A Lebanese verb–preposition frame is a vocabulary unit, not a verb plus a freely translated English preposition. Learn فكر بـ, رد على, سأل عن, and اتفق مع as complete entries. The core complement alternations appear on the suffix page.
Read dictionary frames as slots
Write an entry with its principal parts, preposition, and complement type: اتصل / بيتصل بـ + person or institution. Before a full noun Beirut uses بـ; before a pronoun, that same frame uses فيـ: اتصل بالشركة / اتصل فيها.
| Frame | Full complement | Suffix form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| فكر بـ | فكر بالمشكلة | فكر فيها | think about |
| رد على | رد عالمدير | رد عليه | reply to |
| سأل عن | سأل عن الموعد | سأل عنه | ask about |
| اتفق مع | اتفق مع رنا | اتفق معها | agree with |
فكرت بالمشكلة طول الطريق، وبالليل حكيت فيها مع رنا.
fakkaret bil-moshkle ṭūl eṭ-ṭarīʾ, w-bil-lēl ḥakēt fiyya maʿ Rana.
I thought about the problem all the way, and at night I discussed it with Rana. (full noun then suffix)
رد عالإيميل، بس ما رد عليي.
radd ʿal-īmēl, bass ma radd ʿalayye.
He replied to the email, but he didn't reply to me. (same frame, two complement shapes)
A different frame can change meaning
Some alternations are not stylistic. حكى مع حدا means “talked with someone”; حكى عن حدا means “talked about someone.” دور على means “look for,” while دار حول means “went around.”
حكيت مع المدير عن المشكلة الجديدة.
ḥakēt maʿ el-mdīr ʿan el-moshkle l-zhdīde.
I spoke with the manager about the new problem. (interlocutor مع, topic عن)
عم بدور عالمفتاح، مش عم بدور حوالي الطاولة.
ʿam badawwer ʿal-miftēḥ, mish ʿam badūr ḥawālay eṭ-ṭāwle.
I'm looking for the key, not walking around the table. (frame and stem distinguish meanings)
اتفقت مع كريم على السعر قبل ما نوقع.
ittafaʾet maʿ Karīm ʿala s-siʿer ʾabel ma nwaʾʾeʿ.
I agreed with Karim on the price before we signed. (person مع, proposition على)
The double frame in the last sentence shows why “agree + with/on” must be recorded by complement role.
Clitics preserve the selected relation
A suffix attaches to the preposition, not directly to the verb: سألت عنه، رديت عليها، اتفقت معهم. For Beirut بـ + full DP, the suffix host is normally فيـ.
اتصلت بالمختبر، ولما رجعت اتصلت فيه ردوا عليي.
ittaṣalet bil-mokhtabar, w-lamma rzhiʿet ittaṣalet fī raddo ʿalayye.
I called the laboratory, and when I called it again they answered me. (بـ noun, فيـ suffix, and رد على)
سألنا عن الطبيبة وقالوا إنهن رح يحكوا معها.
saʾalna ʿan eṭ-ṭabībe w-ʾālo innon raḥ yiḥko maʿa.
We asked about the doctor, and they said they'd talk with her. (two distinct frames)
Questions keep the preposition
Ask عن شو؟ مع مين؟ على مين؟ بشو؟. Do not strand the preposition because English can.
عن شو سألت المدير بالمقابلة؟
ʿan shū saʾalet el-mdīr bil-muʾābale?
What did you ask the manager about in the interview? (preposition before شو)
مع مين اتفقتوا على الخطة؟
maʿ mīn ittafaʾto ʿala l-khoṭṭa?
Who did you agree with about the plan? (two frames retained)
Diagnosing English calques
When a sentence sounds wrong, check three things: did the verb choose this preposition, did the complement require a suffixed allomorph, and did English word order strand it? Corpus examples and native dictionaries are safer than bilingual glosses.
نجح بالامتحان بعد ما تدرب على الأسئلة الصعبة.
nizhiḥ bil-imtiḥān baʿd ma tdarrab ʿala l-asʾile ṣ-ṣaʿbe.
He passed the exam after practicing the difficult questions. (two lexically selected frames)
مبسوطة بالنتيجة، بس بعدها زعلانة منه.
mabsūṭa bin-natīzhe, bass baʿda zaʿlēne minno.
She's happy with the result, but she's still upset with him. (adjective–preposition frames)
Frames also belong to adjectives and nouns, not only verbs. Record مبسوط بـ، زعلان من، بحاجة لـ the same way.
Planning dialogue
مع مين حكيت عن مكان الحفلة؟
maʿ mīn ḥakēt ʿan makēn el-ḥafle?
Dima: Who did you talk with about the party venue?
حكيت مع رنا واتفقنا عالمطعم الجديد.
ḥakēt maʿ Rana w-ittafaʾna ʿal-maṭʿam el-zhdīd.
Jad: I talked with Rana, and we agreed on the new restaurant.
اتصلت فيهن تا تحجز؟
ittaṣalet fīyon ta tiḥzhiz?
Dima: Did you call them to reserve?
إيه، وردوا عليي وثبتوا الحجز.
ē, w-raddo ʿalayye w-thabbato l-ḥazhez.
Jad: Yes, they replied to me and confirmed the reservation.
Common Mistakes
❌ حكيت المدير عن المشكلة.
Incorrect — the interlocutor of حكى takes مع.
✅ حكيت مع المدير عن المشكلة.
ḥakēt maʿ el-mdīr ʿan el-moshkle.
I talked with the manager about the problem.
❌ مين اتفقت مع؟
Incorrect English-style stranding.
✅ مع مين اتفقت على الموعد؟
maʿ mīn ittafaʾet ʿala l-mawʿed?
Who did you agree with about the appointment?
❌ اتصلت الشركة وبعدين اتصلتها.
Incorrect — اتصل selects بـ with a noun and فيـ with a suffix.
✅ اتصلت بالمصرف وبعدين رجعت اتصلت فيه.
ittaṣalet bil-maṣref w-baʿdēn rzhiʿet ittaṣalet fī.
I called the bank and then called it again.
Key Takeaways
Learn a verb, adjective, or noun together with its preposition and complement type. Meaning can change with the frame. Preserve the selected preposition before wh-words and pronoun suffixes, including Beirut بـ + full DP / فيـ + suffix. Test Lebanese usage directly instead of translating English prepositions.
Now practice Arabic
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Arabic →Related Topics
- بـ: In, At, With, and ByA1 — Use attached بـ for location, instruments, transport, manner, and the lexical frames that select it in Lebanese Arabic.
- على: On, To, and AboutA1 — Use على for support, destinations, responsibility, selected topics, and obligation-like relations, including its irregular suffix forms.
- من: From, Of, and ThanA1 — Use من for sources, materials, partitives, causes, and comparisons, with natural connected pronunciation and suffix forms.
- Pronoun Suffixes after PrepositionsB1 — Use Beirut suffixed forms of مع، من، على، في، لـ, and بـ, including their irregular stems and verb-selected meanings.
- Wh-in-Situ and Wh-FrontingB1 — Choose between leaving Lebanese question words in their semantic slot and moving them to the front, with attention to argument type, focus, prepositions, and prosody.