Gulf Arabic Grammar
...G.2.1. Definite Article ...G.2.2 Personal Pronouns ...G.2.3 Possessive Pronouns ...G.2.4. Possessives with maal- ...G.2.5 Commands and Requests ...G.2.6 Broken Plural ...G.2.7 Plural -aat ...G.2.8 Plural -iin ...G.2.9 Plural -iyya ...G.3.1 The Construct State - iDaafat ...G.3.2 The Dual Form ...G.3.3 Adjectives ...G.3.4 Personal Pronoun Suffixes ...G.3.5 Prepositions ...G.3.6 To Have, 3ind- ...G.3.7 Past Tense I ...G.4.1 More on Adjectives ...G.4.2 Comparison Forms ...G.4.3 Numbers: Cardinals and Ordinals ...G.4.4 Telling the Time ...G.4.5 Question Words ...G.4.6 This, That, These (Demonstrative Pronouns) ...G.4.7 Past Tense II

Gulf Arabic Grammar - Prepositions

The first two prepositions have a definite Gulf flavour.

7agg – for
yishtaghil tindayl 7agg il-kuuliyya – he works (as the) foreman for (of) the coolies (hired workers)

wiyya – with
jiit id-doo7a wiyya ummi – I came to Doha with my mother (umm - mother)

ma3a – with
jiit id-doo7a ma3a ummi – I cam to Doha with my mother

bi - with (operational); in, at
kitabt bi-galam – I wrote with a pen
weysh biik? – What’s up with you? (addressing a male), (Are you alright?) (literally What in-you?)
weysh biich? – What’s up with you? (addressing a female)

3ala – on, over, against, upon
il-gahwa 3ala l-mayz – the coffee on the table

3an – about (about a subject, topic)
taariix – history (also 'date')
guul liyyi shey 3an taariix il-3arab – tell me something about the Arab history

li – to, for, by
ughniiya li mu7ammad 3abdu – a song by Mohammed Abdu (famous Saudi singer)
risaala li ummi – a letter to my mother

ila – to
ila-l-makkat il-mukarrama – to the Holy City of Mecca

fii – in, at
dukkaan (pl. dakaakiin) - shop
fii-d-dukkaan – in the shop

3ind – at
3ind-il-mu7assin – at the barber’s

ta7t – under, below; downstairs
is-sariir ta7t il-loo7a – the bed is under the (framed) picture
‘Bed’ is also kirfaaya - or firaash

foog – over, above; upstairs
huwa foog – He is upstairs.

gabil + noun – before (in time)
Salaa (pl. Salawaat) - prayer
gabil iS-Salaa – before the prayer

min gabil – before
rimast wiyya il-mu7aasib min gabil? – Have you talked with the accountant before?

ba3ad + noun – after (in time)
DHuhur – noon, midday
rimast wiyyah ba3ad Salaat iDH-DHuhur – I talked to him in the afternoon.

3ogub + noun – after (in time)
(3ogub is very common in Gulf Arabic speech)
rimas wiyyaana 3ogub Salaat iS-Sub7 – He talked with us after the morning prayer.

You can add a prepositional suffix to these prepositions as shown below:

ta3al wiyyay – come with me

ruu7 wiyyaha – go with her

suug wiyyahum – ride (car) with them

guul liyyi – tell me
guuli lih – tell him (said to a woman)
guulu lina – tell us (said to two or more people)

as-salaam 3alaykum – peace be upon you (plural)