Chapter 11 - Somali Prepositions

 Inventory on the prepositions : 

1. Prepositions do not exist as such in the Somali language.
2. Nevertheless, there are two equivalents of "prepositions" as we understand them in English :
• Locative and relational preverbal particles
• Possessive phrases

 The locative and relational preverbal particles : 

Somali preverbal locative and relational particles often play a role similar to that of English "prepositions".
There are 4 locative and 4 relational preverbal particles in Somali.

Table locative and relational preverbal particles

Locative particles		Relationship particles
ú	to, for	sóo	in the direction of the speaker
kú	in, into, on, at, with, by means of	síi	away from the speaker
ká	from, away from, out of	wada	together, towards each other (with plural subjects/objects)
lá	in company with	kala	apart, away from each other, separately

Examples :

makhsínkíi	ayùu	ká	baxay
makhsín-kíi	ayàa-uu	ká	baxay
[room-the	FOCUS-he	from	went]
= He went out of the room

kú	ríd	shandádda
[into	put	suitcase-the]
= Put it into the suitcase
albabka	soo	xidh !
[door-the	towards	close]
= Close the door !

 Possessive phrases : 

Other preposition-like functions are fulfilled by verbs or nouns.
One construction particularly worthy of note involves locative or temporal nouns with a possessive, effectively used as postpositions :

Table of possessive phrases or "Postpositions"

Root noun	English	Masculine	Feminine	English
ag	vicinity	agtiisa	agteeda	near
dabo	back	dabadiisa	dabadeeda	behind after (space or time)
dar	reason	dartiisa	darteeda	because of
debed	exterior	debeddiisa	debeddeeda	outside
dhex	center	dhexdiisa	dhexdeeda	in the middle of
dhex	center		dhexdooda	between, in the middle (always plural)
dul	(top) surface	dushiisa	dusheeda	on top of
gees	side	geestiisa	geesteeda	beside
gudo	interior	gudihiisa	gudeheeda	inside within (space or time)
hoos	bottom	hoostiisa	hoosteeda	beneath under
hor	front	hortiisa	horteeda	in front of before (space or time)

Examples :

miiska agtiisa	= near the table	[the table his vicinity]
dekedda agteeda	= near the harbour	[the harbour her vicinity]
aqalka dabadiisa	= behind the house	[the house his behind]
kulaylka dartiisa	= because of the heat	[the heat his reason]
magalada debeddeeda	= outside the town	[the town her exterior]
jid dhexdiisa	= in the middle of a road	[a road his center]
awrta dhexdooda	= in the middle of the camels	[the camels their center]
miiska dushiisa	= on top of the table	[the table his surface]
albabka geestiisa	= beside the door	[the door his side]
daarta gudeheeda	= inside the building	[the building her interior]
markabka gudihiisa	= inside the ship	[the ship his interior]
sariirta hoosteeda	= under the bed	[the bed her bottom]
habeennimada horteeda	= before nightfall	[the night her front]

Remark :

As strange as this construction with a postposition may look, it is similar to the usual possessive construction in Somali, and in turn surprising similar to the possessive case construction in English !

Cali walaashiis

= Ali's sister

[Ali his sister]

                 Source: http://hooyo.web.free.fr