Arabic adjectives and participles often select a particular preposition before the person, thing, or action that completes their meaning: راغب في “interested in / wishing for,” قادر على “capable of,” مسؤول عن “responsible for,” مهتم بـ “interested in.” This is government, and the selected preposition belongs to the lexical construction.
English cannot predict the choice. English happens to say interested in, but formal Arabic says مهتم بـ; English says capable of, while Arabic says قادر على. Learn the adjective or participle together with its preposition, the kind of complement it accepts, and an example. The adjective still agrees with the noun it describes; the noun after the preposition is separately genitive.
The basic structure
The frame has two grammatical relationships:
- The adjective or participle agrees with its head noun in gender, number, definiteness, and case.
- The selected preposition governs its own complement, which is genitive or represented by an attached pronoun.
المهندسة راغبة في مراجعة التصميم قبل اعتماده.
al-muhandisatu rāghibatun fī murājaʿati t-taṣmīmi qabla ʿtimādih.
The engineer would like to review the design before it is approved.
قابلنا مهندستين راغبتين في الانضمام إلى الفريق.
qābalnā muhandisatayni rāghibatayni fī l-inḍimāmi ʾilā l-farīq.
We met two female engineers interested in joining the team.
In the first example راغبةٌ is nominative because it is a predicate; in the second راغبتين is accusative because it describes the direct object مهندستين. In both, في keeps the same complement frame and governs مراجعةِ or الانضمامِ.
High-frequency adjective frames
These combinations are a practical core, not an exhaustive list:
| Frame | Typical meaning | Typical complement |
|---|---|---|
| راغب في | wishing for / interested in doing | opportunity, role, action |
| قادر على | capable of | task or action |
| مسؤول عن | responsible for | person, task, outcome |
| مهتم بـ | interested in | field, issue, activity |
| مستعد لـ | ready for / prepared to | event, task, action |
| موافق على | in agreement with / approving | proposal, condition, action |
| حريص على | keen to / careful to preserve | goal, value, action |
| معتاد على | accustomed to | situation or repeated action |
| واعٍ بـ | aware of | fact, risk, consequence |
| خائف من | afraid of | source of fear |
| محتاج إلى | in need of | person, resource, action |
| قريب من | close to | place, amount, idea |
| بعيد عن | far from | place, topic, expectation |
| مختلف عن | different from | comparison standard |
| غني بـ | rich in | resource or feature |
| مليء بـ | full of | content |
الفريق قادر على إنهاء الاختبارات قبل الموعد.
al-farīqu qādirun ʿalā ʾinhāʾi l-ikhtibārāti qabla l-mawʿid.
The team is capable of completing the tests ahead of schedule.
هذه الموظفة مسؤولة عن التواصل مع الموردين.
hādhihi l-muwaẓẓafatu masʾūlatun ʿani t-tawāṣuli maʿa l-muwarridīn.
This employee is responsible for communicating with suppliers.
المتحف غني بمخطوطات نادرة من القرن التاسع عشر.
al-matḥafu ghaniyyun bimakhṭūṭātin nādiratin mina l-qarni t-tāsiʿa ʿashar.
The museum is rich in rare manuscripts from the nineteenth century.
النسخة الجديدة مختلفة عن النسخة التي راجعناها أمس.
an-nuskhatu l-jadīdatu mukhtalifatun ʿani n-nuskhati llatī rājaʿnāhā ʾams.
The new version is different from the version we reviewed yesterday.
Some English glosses repeat a preposition by coincidence, such as responsible for and مسؤول عن only partly matching. Others do not. Treat each Arabic frame as primary.
Participles keep some verbal force
Active and passive participles originate in verbs, so many preserve a complement pattern associated with the verb: مرتبط بـ “connected with,” معتمد على “dependent on,” مبني على “based on,” متهم بـ “accused of,” مكوّن من “composed of.” This is why a participle can describe a stable property while still licensing a verb-like complement. The broader agreement and predication system is introduced on Active and Passive Participles as Adjectives.
نجاح المبادرة مرتبط بتعاون السكان مع البلدية.
najāḥu l-mubādarati murtabiṭun bitaʿāwuni s-sukkāni maʿa l-baladiyya.
The initiative's success is linked to cooperation between residents and the municipality.
