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.


 * {| class="wikitable" style="background:lightyellow; font-size:smaller;"

! POSITIVE !! NEUTRAL !! NEGATIVE ! colspan="3" | SPATIAL ! colspan="3" | TEMPORAL ! colspan="3" | RELATIONAL ! colspan="3" | MATHEMATICAL
 * + Simple Prepositions
 * ab....on, upon || eb....between || ob....off, off of
 * ayb....over, above || eyb....among, amid || oyb....under, below
 * bu....to || be....at || bi....from, of
 * byu....as far as, up to || bey....by, via || byi....since, starting with
 * ub....toward ||  || ib....away from
 * za....in front of || ze....at the middle of || zo....behind, in back of
 * zya....throughout || zye....through ||
 * zu....(to the) left (of) || zey....across || zi....(to the) right (of)
 * ub....toward ||  || ib....away from
 * za....in front of || ze....at the middle of || zo....behind, in back of
 * zya....throughout || zye....through ||
 * zu....(to the) left (of) || zey....across || zi....(to the) right (of)
 * zya....throughout || zye....through ||
 * zu....(to the) left (of) || zey....across || zi....(to the) right (of)
 * zu....(to the) left (of) || zey....across || zi....(to the) right (of)
 * zu....(to the) left (of) || zey....across || zi....(to the) right (of)
 * ja....before || je....during, while || jo....after lojo....no later than, by
 * ju....until ||  || ji....since
 * ju....until ||  || ji....since
 * ju....until ||  || ji....since
 * bay....with || bey....by, via, with || boy....without
 * av....for || vyel....than, as, compared to, about || ov....against
 * ayv....about || || oyv....despite
 * ay....and || ey....or oey....nor || oy....but, except
 * ayv....about || || oyv....despite
 * ay....and || ey....or oey....nor || oy....but, except
 * ay....and || ey....or oey....nor || oy....but, except
 * ay....and || ey....or oey....nor || oy....but, except
 * ge....equal to || || oge....unequal to
 * gab....plus, +  || gaob....plus or minus || gob....minus, - 
 * gal....times, ×  || gel....like ogel....unlike || gol....divided by, ÷ 
 * gar....to the power of, &circ;  || || gor....to the root of, √ 
 * }
 * gal....times, ×  || gel....like ogel....unlike || gol....divided by, ÷ 
 * gar....to the power of, &circ;  || || gor....to the root of, √ 
 * }
 * }


 * 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. 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 hyatob..... From here to eternity.
 * Ha tajnem 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.


 * As you can see above, bi is used to form the possessive form of nouns and names.


 * Examples showing how single-word prepositions are used:


 * 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 mis.....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.
 * 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 ijun.....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.
 * 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 (42) 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:


 * {| class="wikitable" style="background:lightyellow; font-size:smaller;"


 * + Adverbs Used in Phrasal Prepositions
 * yub....near || || yib....far
 * iz....directly, straight || || uz....indirectly, roundabout
 * yab....up || yeb....in oyeb....out || yob....down
 * yiz....beyond || yez....along, flush|| yuz....around
 * zay....forward, ahead || || zoy....back
 * }
 * yiz....beyond || yez....along, flush|| yuz....around
 * zay....forward, ahead || || zoy....back
 * }
 * }


 * The next chart lists some phrasal prepositions using the above adverbs:


 * {| class="wikitable" style="background:lightyellow; font-size:smaller;"

