Arabic - English Dictionary
/fiː/
في is a preposition meaning 'in', 'at', 'during', or 'on', depending on context. It is one of the most common prepositions in Arabic, used to indicate location, time, or the object of an action.
| # | Type | Arabic | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | preposition | في contained by | in |
| 2 | preposition | في surrounded by | in |
| 3 | preposition | في multiplied by | times |
| 4 | preposition | في for all of a given time interval | during |
| 5 | preposition | في per; each (time unit) | a |
| 6 | preposition | في indicating time | at |
| 7 | preposition | في not later than | by |
| 8 | preposition | في against, with force | into |
| 9 | preposition | في surrounded by (while moving) | through |
| 10 | noun | في name of the letter V, v | vee |
| 11 | preposition | في dealing with the subject of | on |
| 12 | preposition | في going to a geographic region | into |
| 13 | preposition | في at the date of | on |
| 14 | preposition | في | in, within |
| 15 | preposition | في | during, for a duration of |
| 16 | preposition | في | in with, among, together with |
| 17 | preposition | في | of, about, in regards to, pertaining to, in the subject or topic of |
| 18 | preposition | في | on account of, for the reason of, in relation to |
| 19 | preposition | في | times, multiplied by, to have a measure of this by this |
الكتاب في الشنطة.
The book is in the bag.
سأراك في الساعة الثالثة.
I'll see you at three o'clock.
تحدثنا في السياسة.
We talked about politics.
في covers multiple English prepositions (in, at, on, during, by) depending on whether it describes location, time, or topic. Learners often mix it with إلى (to/into); use في for already-enclosed spaces and إلى for movement toward a destination. When في follows a verb of motion, it means 'into' with force or 'against'.
Source: Wiktionary · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Audio: Wikimedia Commons