; بِـ often identifies an instrument, means or method. Compare ذَهَبْتُ مَعَ أَخِي and ذَهَبْتُ بِالْقِطَارِ.
Meaning Check
0/41. I travelled ___ my parents.
Company is expressed with مَعَ.
2. I travelled ___ train.
A means of transport commonly follows بِـ.
3. We spoke ___ technology.
The topic of speaking follows عَنْ.
4. The phone is ___ the desk.
A surface relationship uses عَلَى.
2
What happens after a preposition? الِاسْمُ الْمَجْرُورُ
A true preposition governs the noun after it. In fully supported Arabic, this is commonly visible as kasra or tanwīn kasr.
فِي الْبَيْتِ
→
definite noun: final kasra
فِي بَيْتٍ
→
indefinite noun: tanwīn kasr
إِلَى مَدْرَسَتَيْنِ
→
dual: ـَيْنِ in the genitive
مَعَ الْمُعَلِّمِينَ
→
sound masculine plural: ـِينَ
Do not overgeneralise: a pronoun attached to a preposition does not show a final kasra in the same way. You learn forms such as فِيهِ، عَلَيْهَا، مِنْهُمْ as complete units.
Case-ending boundary: This lesson shows the forms that improve reading and accurate modelling. The later Case Endings package will explain the wider system, including nouns that do not take an ordinary kasra.
Genitive Form Check
0/41. Choose the fully supported form: in a school.
An indefinite noun after فِي takes tanwīn kasr in full marking.
2. Choose: with the teachers.
The sound masculine plural uses ـِينَ in genitive contexts.
3. Choose: to two libraries.
The dual uses ـَيْنِ after a preposition.
4. Which statement is accurate?
The governed noun or pronoun forms a prepositional phrase.
3
Attached prepositions: بِـ and لِـ
These one-letter prepositions join directly to the following word.
| Build | Correct form | Meaning | Notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| بِـ + حَافِلَةٍ | بِحَافِلَةٍ | by a bus | no space |
| بِـ + الْحَافِلَةِ | بِالْحَافِلَةِ | by the bus | بِـ joins الـ |
| لِـ + طَالِبٍ | لِطَالِبٍ | for a student | no space |
| لِـ + الْطَّالِبِ | لِلطَّالِبِ | for the student | one lām is written in لِلـ |
| لِـ + هُ | لَهُ | for him / he has | special high-frequency form |
| بِـ + هِ | بِهِ | with it / by it | pronoun form learned as a unit |
Common spelling errors: Do not write بِ الْبَيْتِ or لِ الْمَدْرَسَةِ with a space. Write بِالْبَيْتِ and لِلْمَدْرَسَةِ.
Attached Form Check
0/41. Which spelling is correct?
بِـ attaches directly to the article and noun.
2. Which means “for the school”?
لِـ + الـ is written لِلـ.
3. Choose “for him”.
The established form is لَهُ.
4. Choose “with it / by it”.
The established form is بِهِ.
4
Choose the preposition the verb needs
Many Arabic verbs come with a preferred preposition. Store the verb and its preposition together.
| Expression | Meaning | Model |
|---|---|---|
| ذَهَبَ إِلَى | went to | ذَهَبْتُ إِلَى الْمَدْرَسَةِ. |
| عَادَ مِنْ | returned from | عُدْنَا مِنَ الرِّحْلَةِ. |
| تَحَدَّثَ عَنْ | spoke about | تَحَدَّثَتْ عَنِ الْعَمَلِ. |
| اِسْتَمَعَ إِلَى | listened to | اِسْتَمَعْتُ إِلَى الْمُوسِيقَى. |
| اِهْتَمَّ بِـ | was interested in / cared about | أَهْتَمُّ بِالْبِيئَةِ. |
| بَحَثَ عَنْ | looked for / researched | بَحَثْتُ عَنِ الْمَعْلُومَاتِ. |
Memory method: learn اِسْتَمَعَ إِلَى, not only اِسْتَمَعَ. The collocation is the usable language unit.
E
Misconception and proofreading clinic
Repair meaning, attachment and the governed noun form.
| Incorrect | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| أَذْهَبُ فِي الْمَدْرَسَةِ. | أَذْهَبُ إِلَى الْمَدْرَسَةِ. | movement towards a destination |
| تَحَدَّثْتُ عَلَى الْفِلْمِ. | تَحَدَّثْتُ عَنِ الْفِلْمِ. | the topic follows عَنْ |
| ذَهَبْتُ مَعَ الْحَافِلَةِ. | ذَهَبْتُ بِالْحَافِلَةِ. | means of transport uses بِـ |
| هَدِيَّةٌ لِ الطَّالِبُ | هَدِيَّةٌ لِلطَّالِبِ | attach لِـ and use genitive |
G
Grammar game
Retrieve the preposition that completes each meaning and sentence.
Preposition Precision
Choose the preposition or complete phrase that makes the relationship accurate.
Press Start.
S
Skills workshop التَّطْبِيقُ الْعَمَلِيُّ
Apply prepositions in a short message, reading task and spoken description.
أَنَا فِي مَدْرَسَتِي الآنَ، وَسَأَذْهَبُ إِلَى الْمَكْتَبَةِ بَعْدَ الدَّرْسِ.
→
Read: identify location, destination and time.
ذَهَبْتُ مَعَ صَدِيقَتِي بِالْحَافِلَةِ، وَتَحَدَّثْنَا عَنِ الْعُطْلَةِ.
→
Say: explain the function of each preposition.
Write a practical message
Write 60–80 Arabic words telling a friend where you are, where you are going, who is with you, how you will travel and what you will talk about.
Success checklist: Use at least six different prepositions; attach بِـ and لِـ correctly; check the noun after each preposition; include one verb–preposition collocation.
Paper route: Write the message, circle every preposition and draw an arrow to the noun or pronoun it governs.
M
Final mastery check
Check meaning, spelling and the noun form after the preposition.
🏁 Final Mastery
0/101. Choose “from the library”.
Source uses مِنْ.
2. Choose “about the exam”.
Topic uses عَنْ.
3. Correct spelling: by car.
Attached بِـ and genitive noun.
4. Correct spelling: for the teacher.
لِلـ plus genitive noun.
5. Complete: اِسْتَمَعْتُ ___ الْخَبَرِ.
The collocation is استمع إلى.
6. Complete: بَحَثْتُ ___ الْكِتَابِ.
The collocation is بحث عن.
7. Choose: in two rooms.
Dual genitive uses ـَيْنِ.
8. Choose: with the engineers.
Sound masculine plural genitive uses ـِينَ.
9. Which means “with my friend” (company)?
Company uses مَعَ.
10. Best principle?
Functional accuracy depends on the whole phrase.
What you can now do
- Choose a common preposition by meaning rather than translating mechanically.
- Show the genitive after a preposition in supported Arabic.
- Write بِـ and لِـ attached to the following word.
- Use prepositional phrases naturally in everyday communication.
Spaced revisit: Return in two or three days and complete the final check again without looking at the tables.