This is the last chapter of Phase One — everything you've built so far (pronouns, demonstratives, adjectives, plurals, numbers, the dual, possession, and iḍāfah) still works together without a single conjugated verb. Prepositions are the final connector you need, and from the next chapter on, you'll finally start building verbs.
Every Arabic passage has a small circle button — click it to hear it read aloud using your browser's own Arabic voice.
BY THE END OF THIS CHAPTER YOU WILL BE ABLE TO
Use the seven most common Arabic prepositions correctly
Explain why a noun after a preposition is always genitive
Describe locations of people and things using only nominal sentences
Read the opening words of the Qur'ān — the Basmalah — with a preposition's-eye view
TEACHER NOTES
Pacing: 50–60 min
Prerequisite check: Iḍāfah from Chapter Twelve helps with compound location phrases.
Watch out for: Dual forms appear again here (جميلتان) — same recognise-only note as Chapter Ten.
01 — LISTEN & REPEAT
حِوَارٌDialogue
Yūsuf and Maryam talk about where things are. Every sentence here is still verb-free.
ma‘a ṣadīqatī, wa hiya mina-l-Urdunn ilā Miṣra fī ziyārah.
With my friend, and she's from Jordan to Egypt on a visit.
02 — CORE WORDS
الْمُفْرَدَاتُVocabulary
Two of these — بِ and لِ — attach directly to the following word, with no space.
Arabic
Says
Meaning
Note
NEWفِي
fī
in
—
NEWعَلَى
‘alā
on, upon
—
NEWإِلَى
ilā
to, toward
—
REVIEWمِنْ
min
from
Assimilates before ال: مِنَ الْبَيْتِ.
REVIEWمَعَ
ma‘a
with (accompaniment)
—
NEWبِ‑
bi‑
with, by, in
Attaches directly — no space.
NEWلِ‑
li‑
for, to, belonging to
Attaches directly — no space.
NEWزِيَارَةٌ
ziyārah
a visit
—
Also in this chapter's dialogue and reading.
Arabic
Says
Meaning
Note
EARLYالدَّفْتَرُ
ad-daftar
the notebook
—
EARLYقَلَمٌ
qalam
a pen
—
EARLYعَيْنٌ
‘ayn
an eye
—
EARLYنِعْمَةٌ
ni‘mah
a blessing
—
EARLYمَعَ الْأَسَفِ
ma‘a-l-asaf
unfortunately
—
Same reordering trade-off as Chapter Ten. جَمِيلَتَانِ and عَيْنَاهُمَا are dual forms — recognise-only until Chapter Twenty-One.
03 — HOW THE LANGUAGE WORKS
رُكْنُ الْقَوَاعِدِGrammar Corner
Prepositions always take the genitive. Whatever noun comes right after a preposition takes a kasrah (or its plural/dual equivalent) — you first saw this rule back in Chapter Twelve's مَكْتَبُ الْأُسْتَاذِ pattern, applied to iḍāfah; now it's the same case, triggered by a different kind of word.
فِي الْبَيْتِ
fī-l-bayti in the house
مِنَ الْأُرْدُنِّ
mina-l-Urdunni from Jordan
بِ and لِ are written joined to the next word with no space — بِاللَّهِ (“by/with Allah”), لِلَّهِ (“belonging to Allah”), as you already saw in الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ back in Chapter One.
Quick check: what case is الطَّاوِلَةِ in “عَلَى الطَّاوِلَةِ”, and why? (Genitive — it follows the preposition عَلَى.)
04 — READING THE SOURCE
وَقْفَةٌ قُرْآنِيَّةٌQur'ān Connection
The very first words of the Qur'ān — built almost entirely from a single preposition, and every word after it genitive.
THE BASMALAH
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
بِ
bi
in/with (preposition)
اسْمِ
ismi
the name of (genitive)
اللَّهِ
Allāhi
Allah (genitive)
الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
ar-Raḥmāni ar-Raḥīmi
the Most/Especially Merciful (genitive)
Every single word after بِ is genitive: اسْمِ, اللَّهِ, الرَّحْمَٰنِ, الرَّحِيمِ. That's بِ triggering the genitive on اسْمِ (this chapter's rule), and then اسْمِ اللَّهِ forming an iḍāfah (Chapter Twelve's rule), with الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ describing اللَّهِ (Chapter Five's adjective rule). Four chapters of grammar, one famous line.
05 — SAY IT LIKE A NATIVE
عِبَارَاتٌ يَوْمِيَّةٌEveryday Phrases
Common phrases built almost entirely from this chapter's prepositions.
بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ
bi-idhni-llāh — with Allah's permission
مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ
min ‘indi-llāh — from Allah
عَلَى كُلِّ حَالٍ
‘alā kulli ḥāl — in any case
فِي أَمَانِ اللَّهِ
fī amāni-llāh — in Allah's protection (a goodbye)
مَعَ الْأَسَفِ
ma‘a-l-asaf — unfortunately
مِنْ كُلِّ قَلْبِي
min kulli qalbī — with all my heart
إِلَى الْأَبَدِ
ilā-l-abad — forever
عَلَى الرَّحْبِ وَالسَّعَةِ
‘alā-r-raḥbi wa-s-sa‘ah — you're very welcome
SKILLS PRACTICE
الِاسْتِمَاعُListening
Audio track 11.1
Aḥmad calls Salmā to ask where she is. Listen first, script second.
AḨMAD
أَيْنَ أَنْتِ الْآنَ يَا سَلْمَى؟
SALMĀ
أَنَا فِي الْمَدْرَسَةِ، عَلَى بَابِ الصَّفِّ.
AḨMAD
وَمَعَ مَنْ أَنْتِ؟
SALMĀ
مَعَ صَدِيقَتِي، وَكُتُبُنَا فِي الْحَقِيبَةِ.
Where is Salmā right now?
Who is she with?
Where are their books?
Reveal answers
1. At school, at the classroom door. 2. With her friend. 3. In the bag.
SKILLS PRACTICE
التَّحَدُّثُSpeaking
Pair work
Partner drill. Ask each other “أَيْنَ أَنْتَ الْآنَ؟” and answer using a different preposition each time — فِي, عَلَى, مَعَ.
Recycling round. Answer with real objects from Chapters Four and Twelve — قَلَمِي عَلَى الطَّاوِلَةِ ("my pen is on the table") — so prepositions attach to nouns students already own, not abstract locations.
Letters
Word 1
Word 2
Tip
بِ vs لِ
بِاللَّهِ
لِلَّهِ
بِ = with/by; لِ = for/belonging to — easy to mix up since both attach directly to the next word.
SKILLS PRACTICE
الْقِرَاءَةُReading
Read silently, then aloud
Read once for meaning, then aloud — this is your final Phase One reading, using everything from Chapters One through Twelve.
1. ب — فِي حَقِيبَتِهِ 2. ج — خَمْسَةٌ 3. ب — أَخُوهُ وَأُخْتُهُ
SKILLS PRACTICE
الْكِتَابَةُWriting
On paper or in your notebook
Sentence building. Put these words in the correct order, then translate.
حَقِيبَتِي فِي كِتَابِي
الطَّاوِلَةِ عَلَى قَلَمِي
اللَّهِ بِسْمِ
Guided writing. Write three sentences describing where things are, using a different preposition in each — combining everything you've learned in Phase One.
06 — CHAPTER EXERCISES
التَّدْرِيبَاتُExercises
1اخْتَرِ الْإِجَابَةَ الصَّحِيحَةَChoose the correct answer
1. Which preposition means “with” (accompaniment)?
2. A noun after any preposition is always:
3. بِ and لِ are different from other prepositions because they:
4. “مِنْ + الْبَيْتِ” is written and pronounced:
Reveal answers
1. b 2. c 3. b 4. b
2صِلْ كُلَّ كَلِمَةٍ بِمَعْنَاهَاMatch each item to its meaning
فِي
إِلَى
مِنْ
مَعَ
عَلَى
on
from
with
in
to
Reveal answers
1–d, 2–e, 3–b, 4–c, 5–a
3تَرْجِمْ إِلَى الْإِنْجِلِيزِيَّةِTranslate into English
Self-check — type your answer, then compare with the model answer below. This one isn’t scored.
كِتَابِي فِي حَقِيبَتِي.
قَلَمُهَا عَلَى الطَّاوِلَةِ.
أَنَا مِنَ الْأُرْدُنِّ.
هَذَا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ.
Reveal answers
1. My book is in my bag. 2. Her pen is on the table. 3. I am from Jordan. 4. This is with Allah's permission.
4تَرْجِمْ إِلَى الْعَرَبِيَّةِTranslate into Arabic
Self-check — type your answer, then compare with the model answer below. This one isn’t scored.
A short passage using only words you've met so far. Just read for meaning — hover any word if you get stuck. Flip the switch to check whole sentences instead of single words.