Lesson 3: Common Prepositions of Place
Where Is It?
You know the names for many objects in your house and classroom. But how do you describe their location? To say *where* something is, we need special words called "prepositions of place1". This lesson will teach you the most important ones so you can be more precise.
Word Bank: Describing Location
| Preposition | Pronunciation Guide | Khmer | Meaning & Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| 📥 in2 | (in) | នៅក្នុង | Inside a container, room, or area. Example: "The coffee is in the cup." |
| 🔝 on3 | (on) | នៅលើ | Touching the surface of something. Example: "The book is on the table." |
| 👇 under4 | (un-der) | នៅក្រោម | Below or lower than something. Example: "The cat is sleeping under the chair." |
| 🧍➡️🧍 next to5 | (nekst too) | នៅក្បែរ | Beside something. Example: "The restaurant is next to the bank." |
| 🧍↔️🧍 between6 | (bi-tween) | នៅចន្លោះ | In the space separating two things. Example: "I am sitting between Srey and Bora." |
| 🧍➡️🚪 in front of7 | (in frunt ov) | នៅខាងមុខ | Directly before something. Example: "The tuk-tuk is in front of the hotel." |
| 🚪➡️🧍 behind8 | (bi-hynd) | នៅខាងក្រោយ | At the back of something. Example: "The garden is behind the house." |
Usage Note: Asking "Where...?"
To ask about the location of something, you can use "Where is...?" or "Where are...?"
- For one object (singular), ask: "Where is...?"
Example: "Where is my book?" ➞ "It is on the table." - For more than one object (plural), ask: "Where are...?"
Example: "Where are my shoes?" ➞ "They are under the bed."
In Conversation
Srey is helping Bora find his things.
Bora: Srey, I can't find my phone! Where is my phone?
Srey: I think I saw it on the sofa.
Bora: No, it's not on the sofa. Oh, wait. It is under this magazine!
Srey: Great! Now, we can go. The tuk-tuk is waiting in front of the house.
Bora: Okay. My bag is right here, next to the door.
Srey: And my bag is between your bag and the chair. Let's go!
quiz Check Your Understanding
1. The coffee is inside the cup. The coffee is ______ the cup.
- a) on
- b) under
- c) in
Click to see the answer
Answer: c) in
2. You are looking for your shoes (plural). You should ask:
- a) Where is my shoes?
- b) Where are my shoes?
- c) Where on my shoes?
Click to see the answer
Answer: b) Where are my shoes?
3. What is the opposite of 'in front of'?
- a) next to
- b) between
- c) behind
Click to see the answer
Answer: c) behind
edit Your Mission
- My Room: Write three sentences describing where things are in your room. Use three different prepositions. (e.g., "My pillow is on my bed. My clothes are in the closet.")
- Practice: Place your pen in different positions relative to a book (on the book, under the book, next to the book). Say the correct English sentence for each position.
- Speak: Your mission is to ask someone "Where is the...?" for an object in your house. (e.g., "Where is the remote control?")
book Lesson Glossary
- Preposition of Place (noun phrase) - Khmer: ធ្នាក់នៃទីកន្លែង (thneak ney ti-kânlaeng) - A word that shows the location of a noun. ↩
- in (preposition) - Khmer: នៅក្នុង - Inside a container, room, or area. ↩
- on (preposition) - Khmer: នៅលើ - Touching the surface of something. ↩
- under (preposition) - Khmer: នៅក្រោម - Below or lower than something. ↩
- next to (preposition) - Khmer: នៅក្បែរ - Beside something. ↩
- between (preposition) - Khmer: នៅចន្លោះ - In the space separating two things. ↩
- in front of (preposition) - Khmer: នៅខាងមុខ - Directly before something. ↩
- behind (preposition) - Khmer: នៅខាងក្រោយ - At the back of something. ↩