! PHRASAL PREPOSITION !! EXAMPLE
 * + Phrasal Prepositions Using Adverbs
 * yub bu....near to, close to || At fe tujer yub bu et.....I want to sleep close to you.
 * yib bi....far from || Ha amar se yib bi ha imer.....The sun is far from the earth.
 * yab bu....up to || It fu paper yab bu ha mam.....He would like to fly up to the sky.
 * yab bi....up from || Su 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 at || Ha yipet kaxwa yab be ha tam.....The cat was found up at the house.
 * yob bu....down to || Igpu yob bu ha obmos.....Run down to the cellar.
 * yob bi....down from || Ha 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 at || Ha dyes kaxwa yob be ha obem.....The book was found down at the bottom.
 * yob ab....down at || Has kaxwa yob ab eta oybmos.....It was found down on your floor.
 * yeb be....in, inside || Eta teyd se yeb be ha tam.....Your mother is in(side) the house.
 * yeb bu....into || It pyasa yeb bu ha mip.....He jumped into the river.
 * yeb bi....in from || Upu yeb bi ha oma oyebem.....Come in from the cold outdoors.
 * oyeb be....out in/at || Ha tudi sa oyeb be ha zodeym.....The children were out in the backyard.
 * oyeb bi....out from || Yepu oyeb bi ha om.....Come in out from the cold.
 * oyeb bu....out to || Yat fu peper oyeb bu ha meim.....We&apos;d like to ride out to the countryside.
 * iz bu....straight to || Pu iz bu fyomir! ....Go straight to hell!
 * iz zoy bi....right back from || It upu iz zoy bi ha yexim.....He came right back from the office.
 * zay bu....on to, forth to, ahead to || Ha bixpur popa zay bu zona doym.....The train traveled on to the next town.
 * zoy bi....back from || At se zoy bi ha yexim.....I am back from the office.
 * zoy bu....back to || Pu zoy bu ha nam.....Go back to the store.
 * zoy be....back at || Duven et se zoy be tam?....Are you back at home?
 * }
 * Some simple prepositions can also be combined into prepositional phrases:
 * Ha yipet yapra ab bu ha abtamas.....The cat climbed onto the roof.
 * He yepet 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.
 * oyeb be....out in/at || Ha tudi sa oyeb be ha zodeym.....The children were out in the backyard.
 * oyeb bi....out from || Yepu oyeb bi ha om.....Come in out from the cold.
 * oyeb bu....out to || Yat fu peper oyeb bu ha meim.....We&apos;d like to ride out to the countryside.
 * iz bu....straight to || Pu iz bu fyomir! ....Go straight to hell!
 * iz zoy bi....right back from || It upu iz zoy bi ha yexim.....He came right back from the office.
 * zay bu....on to, forth to, ahead to || Ha bixpur popa zay bu zona doym.....The train traveled on to the next town.
 * zoy bi....back from || At se zoy bi ha yexim.....I am back from the office.
 * zoy bu....back to || Pu zoy bu ha nam.....Go back to the store.
 * zoy be....back at || Duven et se zoy be tam?....Are you back at home?
 * }
 * Some simple prepositions can also be combined into prepositional phrases:
 * Ha yipet yapra ab bu ha abtamas.....The cat climbed onto the roof.
 * He yepet 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.
 * zoy bu....back to || Pu zoy bu ha nam.....Go back to the store.
 * zoy be....back at || Duven et se zoy be tam?....Are you back at home?
 * }
 * Some simple prepositions can also be combined into prepositional phrases:
 * Ha yipet yapra ab bu ha abtamas.....The cat climbed onto the roof.
 * He yepet 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.
 * He yepet 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.

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:


 * {| class="wikitable" style="background:lightyellow; font-size:smaller;"


 * + Spatial Nouns Built on Prepositions or Adverbs
 * ab....on || abem....top abned....upper surface abmas....roof
 * eb....between || ebem....interstice ebjob....interval ebnod....intersection ebmas....partition
 * ob....off || obem....bottom obned....lower surface obmas....foundation
 * ayb....above || aybem....area above aybmas....ceiling
 * oyb....below || oybem....area below oybmas....floor
 * eyb....among || eybem....midst
 * yab....up || yabem....upstairs, upper area yabneg....top level
 * yob....down || yobem....downstairs, lower area yobneg....bottom level
 * yeb....in || yebem....inside, interior, indoors yebnig....inner space
 * oyeb....out || yobem....outside, exterior, outdoors
 * za....in front of || zam....front, foreground zan....face
 * ze....in the middle of || zem....middle zenod....center, hub zen....center zenad....median
 * zo....behind || zom....back, rear, background
 * zi....right || zim....right area zikum....left side ziizon....right direction imer....east
 * zu....left || zum....left area zukum....left side zuizon....left direction umer....west
 * iz....straight || izmep....direct route iznad....vector izon....direction
 * uz....indirectly || uzmep....detour uznad....curve uzon....deviation
 * yub....near || yubem....vicinity yubkum....near side yubaj....recent past
 * yib....far || yibem....distance yibkum....far side yibnod....pole yiboj....distant future
 * yuz....around || yuzem....perifery yuznad....perimeter yuznig....environment
 * yiz....beyond || yizem....area beyond yiznod....extremity
 * }
 * ze....in the middle of || zem....middle zenod....center, hub zen....center zenad....median
 * zo....behind || zom....back, rear, background
 * zi....right || zim....right area zikum....left side ziizon....right direction imer....east
 * zu....left || zum....left area zukum....left side zuizon....left direction umer....west
 * iz....straight || izmep....direct route iznad....vector izon....direction
 * uz....indirectly || uzmep....detour uznad....curve uzon....deviation
 * yub....near || yubem....vicinity yubkum....near side yubaj....recent past
 * yib....far || yibem....distance yibkum....far side yibnod....pole yiboj....distant future
 * yuz....around || yuzem....perifery yuznad....perimeter yuznig....environment
 * yiz....beyond || yizem....area beyond yiznod....extremity
 * }
 * uz....indirectly || uzmep....detour uznad....curve uzon....deviation
 * yub....near || yubem....vicinity yubkum....near side yubaj....recent past
 * yib....far || yibem....distance yibkum....far side yibnod....pole yiboj....distant future
 * yuz....around || yuzem....perifery yuznad....perimeter yuznig....environment
 * yiz....beyond || yizem....area beyond yiznod....extremity
 * }
 * yuz....around || yuzem....perifery yuznad....perimeter yuznig....environment
 * yiz....beyond || yizem....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:


 * {| class="wikitable" style="background:lightyellow; font-size:smaller;"

