GoalRead short phrases with فِي, مِن, إِلَى and مَعَ followed by a noun with الْ.
New words
فِي الْبَيْت (fī l-bayt) · in the houseمِنَ الْمَدْرَسَة (mina l-madrasa) · from the schoolإِلَى الْمَدِينَة (ʾilā l-madīna) · to the cityمَعَ الْمُعَلِّمَة (maʿa l-muʿallima) · with the teacher (woman)فِي الشَّارِع (fī sh-shāriʿ) · in the streetمِنَ السُّوق (mina s-sūq) · from the marketإِلَى الْجَامِعَة (ʾilā l-jāmiʿa) · to the universityمَعَ الرَّجُل (maʿa r-rajul) · with the man
Explanation
Four small words help you say where things are: فِي (in), مِن (from), إِلَى (to) and مَعَ (with). They are written as separate words, and the noun with الْ comes after them. After فِي, إِلَى and مَعَ the a of الْ is dropped, because these words end in a vowel: فِي الْبَيْت is fī l-bayt. مِن is special: before الْ it takes a fatha, مِنَ, so the a of الْ drops here too: مِنَ الْمَدْرَسَة is mina l-madrasa. Before a sun letter the l is not said at all, so مِنَ السُّوق is mina s-sūq. A short sentence is just these words in a row: أَنَا فِي الْبَيْت means “I am in the house”.
Small word
Meaning
Example
فِي
in
فِي الْغُرْفَة
مِن
from
مِنَ الْمَدِينَة
إِلَى
to
إِلَى الْبَيْت
مَعَ
with
مَعَ الْوَلَد
Worked examples
Where are you, she and he? Three short sentences with فِي.
فِيfī+الشَّارِعsh-shāriʿ
A phrase in two steps: in + the street. The sun letter ش is doubled after فِي.
Going and being together: from the house to the school, and with the teacher.
Class activity
Write and read. Choose five nouns from this unit. Put فِي in front of each one and add الْ, for example فِي الْغُرْفَة. Then change the small word to مِن, إِلَى and مَعَ. Say every phrase aloud. Circle the sun letters in red so you remember that the l is silent.
Practice
1
Press Listen. Which small word do you hear first: فِي or مِن?
مِن (written مِنَ before الْ): mina l-maṭbakh, “from the kitchen”.
2
Read aloud and say what it means: إِلَى الْمَدْرَسَة.
ʾilā l-madrasa, to the school.
3
Why do we say fī sh-shāriʿ and not fī al-shāriʿ?
Because ش is a sun letter: the l is not said and the sh is doubled.
4
The picture shows a house. Write “in the house” in Arabic.
