PREPOSITIONS IN MACEDONIAN AND ENGLISH

Definition of prepositions
Prepositions (предлози/препозиции) present a special category of words that
link the other words in sentences. They play a vital role in creating sentence
structure as they are used before nouns, pronouns, noun phrases or gerunds to
reveal the relationship among people, objects, and phenomena mentioned in a
sentence, in terms of spatial relationships, time, place, possession, location,
direction etc. (1).

(1)
She will arrive in March./ Таа ќе пристигне во март. (time)
Put it on the table./ Стави го на масата. (location)
The leg of the table is broken. / Ногарата од масата е скршена. (possession)

Both English and Macedonian are analytical languages and, unlike synthetic
languages (e.g. French, German, Russian, etc.), do not normally make use of
inflections (conjugations and declinations) in expressing the relationship among
sentence elements; instead they rely on the use of prepositions for that same
purpose. 1
Moreover, prepositions are closed-group words in both languages. This means
that there is a certain number of prepositions in both languages, and this number
does not change over time, as practically no new members are added to this
category of words. Thus, for instance, there are about 150 prepositions, yet this
is a very small number in comparison with the thousands of other words (nouns,
verbs, adjectives, adverbs, etc) in the English language.

Exercise 1
Have a look at the lists of preposition below. Identify the odd one out!

Macedonian prepositions: зад, кај, како, кон, крај, меѓу, место, на, над, низ, отаде,
околу, освен, по, под, пред, преку, сосе, според, спроти, сред, без, во, в, врз, до,
за, овде

English prepositions: about, above, across, against, along, amid, among, around, at,
before, behind, below, beneath, beside, between, beyond, by, despite, down, except,
for, from, in, inside, into, like, near, of, off, on, onto, opposite, outside, over, past,
round, than, through, to, toward, under, underneath, until, up, upon, with, within,
without, there

Types of prepositions according to their form

1
In the past, Old English, under the influence of Latin, was in fact a very heavily inflected
language. In the course of time, however, and under the influence of many contributing
factors, English managed to get rid of the complex system of inflections (except for the Saxon
genitive – ‘s), replacing them with prepositions and word order. Macedonian too, apart for
some remnants of inflections (for vocative, for instance), draws heavily on the use of
prepositions in constructing sentences and in depicting the relation among sentence elements.
Prepositions are easily recognizable because they are usually very short and
consist of two or three letters in English (e.g. on, of, at, in, by, to, from …) and
Macedonian as well (e.g. за, на, во, од, под, над, со, кај...).
Nevertheless, apart from these simple prepositions, some prepositions in both
languages have a more complex structure, and are consequently longer. These are
called complex prepositions.

Complex prepositions in English consist of a combination of a preposition and

another word or words. In fact, there are two types of complex prepositions in
English: two–word prepositions in which case the preposition is combined with
another preposition or an adverb (e.g. but for, along with, except for, ahead of,
instead of, according to, apart from ), and three- or four- word prepositions
which are a combination of a preposition, a noun and a preposition (e.g. on top
of, in place of, in front of, in comparison with, by means of, in the light of, in
place of, as a result of, at the expense of, for the sake of ) (see Table 1 below for
more examples).

Table 1 Complex prepositions in English

according to in behalf of
across from in front of
alongside of in place of
along with in regard to
apart from in spite of
aside from inside of
away from next to
because of on account of
by means of on behalf of
down from on top of
except for outside of
from among over to
from between owing to
from under prior to
in addition to round about

In Macedonian too, there are complex prepositions (e.g. заради, поради, накај,
помеѓу, покрај, наспроти...). They are one-word complex prepositions because
they are derived by combining a preposition and a noun (e.g. наместо
(на+место), покрај (по+крај), накрај (на+крај) ); two prepositions (e.g. откај
(од+кај), накај (на+кај), помеѓу (по+меѓу) ); and prepositions and adverbs (e.g.
наблизу (на+близу), одовде (од+овде)).

In any case, irrespective of the category prepositions belong to (simple or

complex), what they all have in common is that they are invariant in shape. The
only exception in that respect is the preposition во in Macedonian which
sometimes is used as в. Generally speaking, в is used when the object of the
preposition is an indefinite noun that does not begin /v/ or /f/ (e.g. в село, в
град, в куќи). However, во is used when the noun is marked for definiteness
then (e.g. во селото, во градот, во куќата ) and when the word begins with /v/
or /f/ (e.g. во фурна, во Велес). The usage of во and в constitutes a special case
with the days of the week, though (e.g. во среда – means every Wednesday; в
среда – this coming Wednesday; во средата – this last Wednesday).

