Adverbs of Place (ظُرُوفُ الْمَكَانِ) #
Adverbs of place ظُرُوفُ الْمَكَانِ (ẓurūf al-makān) describe where an action happens.
They are not attached to the verb but give more detail about its location. They are used to indicate position, movement, or direction.
Common Adverbs of Place #
| Arabic | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| فَوْقَ | over / above | الكِتابُ فَوْقَ الطّاوِلَةِ – The book is on the table. |
| تَحْتَ | under | القِطُّ تَحْتَ الكُرْسِيِّ – The cat is under the chair. |
| قَريبٌ | near | البَيْتُ قَريبٌ مِنَ المَدْرَسَةِ – The house is near the school. |
| بَعِيدٌ | far | المَسْجِدُ بَعِيدٌ – The mosque is far. |
| عِندَ | at | الوَلَدُ عِندَ البَابِ – The boy is at the door. |
| داخِلَ | in / inside / into | الكُرَةُ داخِلَ الصُّنْدوقِ – The ball is inside the box. |
| خارِجَ | out of / outside / off | الأَطْفَالُ خارِجَ البَيْتِ – The children are outside the house. |
| بَيْنَ | between | الكُرْسِيُّ بَيْنَ الطَّاوِلَتَيْنِ – The chair is between the two tables. |
| وَسَطَ | middle / centre | البُسْتانُ وَسَطَ المَدينَةِ – The garden is in the middle of the city. |
| خِلالَ | through | مَشَيْتُ خِلالَ الغابَةِ – I walked through the forest. |
| حَوْلَ | around | الجُدْرانُ حَوْلَ البَيْتِ – The walls are around the house. |
| أَسْفَلَ | down / below | المِفْتاحُ أَسْفَلَ الكِتابِ – The key is below the book. |
| أَعْلَى | up / above | الطَّائِرُ أَعْلَى الشَّجَرَةِ – The bird is above the tree. |
| عَبْرَ | across | مَشَيْتُ عَبْرَ الجِسْرِ – I walked across the bridge. |
| قُدَّامَ | in front of / opposite | السَّيّارَةُ قُدَّامَ البَيْتِ – The car is in front of the house. |
| خَلْفَ / وَراءَ | behind | الحَديقَةُ خَلْفَ البَيْتِ – The garden is behind the house. |
| مُقابِلَ | against / opposite | البَيْتُ مُقابِلَ المَسْجِدِ – The house is opposite the mosque. |
| مُعاكِسَ | opposite / contrary | الرَّأْيُ مُعاكِسٌ لِرَأْيِي – The opinion is opposite to mine. |
| يَمِين | right | الكُرْسِيُّ عَلى اليَمِينِ – The chair is on the right. |
| يَسَار | left | الطَّاوِلَةُ عَلى اليَسَارِ – The table is on the left. |
Notes #
Many adverbs of place can be followed by a noun in the genitive case (مجرور).
Example:
الكتابُ فَوْقَ الطاولةِ — The book is on the table.Some words like قَرِيبٌ and بَعِيدٌ behave like adjectives but often function adverbially.
Example:
المدرسةُ قَرِيبَةٌ مِنَ البَيْتِ — The school is near the house.