Prepositions are words which show the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words. They come before the words they modify. Prepositions can be used with postpositions or without them. The main prepositions in Pashto are:
"in", "on", "among" - [pA]
پٌه
"till", "under", "to",
"across" - تٌر
"on" - پٌر
"from", "with" -
لٌه
The preposition [dA] دٌ , which has a possessive function when used with nouns in the indirect case
The preposition [lÁka]
لٌکَه , which can be
translated as "like" to express a
similarity
The preposition [wu] وُ , which is
used with the postposition [ta] تَه
to denote a direction of action
1. "in", "on", "among" - [pA] پٌه .
1.1 This preposition can be used without a postposition. It can be used with singular masculine nouns in the indirect case, singular feminine nouns in the direct case, and plural nouns of both genders. It is used for the following purposes:
a) to indicate a direction:
"Sit down on a bench." - پٌه څَوْکۍ کېنَه.
b) to show a location:
"A book was in his hand." - دَ دٌه پٌه لاس کی کِتاب وُ .
c) to denote time:
"Nights are short in winter." - پٌه ژٌمى کی شْپې لَنْډی وى .
d) to indicate an instrument of action:
"to cane" - پٌه لَرْگى وَهٌل
e) to convey a distributive meaning:
"They distribute books among libraries." - دُوی پٌه کِتابْخانُو کِتابُونَه ویشى.
f) in such phrases as:
"in Pashto" - پٌه پَښْتُو
"in English" - پٌه انْگْلیسى
g) with the numerals "hundred" and "thousand":
"by hundreds" - پٌه سٌلُو
"by thousands" - پٌه زٌرُو
Some verbs can be connected to their objects with the preposition [pA] پٌه . For example:
"to understand something" - پٌه څٌه پُوهېدٌل
"to charge somebody" - پٌه چا سْپارٌل
"to start something" - په څه شروع کول
The preposition [pA] پٌه can also be used with the postpositions [ke] کی [baánde] باندی [pore] پُوری [sará] سَرَه and [pasé] پَسې .
1.2 The preposition پٌه is used with the postposition کی to signify:
a) place:
"Many people live in our village." -زْمُوږ پٌه کٌلى کی ډېر وُگٌړى اُوسى.
b) time:
"I finished my work at 5 p.m." - ما دٌ ماښام پٌه ۵ بَجُو کی خْپٌل کار پای تَه وُرَساوٌه .
c) in multiplication:
"two times two equals four" - دوه په دوو کی څلور دى .
d) percents:
"ten percent" - پٌه سٌلُو کی لَس
The preposition پٌه in combination with the postposition کی as one word means "in him", "to him", "in it", "to it":
زْمُوږ پٌه وِلایت کی یو کٌلَی شْتَه اَوُ دْوَه زٌرَه تَنَه پٌکی اُوسى .
"There is a village in our province and two thousand people live in it."
1.3 The preposition پٌه can be used with the postposition بانْدی to denote a location on the surface of something. This combination also has the same meaning as the preposition used by itself, without postpositions (see 1.1. a, d, and f above):
"My son does not speak Pashto." - زْما زُوی پٌه پَښْتُو بانْدی خَبٌرې نَه کَوى .
1.4 The preposition پٌه is used with the postposition سَرَه to represent combined relationships:
"Pashtuns always fight with courage in heart." - پَښْتانٌه تٌل پٌه زْړٌه وٌرْتیا سَرَه جَنْگېږى .
1.5 The preposition پٌه is also used with the postposition پُوری to denote a connection between nouns:
"This city belongs to the province of Ghazni." - دا ښار دٌ غَزْنى پٌه وِلایت پُوری اَړَه لَرى .
1.6 The preposition پٌه with the postposition پَسې indicates the purpose of an action:
"We follow our friends." - مُوږ پٌه خْپٌلُو مَلْگٌرُو پَسې ڂُو.
The preposition پٌه can be a part of various prepositional and adverbial phrases:
"about something" - دٌ څٌه پٌه باب
"like this" - دٌ دې په شان ,
"by means of force" - دٌ زُور پٌه واسِطَه
"according to law" - دٌ قانُون پٌه حِساب
"concerning this question" - دٌ دَغې خَبَرې پٌه شاُو خْوا کی
"near the house" - دٌ کُور پٌه خْوا
"because of illness" - دٌ نارُوغۍ پٌه سَبَب
"during the meeting" - دٌ غْوٌنْډی پٌه وَخْت کی
"as a result of the war" - دٌ جَنْگ پٌه اَثَر
"in the middle of a city" - دٌ ښار پٌه مٌنْڂ کی
"at that time" - پٌه دې وَخْت کی
"together" - پٌه گَډَه
"in truth" - پٌه ریښْتیا
"smilingly" - پٌه خَنْدا .