التقدير الأولي مبني على بيانات لم تراجع بعد.
at-taqdīru l-ʾawwaliyyu mabniyyun ʿalā bayānātin lam turājaʿ baʿd.
The preliminary estimate is based on data that have not yet been reviewed.
الدواء مكون من مادتين فعالتين ومادة حافظة.
ad-dawāʾu mukawwanun min māddatayni faʿʿālatayni wa-māddatin ḥāfiẓa.
The medicine is composed of two active ingredients and a preservative.
Do not derive the preposition mechanically from the base verb. Participles can lexicalize new patterns, and different complements may express different roles. Verify the participial expression itself.
A preposition can distinguish meanings and roles
معتمد على versus معتمد من
معتمد على means “dependent/based on.” معتمد من means “approved or accredited by,” with من introducing the approving body.
البرنامج معتمد من الجامعة، لكنه معتمد على رسوم المشاركين في تمويله.
al-barnāmaju muʿtamadun mina l-jāmiʿati, lākinnahu muʿtamadun ʿalā rusūmi l-mushārikīna fī tamwīlih.
The program is accredited by the university, but it depends on participant fees for its funding.
معروف بـ versus معروف لدى
معروف بـ identifies a characteristic for which someone or something is known; معروف لدى identifies the people or institution to whom it is known.
المختبر معروف بدقته، لكنه غير معروف لدى عامة الناس.
al-mukhtabaru maʿrūfun bidiqqatihi, lākinnahu ghayru maʿrūfin ladā ʿāmmati n-nās.
The laboratory is known for its precision, but it is not well known to the general public.
موافق على and موافق لـ
For a person approving a proposal, موافق على is the normal frame. In technical description, موافق لـ can mean “corresponding to / compatible with,” though مطابق لـ or متوافق مع is often clearer.
المدير موافق على التعديل، والنص النهائي متوافق مع اللائحة.
al-mudīru muwāfiqun ʿalā t-taʿdīli, wa-n-naṣṣu n-nihāʾiyyu mutawāfiqun maʿa l-lāʾiḥa.
The director approves the amendment, and the final text complies with the regulation.
These are lexical contrasts, not decorative choices. Changing the preposition can change which participant role is being expressed or create a different established sense.
Clauses after governed prepositions
Many frames accept a verbal noun or أن + subjunctive clause. The preposition remains attached to the adjective's frame; أن gives the following imperfect its subjunctive mood.
نحن مستعدون لإرسال النسخة المصححة اليوم.
naḥnu mustaʿiddūna li-ʾirsāli n-nuskhati l-muṣaḥḥaḥati l-yawm.
We are ready to send the corrected version today. (Verbal noun after لـ.)
نحن مستعدون لأن نرسل النسخة المصححة اليوم.
naḥnu mustaʿiddūna liʾan nursila n-nuskhata l-muṣaḥḥaḥata l-yawm.
We are ready to send the corrected version today. (Finite clause after لأن.)
الإدارة حريصة على ألا تتكرر المشكلة في الفروع الأخرى.
al-ʾidāratu ḥarīṣatun ʿalā ʾallā tatakarrara l-mushkilatu fī l-furūʿi l-ʾukhrā.
The administration is keen to ensure that the problem does not recur in the other branches.
Do not say that the verb is “genitive.” The preposition governs the nominalized clause as a whole; the imperfect inside it is subjunctive because of أن.
Attached-pronoun complements
When the complement is already known, its pronoun suffix attaches directly to the selected preposition:
| Full noun phrase | Suffix form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| راغب في الوظيفة | راغب فيها | interested in it |
| قادر على العمل | قادر عليه | capable of it |
| مسؤول عن الخطة | مسؤول عنها | responsible for it |
| مهتم بالموضوع | مهتم به | interested in it |
| مستعد للمقابلة | مستعد لها | ready for it |
عرضنا عليها المنحة، وهي راغبة فيها ومستعدة لها.
ʿaraḍnā ʿalayhā l-minḥata, wa-hiya rāghibatun fīhā wa-mustaʿiddatun lahā.
We offered her the grant; she is interested in it and ready for it.
هذا هو الملف الذي أنا مسؤول عنه، وهذا هو القرار المرتبط به.
hādhā huwa l-malaffu lladhī ʾanā masʾūlun ʿanhu, wa-hādhā huwa l-qarāru l-murtabiṭu bih.
This is the file I am responsible for, and this is the decision connected with it.
The second example uses عنه and به as resumptive forms. English can strand for and with at the ends of relative clauses; formal Arabic keeps each preposition with its suffix.
A reliable way to learn the pairings
Build each vocabulary entry with four fields:
- Lemma and agreement form: قادر / قادرة / قادرون.
- Selected preposition: على.
- Complement type: a task, action, or challenge.
- One noun and one suffix example: قادر على المهمة؛ قادر عليها.
For a participle, also note whether another preposition introduces a different semantic role: معروف بـ a quality, معروف لدى an audience. Confirm new frames in a reliable dictionary or edited corpus. There is no safe rule that generates every pairing, and a long ungrouped list is harder to use than a smaller set organized by meaning and contrast.
Common Mistakes
Copying English “interested in”
❌ أنا مهتم في تاريخ المدينة.
Nonstandard for neutral formal MSA—مهتم conventionally selects بـ, despite English ‘interested in.’
✅ أنا مهتم بتاريخ المدينة وتطور أحيائها.
ʾanā muhtammun bitārīkhi l-madīnati wa-taṭawwuri ʾaḥyāʾihā.
I am interested in the city's history and the development of its neighborhoods.
Replacing على with an English-based choice
❌ الفريق قادر من حل المشكلة.
Incorrect—قادر selects على before a task or action.
✅ الفريق قادر على حل المشكلة دون تأخير.
al-farīqu qādirun ʿalā ḥalli l-mushkilati dūna taʾkhīr.
The team is capable of solving the problem without delay.
Stranding the preposition
❌ هذه هي المهمة التي أنا مسؤول عن.
Incorrect in formal Arabic—عن needs a resumptive suffix referring to المهمة.
✅ هذه هي المهمة التي أنا مسؤول عنها.
hādhihi hiya l-muhimmatu llatī ʾanā masʾūlun ʿanhā.
This is the task for which I am responsible.
Separating a one-letter preposition
❌ المديرة مهتمة ب الاقتراح.
Incorrect spelling—one-letter بـ joins the following noun.
✅ المديرة مهتمة بالاقتراح وموافقة عليه.
al-mudīratu muhtammatun bil-iqtirāḥi wa-muwāfaqatun ʿalayh.
The director is interested in the proposal and approves it.
Confusing approval with dependence
❌ البرنامج معتمد على الجامعة، والمقصود أن الجامعة اعتمدته رسميا.
Wrong relation—معتمد على means dependent on or based on.
✅ البرنامج معتمد من الجامعة منذ العام الماضي.
al-barnāmaju muʿtamadun mina l-jāmiʿati mundhu l-ʿāmi l-māḍī.
The program has been accredited by the university since last year.
Key Takeaways
- Learn the whole lexical frame: راغب في، قادر على، مسؤول عن، مهتم بـ.
- The adjective agrees with its head; the selected preposition separately governs a genitive noun or attached pronoun.
- Participles can retain verb-like complements, but their pairings and meaning shifts must be verified rather than mechanically inferred.
- Attach suffixes to the preposition: فيها، عليه، عنها، به، لها; do not strand the preposition in formal relative clauses.
- Organize pairings by complement role and contrast, especially معتمد على / معتمد من and معروف بـ / معروف لدى.
Now practice Arabic
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Start learning Arabic →Related Topics
- Verb–Preposition GovernmentB1 — Learn Arabic verbs together with their selected prepositions, meaning shifts, object types, and attached-pronoun forms.
- No English-Style Preposition StrandingB2 — Build Arabic questions and relative clauses with a complete prepositional phrase instead of leaving a preposition without its complement.
- Pronoun Suffixes after PrepositionsA2 — Attach pronoun complements to Arabic prepositions while choosing the base changes required by bi-, li-, maʿa, ʿinda, min, and ilā.
- Active and Passive Participles as AdjectivesB1 — Use Arabic active and passive participles as agreeing adjectives while recognizing when they retain verbal meaning and complements.
- Active Participles with Objects and Prepositional ComplementsB1 — Let an active participle retain its verb's direct object or selected preposition while controlling case, definiteness, agreement, and time interpretation.