Introduction
Words that combine with a noun or a pronoun to form a sentence are called prepositions. They have their own meaning and affect nouns and pronouns. Their grammatical effect on the noun is to change the vowel on its final letter from dammah or fatha to kasrah.
Prepositions Acting upon a Noun
عَلَى
On / upon
إِلَى
Toward / to
بِ
By / with
فِي
In / inside
مِنْ
From / by
عَنْ
About / from
كَ
Like / as
حَتَى
Until / up to
لِ
For / belonging to
Examples
| عَلَى + قُلُوْبٌ | = عَلَى قُلُوْبٍ |
| On + hearts | = Upon their hearts |
| خَتَمَ اللَّـهُ عَلَىٰ قُلُوبِهِمْ وَعَلَىٰ سَمْعِهِمْ وَعَلَىٰ أَبْصَارِهِمْ غِشَاوَةٌ | |
| Allah has sealed their hearts and their hearing, and over their eyes is a veil... (2:7) | |
Other Qur’anic Examples
| وَفِي السَّمَاءِ رِزْقُكُمْ وَمَا تُوعَدُونَ |
| And in the heaven is your provision and what you are promised. (51:22) |
| إِلَى رَبِّكَ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْمَسَاقُ |
| On that Day, the return will be to your Lord. (75:30) |
| فَسَبِّحْ بِحَمْدِ رَبِّكَ وَاسْتَغْفِرْهُ |
| So glorify the praise of your Lord and seek His forgiveness. (110:3) |
Pronouns after Prepositions
Prepositions may be followed by pronouns. In such cases, the pronoun is attached directly to the end of the preposition.
| Preposition | Pronoun | Result | Translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| عَلَى | هُ | عَلَيْهِ | On him |
| إِلَى | هَا | إِلَيْهَا | Toward her |
| مِنْ | هُمْ | مِنْهُمْ | From them |
| فِي | نَا | فِينَا | In us / among us |
| لِ | كُمْ | لَكُمْ | For you |
Qur’anic Examples
| إِنَّهُ عَلَىٰ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ |
| Indeed, He is capable of all things. (2:20) |
| اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ مَثَلُ نُورِهِ كَمِشْكَاةٍ فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ |
| Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The example of His light is that of a niche within which is a lamp. (24:35) |
Detached Pronouns
Detached pronouns are independent and can stand alone in a sentence. They can function as the subject or as an object depending on context.
Masculine
| Singular مفرد |
Dual مثنى |
Plural جمع |
|---|---|---|
| هُوَ | هُمَا | هُمْ |
| He / him | Both of them (m.) | They / them |
Feminine
| Singular | Dual | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| هِيَ | هُمَا | هُنَّ |
| She / her | Both of them (f.) | They (f.) |
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Examples from the Qur’an
| إِنَّهُ كَانَ حَلِيمًا غَفُورًا |
| Truly, He is Forbearing and Forgiving. (17:44) |
| هُنَّ لِبَاسٌ لَكُمْ وَأَنْتُمْ لِبَاسٌ لَهُنَّ |
| They (wives) are clothing for you, and you are clothing for them. (2:187) |
Summary
Prepositions in Arabic affect the noun that follows by placing it in the majrūr case (ending with a kasrah). They can connect to pronouns and apply across different grammatical contexts. Detached pronouns, on the other hand, stand alone and indicate the person directly without attachment.
This free Arabic lesson is now complete. The next one, insha’Allah, will discuss Arabic Adverbs/a>.
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