! AT SOMEWHERE !! TO SOMEWHERE !! FROM SOMEWHERE
 * + Idiomatic Phrasal Prepositions
 * be abem bi....at the top of || bu abem bi....to the top of || bi abem bi....from the top of
 * be obem bi....at the bottom of || bu obem bi....to the bottom of || bi obem bi....from the top of
 * be ebem bi....in the area between || bu ebem bi....to the area between || bi ebem bi....from the area between
 * be aybem bi....above, over || bu aybem bi....to the area above || bi aybem bi....from the area above
 * be oybem bi....below, under || bu oybem bi....to the area below || bi oybem bi....from the area below
 * be eybem bi....amid || zye eybem bi....through the midst of || bi eybem bi....from the midst of
 * be zam bi....at the front of || bu zam bi....to the front of || bi zam bi....from the front of
 * be zem bi....at the middle of || bu zem bi....to the middle of || bi zem bi....from the middle of
 * be zom bi....at the back of || bu zom bi....to the back of || bi zom bi....from the back of
 * be zim bi....at the right of || bu zim bi....to the right of || bi zim bi....from the right of
 * be zum bi....at the left of || bu zum bi....to the left of || bi zum bi....from the left of
 * be yubem bi....in the vicinity of || bu yubem bi....to the vicinity of || bi yubem bi....from the vicinity of
 * be yibem bi....at a distance from || bey azon bi....by dint of || be avon bi....in favor of
 * be ubem bi....in the direction of || bay ux bi....with assistance from || be byux bay....in touch with
 * be yabem bi....in the upper reaches of || be vyen bu....in relation to || doytaxwa bay....associated with
 * be yobem bi....in the bottom area of || be ned bi....on the level of || be mep bu....on the way to, en route
 * be yebem bi....on the inside of, inside || be oyebem bi....on the outside of, outside || bu oyebem bi....to the exterior of
 * bey mep bi....by way of, via || be kum bi....beside, at the side of || be ij bi....at the start of
 * be uj bi....at the end of || bey uxun bi....by means of || be kunad bi....at the edge of
 * be nod bi....at the point of || be yebem bi....at the interior of, inside || be oyebem bi....at the exterior of, outside
 * be nad bay....in line with || be uznod bi....alongside || be tes bi....in the sense of
 * be teas bi....in the guise of || be san bi....in the form of || be yanx bi....in conjunction with
 * be bol bi....in support of || be gab bu....in addition to || be dyun bi....in the name of
 * be avson bi....on behalf of || be vyeson bi....on the subject of || bay yux bi....with the aid of
 * }
 * be yibem bi....at a distance from || bey azon bi....by dint of || be avon bi....in favor of
 * be ubem bi....in the direction of || bay ux bi....with assistance from || be byux bay....in touch with
 * be yabem bi....in the upper reaches of || be vyen bu....in relation to || doytaxwa bay....associated with
 * be yobem bi....in the bottom area of || be ned bi....on the level of || be mep bu....on the way to, en route
 * be yebem bi....on the inside of, inside || be oyebem bi....on the outside of, outside || bu oyebem bi....to the exterior of
 * bey mep bi....by way of, via || be kum bi....beside, at the side of || be ij bi....at the start of
 * be uj bi....at the end of || bey uxun bi....by means of || be kunad bi....at the edge of
 * be nod bi....at the point of || be yebem bi....at the interior of, inside || be oyebem bi....at the exterior of, outside
 * be nad bay....in line with || be uznod bi....alongside || be tes bi....in the sense of
 * be teas bi....in the guise of || be san bi....in the form of || be yanx bi....in conjunction with
 * be bol bi....in support of || be gab bu....in addition to || be dyun bi....in the name of
 * be avson bi....on behalf of || be vyeson bi....on the subject of || bay yux bi....with the aid of
 * }
 * be nod bi....at the point of || be yebem bi....at the interior of, inside || be oyebem bi....at the exterior of, outside
 * be nad bay....in line with || be uznod bi....alongside || be tes bi....in the sense of
 * be teas bi....in the guise of || be san bi....in the form of || be yanx bi....in conjunction with
 * be bol bi....in support of || be gab bu....in addition to || be dyun bi....in the name of
 * be avson bi....on behalf of || be vyeson bi....on the subject of || bay yux bi....with the aid of
 * }
 * be bol bi....in support of || be gab bu....in addition to || be dyun bi....in the name of
 * be avson bi....on behalf of || be vyeson bi....on the subject of || bay yux bi....with the aid of
 * }
 * be avson bi....on behalf of || be vyeson bi....on the subject of || bay yux bi....with the aid of
 * }

Separable Verb Prefixes

 * Verbal prefixes that 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 how that works:
 * {| class="wikitable" style="background:lightyellow; font-size:smaller;"

! VERB-BOUND !! UNPACKED !! ENGLISH
 * + Separable Verb Prefixes
 * Zyulmap yuzpa yata tam. || Zyulmap pa yuz bi yata tam.||The tornado circled/went around our house. (= went around)
 * Ha yux bi yams 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)
 * }
 * Yat zaybuxo hia dovyabdren. || Yat buxo hia dovyabdren zay .||We shall advance this legislation. (= push forward)
 * }
 * }