English prepositions Arabic speakers commonly misuse

Why this happens

In Arabic, في (fee) is the default spatial preposition covering 'in,' 'at,' and 'on' in many contexts. English, however, distinguishes strictly: 'at' for specific places and times, 'in' for enclosed spaces, and 'on' for surfaces. When you say في المكتب, you translate it as 'at the office'—not 'in the office'—because English reserves 'at' for your workplace. Similarly, the directional إلى (ila) in أذهب إلى البيت becomes 'I go home' in English, not 'I go to home,' because 'home' functions as an adverb. Finally, Arabic's flexible time expressions like في الساعة التاسعة (literally 'in the ninth hour') must become 'at 9 o'clock' in English, never 'in 9 o'clock.'

A manager from Damascus emails a colleague: 'I will arrive in the office at 9 am tomorrow. Please put the report on the desk in my office, and let's discuss about the project. I have been waiting for this opportunity for five years ago, and I'm excited to work on it with the team in the meeting room.' How many preposition errors can you find?

Concrete examples — L1 → EN transfer

❌ I start work in 9 am.↳ Arabic في الساعة التاسعة (fee al-saa'a)—learners transfer في to English as 'in'✅ I start work at 9 am.

English uses 'at' for clock times, not 'in'; 'in' is for durations like 'in 10 minutes'.

❌ The documents are in the desk.↳ Arabic الوثائق على المكتب (ala al-maktab)—but transferred as 'in' instead of 'on'✅ The documents are on the desk.

Use 'on' for objects resting on a surface; 'in' is for inside containers or enclosed spaces.

❌ I go to home every evening.↳ Arabic أذهب إلى البيت (adhhab ila al-bayt)—direct word-for-word transfer of the directional preposition✅ I go home every evening.

'Home' is an adverb in this context and needs no preposition; use 'go home' or 'go to my house.'

❌ I have worked here for ten years ago.↳ Arabic confusion between منذ (mundhu, 'since') and ل (li, 'for') combined with past time markers✅ I have worked here for ten years.

Use 'for' with present perfect duration; 'ago' belongs to simple past, not present perfect.

❌ Between all the students, only two answered correctly.↳ Arabic بين جميع الطلاب (bayn jamee)—'between' is used for groups, but English reserves it for pairs✅ Among all the students, only two answered correctly.

'Between' is for exactly two people or items; use 'among' for three or more.

FAQ

Why 'at the office' instead of 'in the office'?

Both are grammatical, but they mean different things. 'At the office' emphasizes your workplace as a destination or meeting point. 'In the office' describes something happening inside an office space. For your job location, native speakers prefer 'at the office.' Think of 'at' as 'pointing to a place.'

What's the difference between 'for' and 'during'?

'For' expresses duration—how long (for three hours, for five years). 'During' describes when something happens within a time period (during the meeting, during summer). Use 'for' with lengths; use 'during' with named periods or events.

Should I say 'discuss about' or 'discuss'?

'Discuss' alone is correct and preferred in formal English (discuss the project). 'Discuss about' is very informal and considered non-standard by native speakers. Simply drop 'about' to sound natural and professional.

Is it 'by bus' or 'on the bus'?

'By bus' means the bus is your mode of transport (I travel by bus to work). 'On the bus' describes your location while riding (I sat on the bus next to Ahmed). Both are correct; the choice depends on what you're emphasizing.

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