Where is it? Simple prepositions
Arabic · Key Stage 1 · The School
Three small, useful words
في (fī) means "in". عَلَى (ʿalā) means "on". تَحْت (taḥt) means "under". These three tiny words let you describe exactly where something is, which is one of the most useful things you can say in any language. Learn all three together.
Using في and عَلَى
الكِتاب في الحَقيبة means the book is in the bag. الكِتاب عَلَى المَكْتَب means the book is on the desk. Notice the preposition sits between the object and the place, exactly where you would expect it. Practise both sentences now.
Using تَحْت
القِطّة تَحْت الكُرْسِيّ means the cat is under the chair. Swap تَحْت for في or عَلَى and the whole meaning of the sentence changes, even though every other word stays exactly the same. One small word changes the whole picture.
Describing one room three ways
Look at a messy desk. The pen is في الحَقيبة, in the bag. The book is عَلَى المَكْتَب, on the desk. The cat is تَحْت الكُرْسِيّ, under the chair. Three objects, three different places, three different prepositions, and each sentence tells you something real and exact about the room, not just a vague guess at where things might be.
Answering "where is it?"
Someone asks أَيْنَ القَلَم؟ (where is the pen?). Answer with a full sentence, using the right preposition: القَلَم في الحَقيبة. A one-word answer tells them little. A full sentence, with the correct preposition, tells them exactly where to look. Try answering fully next time.