Arabic: An Essential Grammar

After a transitive verb:

َسْأ َّ رل ى َّ تَح َةَكَم َّ سل َلَكَأ




akala s-samakata h

̇

atta ̄ r-ra

sa.

He ate the fish, even the head.

After an intransitive verb:

. ُكوُلُمـْل ى َّ تَح ُسا َّ نل َتاَم

ma ̄ta n-na ̄su h

̇

atta ̄ l-mulu ̄ku.

The people died, even the kings.

11.7 Prepositions ّر

َُح ُرو ُف ْلـ َج

h

̇

uru ̄fu l-g ̆arri

The Arabic prepositions can be formally divided into two basic groups:

primary and secondary. The primary prepositions can moreover be

divided into two subgroups: independent and bound (prefixed).

The noun governed by the preposition always follows it and is in the

genitive case. If the preposition governs an adverb, the latter does not, of

course, change its form.

As in many other languages, the Arabic prepositions have several

different meanings. The primary prepositions with their basic meanings

are:

Note a: The bound (prefixed) prepositions are: ِلـ...(لَـ...), ِبـ... and َكـ.... They

are written together with the following word.

Note b: When the prepositions ِمـ ْن min ‘from’, and َعـ ْن



an, ‘about’, are fol-

lowed by a word having an initial

alif with hamzatu l-was

̇

li (was

̇

lah), the suku ̄n

ِم ْن ِإَلى َع ْن َعَلى َم َع ِفي

min

ila ̄



an



ala ̄ fı

• ma



a

from, of,

than

to, until from, about on, over, at in, at with

تىَُّم ْن ُذ َح ِلـ.. (لَـ..)..ِبـ ..َكـ

h

̇

atta ̄ mund

̄

u li... (la...) bi... ka...

until, till,

to, up to

since, ago,

from

f o r, t o

because of

by, with, in as, like

53

Conjunc-

tions,

preposi-

tions and

the particle

تىََّح h

̇

atta ̄