Prepositional phrases (PP)

From a syntactic point of view, prepositions are part of larger phrases called
prepositional phrases (PPs) (e.g. on the desk; on Monday; at the station; in
hospital). PPs are headed by a preposition, i.e. the preposition is the main
element in prepositional phrases. What comes after the preposition usually is a
noun, i.e. a noun phrase that completes the meaning of the preposition,
functioning as its object. The same is the case in Macedonian (e.g. на масата;
во Скопје; крај патот).

Prepositional phrases in English are sometimes part of even larger sentence

constituents called prepositional verbs which consist of: a verb + a
prepositional phrase (PP)(2).

(2)
Tony focused on his assignment.
She relied on her intuition.
Tom referred to his colleague’s book.
I need to reply to his email.

In the sentences above, the verbs are followed by PPs which consist of a
preposition and a noun phrase. However, the object of the preposition in the PP
can be a gerund as well (3).

(3)
He insisted on buying the house.
We are thinking about selling the car.

Similarly, in Macedonian, the preposition на is used before nouns derived from

verbs (глаголски именки) (4) and not after them (5). Only if the noun is marked
for definiteness than the preposition на is used after the noun (6).

(4)
На одење ми рече за ништо да не се грижам.

(5)
*Броење на предмети треба да се прави внимателно. (incorrect).
Броење предмети треба да се прави внимателно, (correct)

(6)
Броењето на предмети треба да се прави внимателно.
Exercises:
Exercise 2
Fill in the gaps in the sentences below with the correct prepositions 2
1. Brittany never apologizes _____ her behaviour.
2. The student asked ____ a pencil.
3. The wallet belongs ____ that woman over there.
4. The man begged _____ a second chance.
5. I am traveling _____ England tomorrow.
6. Grace is listening ____ music in her room.
7. I don’t care ____salads.
8. Anthony, please go _____ the back of the classroom.
9. Many generations of people have fought ____ freedom.
10. We’ll need to think ______ hiring some more staff.
11. The family is hoping _____a miracle.
12. What do you know _____ physics?
13. Who’s going to pay ____these tickets?
14. Parents are expected to provide ____ their children.
15. What are you talking ________?
16. I can’t relate _____ this character at all.
17. The boy complained ________ his early curfew.
18. The friends laughed _____ their terrible luck.

In the Macedonian language, no verbs are being qualified as prepositional verbs.

In English, prepositions are sometimes found as part of adjective phrases (APs)
(7). In this case too, the preposition is either followed by a noun phrase or a
gerund. In Macedonian, we also have instances of adjectives being followed by a
PP (8).
(7)
He is afraid of ghosts in the house.
They are keen on playing chess.
I am sorry about your loss.

(8)
Тој е исплашен од војната.
Тие се склони кон неисполнување на своите оврски.
Маја е загрижена за мајка & .

Clearly, in all the instance discussed above , the preposition is a part of a large
constituent which is headed by the preposition itself. However, in English the
preposition can be placed at the very end of sentences too. Namely, although
previously the English grammar was against sentences that end with a

2
The exercised are based on the Preposition with Verbs hand-out accessed at www. learnenglishteam.com.
preposition, nowadays, it is acceptable to end a sentence with a preposition if the
alternative would create confusion or is too overly formal (9).
(9)
The car had not been paid for. (Ends with a preposition but is acceptable)
Paid for the car had not been. (Unclear sentence.)
I would like to know where she comes from. (Ends with a preposition but is
acceptable)
I would like to know from where she comes. (Grammatical but overly formal.)

In academic writing, however, there is still this tendency to avoid ending

sentences with a preposition in order to maintain a more formal scholarly style
(10).
(10)
My research will focus on the community the students lived in.
My research will focus on the community in which the students lived.
I like the people I am working with.
I like the people with whom I am working.

Functions of prepositional phrases

In both Macedonian and English, PPs can perform a variety of functions: subject
(11), object (12), subject predicative (13), object predicative (14) and adjunct
(15).

(11)
Under the bed is a good place to hide.
Под скалите било место што им служело како скривница за време на
војната.

(12)
A: Shall we move before or after Christmas? B: I prefer after Christmas.
A: Да се напиеме кафе пред или по состанокот? Б: Јас мислам по
состанокот.

(13)
The box seems in the right frame of mind.
Таа е во форма.

(14)
They spotted the boy in blue.
Го наградија уметникот со шеширот.

(15)
Wе will see each other on Monday.
Ќе се сретнеме на станицата.

Out of all these functions presented above, it seems that prepositional phrases
are most frequently used as adjuncts in both English and Macedonian.

Meaning of prepositions
Prepositions in both English and Macedonian are treated as helping or auxiliary
words which do not change their form and are used to join the different sentence
constituents together. However, given that they do not refer to any specific
referents and have no strictly defined meaning, it is important to mention that
they acquire their meaning from the context they are used in. In other words,
many prepositions have more than one meaning which arise only in conjunction
with the meaning of the sentence elements they are surrounded by. Let us
illustrate this point by discussing some of the meanings and the uses of several
major prepositions in English and Macedonian – on (15), by (16), на (17) and од
(18).

(15)
On Monday I will visit the gallery. (time)
She put the book on her desk. (location)
I am reading a book on linguistics. (referring to)

(16)
I sat by the window the entire morning (position or movement)
They travel by bus (movement/ means of transport)
She hunted by night. (time)

(17)
Ќе одам во Софија на 11ти мај. (time)
Автомобилот е на татко ми. (possession)
Го кажа тоа на брзина. (manner)
Личи на тaтко му. (comparison)
Книгата е на клупата. (location)

(18)
Излезе од дома. (movement and getting out of an enclosed space)
Слезе од коњот. (downwards movement)
Моливот од Горан. (possession)
Јас сум од Скопје. (origin)

What these examples above show is that different prepositions can be used to
create meanings associated with time (Table 2); place, position and direction
(Table 3) and a variety of other meaning as well (Table 4) etc. 3

Table 1 Prepositions – time

preposition Usage Example

on days of the week on Monday

in months / seasons in August / in winter

time of day in the morning
year in 2006
after a certain period of in an hour
time (when?)

at for night at night

for weekend at the weekend
a certain point of time (when?) at half past nine

3
Tables excerpted from https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/prepositions
preposition Usage Example

since from a certain point of time (past since 1980

till now)

for over a certain period of time (past for 2 years

till now)

to / till / marking the beginning and end of from Monday to/till Friday
until a period of time

till / until in the sense of how long He is on holiday until

something is going to last Friday.

by in the sense of at the latest I will be back by 6 o’clock.

up to a certain time By 11 o'clock, I had read
five pages.

Table 2 Prepositions – place, position and direction

English Usage Example

in room, building, street, town, in the kitchen, in London

country in the book
book, paper etc. in the car, in a taxi
car, taxi in the picture, in the world
picture, world

at meaning next to, by an object at the door, at the station

for table at the table
for events at a concert, at the party
place where you are to do at the cinema, at school, at
something typical (watch a film, work
study, work)

on attached the picture on the wall

for a place with a river London lies on the Thames.
being on a surface on the table
for a certain side (left, right) on the left
for a floor in a house on the first floor
for public transport on the bus, on a plane
for television, radio on TV, on the radio

by, next left or right of somebody or Jane is standing by / next to /

 English Usage Example

to, beside something beside the car.

under on the ground, lower than (or the bag is under the table
covered by) something else

below lower than something else but above the fish are below the surface
ground

over covered by something else put a jacket over your shirt

meaning more than over 16 years of age
getting to the other side walk over the bridge
(also across) climb over the wall
overcoming an obstacle

above  higher than something else, but a path above the lake
not directly over it

across  getting to the other side walk across the bridge

(also over)  swim across the lake
 getting to the other side

through  something with limits on top, drive through the tunnel

bottom and the sides

to  movement to person or building  go to the cinema

 movement to a place or country  go to London / Ireland
 for bed  go to bed

into  enter a room / a building  go into the kitchen / the

house

towards  movement in the direction of go 5 steps towards the

something (but not directly to it) house

onto  movement to the top of something jump onto the table

from  in the sense of where from  a flower from the garden

Other prepositions – other meanings

 English  Usage  Example

 from  who gave it  a present from Jane

 of  who/what does it belong to  a page of the book

 what does it show  the picture of a palace
 English  Usage  Example

 by  who made it  a book by Mark Twain

 on  walking or riding on horseback  on foot, on horseback

 entering a public transport get on the bus
vehicle

 in  entering a car / taxi  get in the car

 off  leaving a public transport get off the train

vehicle

 out of  leaving a car / Taxi  get out of the taxi

 by  rise or fall of something  prices have risen by 10 percent

 travelling (other than walking or by car, by bus
horseriding)