2. "till", "under", "to", "across" - تٌر
2.1 This preposition is used with nouns in the indirect case to represent:
a) the word "than" when comparing one object to another:
"This flower is more beautiful than that one." - دَغَه گُل تٌر هَغَه ښایسْتَه دئ .
b) the preposition "across":
"They went across a road." - دُوی تٌر غْرُو تېرېدٌل .
2.2 This preposition with the postposition وْرُوسْتَه means "after" (in chronological order):
"After work, I will meet with my friends." - تٌر کار وْرُوسْتَه بٌه زْما دٌ مَلْگٌرُو سَرَه کَتٌنَه وُکْړٌم.
2.3 This preposition with the postposition لانْدی denotes a location under something or a direction under something:
"Look for the book under the tree!" - ! تٌر وُنې لانْدی کِتاب وُلَټَوَه
2.4 This preposition with the postposition پُوری represents limits:
a) in space:
"This car only goes to the village." - دا مُوټَر یوازی تٌر کٌلى پُوری ڂى.
b) in time:
"My father works till 5p.m." - زْما پْلار دٌ ماښام تٌر ۵ بَجُو پُوری کار کَوى .
c) in counting:
"Count from 1 to 5." - لٌه ۱ نَه تٌر۵ پُوری وُشْمېرَه .
2.5 When used with the words "forward" - مٌخْکی and "first" - لُومْړَی , this preposition means "before" or "before that":
"Before leaving, I clean my room." - مٌخْکی تٌر تَگ زٌه خْپٌلَه کُوټَه پاکَوٌم.
2.6 When used with the word وروسته this preposition denotes "after":
"They had a nap after dinner." - وْرُوسْتَه تٌر ډُوډۍ دُوی خُوب وکړ.
2.7 When used with the word مٌنْڂ , this preposition means "between":
"between the earth and the sky" - دٌ مْڂٌکی اَوُ آسْمان تٌر مٌنْڂ
2.8 The preposition تٌر and the pronoun enclitic یی form the adverb تْرې -"from it", "from him", "from there". (See Pronoun Enclitic.) This adverb has the same meanings when it is used with the postposition نَه :
زٌه دٌ خْپٌل مَلْگٌری پُوښْتٌنِی تَه وَرَغٌلَی وٌم اَوُ ناوخت تْرې راوُوَتٌم.
"I visited my friend and went from him late."
3. "on" - پٌر
3.1 This preposition can denote:
a) location:
"Dinner is on table." - ډُوډۍ پٌر مېز پْرَتَه دَه .
b) direction:
"Put the book on the bed." - کِتاب پٌر کَټ کېږْدَه .
c) the reason for something:
"Why do you cry?" - تٌه پٌر څٌه ژاړې ؟
d) fraction in fractional numerals:
"three fourths" - دْرې پٌر څَلُور
3.2 This preposition with the postposition بانْدی can represent:
a) a location above something, a direction upward, or a direction above something:
"I loaded some stuff on a horse." - ما څٌه شیان پٌر آس بانْدی بار کْړل .
b) "about"
"I speak about Pashto." - زٌه پٌر پَښْتُو بانْدی خَبٌرى کَوٌم.
Some verbs can use this combination to connect to nouns:
"to impose on somebody" - پٌر چا بانْدی مَنٌل
"Summer is a good season for students." - دُوبَی پٌر مُحَصِلینُو بانْدی گْران فَصْل دئ .
3.3 This preposition and the pronoun enclitic یی form the adverb پْرې - "on him", "on it" (see Pronoun Enclitic):
"I have a small sum of money and I will buy some food with it." -
- زٌه
لٌږی پیسې
لَرٌم
اَوُ څٌه
خْواړٌه
بٌه پْرې
راوُنیسٌم
4.1 The preposition
لٌه
a) a starting position:
b) a reason for something:
c) an object which is being compared with another object:
4.2 This preposition with the postposition
[sará] سَرَه
4.3 This preposition with the words
وْرُوسْتَه
This preposition performs a possessive function when used with nouns in the indirect case.
This preposition دٌ
"To cook a kebab you need a fresh meat." -
6. The preposition [lÁka] لٌکَه
This preposition can be translated as "like" to express a similarity:
"She prefers candies like her mother." - لٌکَه مُور یی خْواږٌه خْوَښَوى . دا
7. The preposition [wu] وُ
This preposition is used with the postposition [ta] تَه to indicate the direction of an action:
"They went to the forest." - دُوی وُ ڂَنْگَل تَه تْلٌل.
7.1 This preposition with the word "side" خْوا and the postposition تَه form a compound preposition meaning "in the direction of":
"He threw a rock in the direction of the river." - دٌه دٌ سینْد وُ خْوا تَه تیږَه وُغُورْزَوٌلَه.
See Also: