# Mirad Grammar/Prepositions

    Prepositions are words that connect and show a relationship between a noun or noun phrase and the rest of the sentence. In Mirad, prepositions are simple monosyllables or phrases. Prepositions, as in English, are positioned before the noun or noun phrase they connect.

## Simple Prepositions

    In Mirad, there are single-word and multi-word prepositions. Single-word prepositions are called simple propositions.
    Here is a chart of simple prepositions. Most are spatial, but some are temporal, relational, or mathematical.
    Simple Prepositions POSITIVENEUTRALNEGATIVE SPATIAL ab....on, uponeb....betweenob....off, off of ayb....over, aboveeyb....among, amidoyb....under, below bu....tobe....atbi....from, of byu....as far as, up tobyi....since, starting with bay....withbey....by, viaboy....without ub....toward ib....away from yub....nearyeb....in, inside oyeb....outside yuz....aroundyez....alongyiz....beyond za....in front ofze....at the middle ofzo....behind, in back of zya....throughoutzye....through zey....across TEMPORAL ja....beforeje....during, whilejo....after ju....until ji....since RELATIONAL av....forvyel....than, as, compared to, aboutov....against ayv....aboutoyv....despite ay....andey....or oey....noroy....but, except bay....withbey....by, via, withboy....without gel....like ogel....unlike MATHEMATICAL ge....equal tooge....unequal to gab....plus, +gaob....plus or minusgob....minus, - gal....times, ×gol....divided by, ÷ gar....to the power of, ˆgor....to the root of, √
    Some of the above prepositions can be negated by prefixing lo. For example:
      * jo....after --> lojo....no later than, by
      * ji....since --> loji....not since
    The most versatile and useful preposition is be, which means at as a general locative when used literally, but is used before many nouns and noun phrases when the meaning is idiomatic. Some examples follow:
      * Yat se be tam.....We are at home. (literal, general locative)
      * Yat se be dropek.....We are at war. (idiomatic)
      * At teata et be yibsin.....I saw you on television. (idiomatic)
      * Be Ejna York ese mamyabtomi.....In New York, there are skyscrapers. (general locative)
    The preposition bi can mean of or from. It is used for possessive constructions. Here are some examples:
      * Hus se tam bi ifron.....That is a house of worship.
      * At tyopa bi ha nam bu ata pur.....I walked from the store to my car.
      * Bi him bu jobuj.....From here to eternity.
      * Ha tajem bi Tom se him.....Tom's birthplace is here.
      * His sa ha gwaifwa tuzun bi eta teyd.....This was your mother's favorite piece of art.

### Simple Preposition Examples

      * Ha dyes se ab ha sem.....The book is on the table.
      * Von pyosu ob ha abtamas!....Don't fall off the roof!
      * Ha pati papa ayb ata tam.....The birds flew over my house.
      * It kosa oyb ha yagsim.....He hid under the bench.
      * Simbiu eb hut ay at.....Take a seat between that person and me.
      * Yat teje eyb fiati.....We live among good people.
      * Duhos se nax bi pop bu ay bi Boston?....What is the cost of a trip to and from Boston?
      * His se ifek bi kyen.....This is a game of luck.
      * Duven et sa be hua duzun zomoj?....Were you at that concert last night?
      * Yit se embwa be ha zenod bi ha mapil.....We are positioned at the hub of this storm.
      * Iyt tyopa byu ha mes.....She walked up to/as far as the door.
      * Ha twob tojbwa bey goblar.....The man was killed with/by a knife.
      * Et xu ga fiay ser bay at vyel boy at.....You would do better to be with me than without me.
      * Teaxu ib ha amar.....Look away from the sun.
      * Von teaxu iz ub ha man.....Don't look directly toward the light.
      * Yibdaliru ub ha uj bi eta pop.....Call me toward the end of your trip.
      * Iyt simpa za at. ....She sat in front of me.
      * Et yeyfe simbier zo hua toyb.....You should sit in back of that woman.
      * Embu has zu ha mis.....Put it to the left of the door.
      * At simpo zi et.....I will sit to the right of you.
      * Ha pat besa ze ha tim.....The bird stayed in the middle of the room.
      * Mil upeye zye ha yijun.....Water is coming through the opening.
      * Bikiu je pen zey ha domep......Take care when going across the street.
      * Eso ivan zya ha mir.....There will be happiness throughout the world.
      * His xwo ja zajub. ....This will happen before tomorrow.
      * Esa mapil je ha moj.....There was a storm during the night.
      * Ju zamaj.....Until tomorrow morning.
      * At voy teataye et ji zoyejub.....I have not seen you since last week.
      * Diwe xu hes av at.....Please do something for me.
      * Hia dyes se ayv dalzeyntun.....This book is about linguistics.
      * Hia dyen se din vyel ewa fiuti.....This book is a story about two lovers.
      * Datan se ga fia vyel nas.....Friendship is better than money.
      * Hos se ge fua vyel has hu yat xoa zojab.....Nothing is as bad as what we underwent last year.
      * Yit yexeya ov yat.....They were working against us.
      * Ha vakdibut dopoxa at oyv ata azovdeyni.....The police officer arrested me despite my protests.
      * Et ay Bob yeyfe ser dati.....You and Bob should be friends.
      * Duhot ako, et ey at?....Who will win, you or I?
      * Hyat oy hwut ta ha dud.....Everyone but that guy knew the answer.
      * Esa mag yub at.....There was a fire near me.
      * Voy ese fabi yuz ata tam.....There are no trees around my house.
      * Ha fepet tyopa iz zye hia mes.....The cat walked right through this door.
      * Boy yombiel, tej voy se fia.....Without ice cream, life is not good.
      * Et voy se gel at.....You are not like me.
      * Et se hyagla ogel at.....You are totally unlike me.
      * E gab e gese u.....Two plus two equals four.
      * U gob e gese e.....Four minus two equals two.
      * E gal e gese u.....Two times two equals four.
      * E gol e gese a.....Two divided by two equals one.
      * U gar e gese asya.....Four squared (4$^2$) equals sixteen. (Lit: Four to the power of two...)
      * Alya gor e gese u.....The square root (√16) of sixteen is four. (Lit: Sixteen to the minus power of two...)

## Phrasal Prepositions

    Some prepositions involve multiple word expressions, that is, phrasal prepositions.

### Phrasal Prepositions Using Adverbs

    There are certain directional adverbs that can play a part in forming phrasal prepositions, but cannot act as prepositions in and of themselves:
       Adverbs Used in Phrasal Prepositions yib....far iz....directly, straightuz....indirectly, roundabout yab....upyob....down zay....forward, aheadzoy....back zi....rightzu....left
    The next chart lists some phrasal prepositions using the above adverbs:
       Phrasal Prepositions Using Adverbs PHRASAL PREPOSITIONEXAMPLE yib bi....far fromHa amar se yib bi ha imer.....The sun is far from the earth. yab bu....up toIt fu paper yab bu ha mam.....He would like to fly up to the sky. yab bi....up fromSu yab bi ha sim.....Get up from the bed. yab bey....up (by way of)Yat tyoyapo yab bey ha meab.....We will walk up the hill. yab be....up atHa yipet kaxwa yab be ha tam.....The cat was found up at the house. yob bu....down toIgpu yob bu ha obmos.....Run down to the cellar. yob bi....down fromHa tat upa yob bi ha mam.....The angel came down from the sky. yob bey....down (by way of)Iyt igtyoyapa yob bey ha meab.....She ran down the hill. yob be....down atHa dyes kaxwa yob be ha obem.....The book was found down at the bottom. yob ab....down onHas kaxwa yob ab eta oybmos.....It was found down on your floor. yeb bu....intoIt pyasa yeb bu ha mip.....He jumped into the river. yeb bi....in fromUpu yeb bi ha oma oyebem.....Come in from the cold outdoors. oyeb be....out in/atHa tudi sa oyeb be ha zodeym.....The children were out in the backyard. oyeb bi....out fromYepu oyeb bi ha om.....Come in out from the cold. oyeb bu....out toYat fu peper oyeb bu ha meim.....We'd like to ride out to the countryside. iz bu....straight toPu iz bu fyomir! ....Go straight to hell! iz zoy bi....right back fromIt upu iz zoy bi ha yexim.....He came right back from the office. zay bu....on to, forth to, ahead toHa bixpur popa zay bu zona doym.....The train traveled on to the next town. zey bi....across fromAt simbeseya zey bi et.....I was sitting across from you. zoy bi....back fromAt se zoy bi ha yexim.....I am back from the office. zoy bu....back toPu zoy bu ha nam.....Go back to the store. zoy be....back atDuven et se zoy be tam?....Are you back at home? zu bi....to the left ofAta tam se zu bi hut.....My house is to the right of that guy's. zi bi....to the right ofHuta tam se zi bi atas.....That guy's house is to the right of mine.
    Some simple prepositions can also be combined into prepositional phrases:
      * Ha fepet yapra ab bu ha abtamas.....The cat climbed onto the roof.
      * He kapet pyosa ob bi ha sem.....The dog fell off (from) the chair.
      * Pu zey bu ha hyua kum bi ha domep.....Go across to the other side of the street.
      * At simbeseya iz zey bi et.....I was sitting just across from you.

### Phrasal Prepositions Using Spatial Nouns

    The following chart shows how prepositions and directional adverbs can be joined with the spatial ending -(e)m meaning place (or others) to be form spatial nouns, which, in turn, can be used in idiomatic prepositional phrases:
    Spatial Nouns Built on Prepositions or Adverbs ab....onabem....top abned....upper surface abmas....roof eb....betweenebem....interstice ebjob....interval ebnod....intersection ebmas....partition ob....offobem....bottom obned....lower surface obmas....foundation ayb....aboveaybem....area above aybmas....ceiling oyb....belowoybem....area below oybmas....floor eyb....amongeybem....midst yab....upyabem....upstairs, upper area yabneg....top level yob....downyobem....downstairs, lower area yobneg....bottom level yeb....inyebem....inside, interior, indoors yebnig....inner space oyeb....outyobem....outside, exterior, outdoors za....in front ofzam....front, foreground zan....face ze....in the middle ofzem....middle zenod....center, hub zen....center zenad....median zo....behindzom....back, rear, background zi....rightzim....right area zikum....left side ziizon....right direction imer....east zu....leftzum....left area zukum....left side zuizon....left direction umer....west iz....straightizmep....direct route iznad....vector izon....direction uz....indirectlyuzmep....detour uznad....curve uzon....deviation yub....nearyubem....vicinity yubkum....near side yubaj....recent past yib....faryibem....distance yibkum....far side yibnod....pole yiboj....distant future yuz....aroundyuzem....perifery yuznad....perimeter yuznig....environment yiz....beyondyizem....area beyond yiznod....extremity
    The following chart shows phrasal prepositions that can be created with the use of the spatial nouns in the previous section or other nouns. These phrases are considered idiomatic, because they are abbreviated by the omission of the definite article ha in front of the noun:
    Idiomatic Phrasal Prepositions AT SOMEWHERETO SOMEWHEREFROM SOMEWHERE be abem bi....at the top ofbu abem bi....to the top ofbi abem bi....from the top of be obem bi....at the bottom ofbu obem bi....to the bottom ofbi obem bi....from the top of be ebem bi....in the area betweenbu ebem bi....to the area betweenbi ebem bi....from the area between be aybem bi....above, overbu aybem bi....to the area abovebi aybem bi....from the area above be oybem bi....below, underbu oybem bi....to the area belowbi oybem bi....from the area below be eybem bi....amidzye eybem bi....through the midst ofbi eybem bi....from the midst of be zam bi....at the front ofbu zam bi....to the front ofbi zam bi....from the front of be zem bi....at the middle ofbu zem bi....to the middle ofbi zem bi....from the middle of be zom bi....at the back ofbu zom bi....to the back ofbi zom bi....from the back of be zim bi....at the right ofbu zim bi....to the right ofbi zim bi....from the right of be zum bi....at the left ofbu zum bi....to the left ofbi zum bi....from the left of be yubem bi....in the vicinity ofbu yubem bi....to the vicinity ofbi yubem bi....from the vicinity of be yibem bi....at a distance frombey azon bi....by dint ofbe avon bi....in favor of be ubem bi....in the direction ofbay ux bi....with assistance frombe byux bay....in touch with be yabem bi....in the upper reaches ofbe vyen bu....in relation todoytaxwa bay....associated with be yobem bi....in the bottom area ofbe ned bi....on the level ofbe mep bu....on the way to, en route be yebem bi....on the inside of, insidebe oyebem bi....on the outside of, outsidebu oyebem bi....to the exterior of bey mep bi....by way of, viabe kum bi....beside, at the side ofbe ij bi....at the start of be uj bi....at the end ofbey uxun bi....by means ofbe kunad bi....at the edge of be nod bi....at the point ofbe yebem bi....at the interior of, insidebe oyebem bi....at the exterior of, outside be nad bay....in line withbe uznod bi....alongsidebe tes bi....in the sense of be teas bi....in the guise ofbe san bi....in the form ofbe yanx bi....in conjunction with be bol bi....in support ofbe gab bu....in addition tobe dyun bi....in the name of be avson bi....on behalf ofbe vyeson bi....on the subject ofbay yux bi....with the aid of

## Separable Verb Prefixes

    Verbal prefixes that are formed from prepositions and adverbs can usually be "unpacked", that is, treated as separate words. This works like separable verbs in German. The following table demonstrates this:
    Separable Verb Prefixes VERB-BOUNDUNPACKEDENGLISH Zyulmap yuzpa yata tam.Zyulmap pa yuz yata tam.A tornado circled/went around our house. (= went around) Ha yux bi calk yeyfe yobnogxwer.Ha yux bi cal yeyfe nogxwer yob.The use of carbon should be downscaled. (= scaled down) Yat zaybuxo hia dovyabdren.Yat buxo hia dovyabdren zay.We shall advance this legislation. (= push forward)
← Verbs · Mirad Grammar · Conjunctions →