 at  for age  she learned Russian at 45

 about  for topics, meaning what about  we were talking about you

Exercise 4
Fill in the gaps with the correct preposition 4
The Wampanoag are the native American tribe that helped the Pilgrims the
Mayflower to survive their first year the New World. The tribe was
divided smaller groups, and each group was ruled a chief. The
Wampanoag lived villages the southeastern coast
North America. Their name means ‘people of the east’. One member the
Wampanoag, Squanto, knew English because several years before he had been
kidnapped and taken Europe. Squanto was the first to meet the Pilgrims
and he welcomed them English. The Wampanoag shared their
knowledge hunting and fishing the European settlers and
showed them how to grow corn and beans. autumn, the harvest was so
good that the settlers invited the Wampanoag a great feast that is now
remembered as the first Thanksgiving. A treaty the Wampanoag and the
settlers secured peace about 40 years, but then the settlers claimed more
and more land and treated the Wampanoag disrespect.
This finally led war the English and the Wampanoag (1675-
1676) which the Wampanoag were defeated. The Wampanoag left their

4
https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/prepositions/exercises?14
lands and moved the islands Nantucket and Martha's
Vineyard. Today there are only about 2,000 Wampanoag people living the
United States.

Macedonian prepositions and their English equivalents

The final point to be made in the context of prepositions is that although English
prepositions are frequently translated with corresponding Macedonian
prepositions (19), still in certain cases no preposition is used as a translation
equivalent of the English preposition (20).

(19)
We will see each other in May./ Се гледаме во мај.
Tony focused on his assignment./ Тони се фокусираше на неговата задача.
He put the dictionary under the desk./ Тој го стави речникот под клупата.

(20)
He was at home. / Тој беше ___ дома.
She took him by surprise. / Таа сосема го ___ изненади.
We did the homework assignment in a hurry./ Домашната ја напишавме
___набрзина.

The reverse is also possible – а preposition is used in the Macedonian sentence

but when translated into English no preposition is needed (21).

(21)
Ти беше во право. / You were right.

Many Macedonian speakers overlook the fact that, given that prepositions
acquire meaning from the context they are used in, very frequently, there is no
one–to-one correspondence between Macedonian and English prepositions.
Consequently, they opt for literal translation of prepositions, which results in
making mistakes in their English sentences (22).
(22)
Нашата земја е богата со природни ресорси.
*Our country is rich with natural resources. (incorrect) /The country is rich in
natural resources. (correct)
Заинтересиран сум за прагматика.
*I am interested for pragmatics. (incorrect)/ I am interested in pragmatics.
(correct)

Exercise3
Translate the following sentences in English and pay special attention to the
prepositions!
Возможно е, иако не е многу веројатно, астероид да се судри со земјата.
Како е супата во ресторанот споредена со супата на Вера?
Кога се тркам, јас се натпреварувам само со саатот.
Не е лесно да се соочиш со неуспех.
Таа не се согласува со мојот предлог.
Таа не ги одобрува пријателките на сестра и.
Сонувам да ја посетам Европа.
Кој ќе се грижи за златната рипка додека не си тука?
Морис сака да учествува во политички дебати.
Сега е моментот да се инвестира во колку што е можно поголем број компании.

Sometimes, mistakes are made because Macedonian speakers of English are not
aware of the different nuances of meaning that the interchangeable usage of
certain prepositions induces (23).

(23)
I heard of his passing. (I am remotely familiar with the information.)
I heard about his passing. (I am well familiar with the information.)
I dream about becoming a teacher. (I have this actual dream.)
I dream of becoming a teacher. (This is my goal, my ambition.)

An interesting point to make in this context is that when it comes to using

prepositions, it seems that even native speakers of Macedonian and English,
sometimes, have doubts as to what preposition would be most appropriate in a
specific sentence (24).

(24)
He has a solid knowledge on/ in/ of birds.
На барање на раководителот.../ По барање на раководителот ...

References
Murgovski, Z. (1997).English Grammar with Contrastive Notes on Macedonian.
Skopje.
Bojkovska, S. et. al (2008). Opshta gramatika na makedonskiot jazik. Prosvetno
Delo AD.
Janeva- Mihajlovska, M. (2009). Modern English Grammar: Handbook. Trimaks.
Janusheva, V. (2019). Sovremen makedonski jazik. Univerzitet “Sv.Kliment
Ohridski” – Bitola.
https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/prepositions
Wednesday’.16https://makedonskijazik.mk/2010/02/%D0%BF%D1%80%D0%B5%D0%B4%D0%BB
%D0%BE%D0%B7%D0%B8.html