Where is it?
With فِي (in) you now know four more place words: عَلَى (on), تَحْت (under), أَمَام (in front of) and بِجَانِب (next to). The thing comes first, then the place word, then the place with الْ: الْكِتَاب عَلَى الْمَكْتَب is “the book (is) on the desk”. Ask with أَيْن: أَيْن الْكِتَاب؟ You can answer with هُوَ or هِيَ and the place, or with هُنَا (here) and هُنَاكَ (there). As always in this course, the last letter of تَحْت and أَمَام has no vowel, so you say al after them: تَحْت الطَّاوِلَة is taḥt aṭ-ṭāwila. In careful speech you may also hear taḥta and ʾamāma.
| Word | Say | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| فِي | fī | in | فِي الْغُرْفَة |
| عَلَى | ʿalā | on | عَلَى الْمَكْتَب |
| تَحْت | taḥt | under | تَحْت الطَّاوِلَة |
| أَمَام | ʾamām | in front of | أَمَام الْبَاب |
| بِجَانِب | bi-jānib | next to | بِجَانِب النَّافِذَة |
أَيْن الْقِطَّة؟
هِيَ هُنَاكَ، تَحْت الطَّاوِلَة.
وَأَيْن الْمِفْتَاح؟
هُوَ عَلَى الْمَكْتَب، بِجَانِب الْمِصْبَاح.
Where is it? Put a pen on a book, under it, next to it and in front of it, one place at a time. Each time say the sentence, for example الْقَلَم عَلَى الْكِتَاب. Then hide a small thing in the room and let a friend ask أَيْن …؟ until they find it. Answer with هُنَا، هُنَاكَ or a place word.
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