في

See also: فی, قئ, فى, and قي

Arabic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fiː/

• Audio

  (file)

Etymology 1

Ultimately Proto-Semitic *pV(y)- (“in, at, or about a place or time; to be in with, to be among, during”) possibly related to Proto-Semitic *pay- (“mouth, an orifice, an entrance, a means in or to enter”). Cognates with Hebrew פֹּה (“here”) and פִּי (“multiplied, -fold”, literally “with, to have this length with this width”) and Ugaritic 𐎔 (p, “here, in this place or in this time; in the manner of, relating or pertaining to”).

Preposition

فِي • (fī)

1. in, within
2. during, for a duration of
3. in with, among, together with
4. of, about, in regards to, pertaining to, in the subject or topic of

   عِنْدِي سُؤَالٌ فِي النَّحْوِ

   ʕindī suʔālun fī n-naḥwi

   I have a question about grammar

5. on account of, for the reason of, in relation to
6. times, multiplied by, to have a measure of this by this

   Antonym: ('on, divided by') عَلَىٰ (ʕalā)

   أَرْبَعَة فِي خَمْسَة ― ʔarbaʕa(t) fī ḵamsa ― Four times five

Inflection

Inflected forms
Base form					فِي (fī)
Personal-pronoun- including forms	Singular		Dual	Plural
	Masculine	Feminine	Common	Masculine	Feminine
First person	فِيَّ (fiyya)		فِينَا (fīnā)
Second person	فِيكَ (fīka)	فِيكِ (fīki)	فِيكُمَا (fīkumā)	فِيكُمْ (fīkum)	فِيكُنَّ (fīkunna)
Third person	فِيهِ (fīhi)	فِيهَا (fīhā)	فِيهِمَا (fīhimā)	فِيهِمْ (fīhim)	فِيهِنَّ (fīhinna)

Descendants

• Gulf Arabic: في (“there is, there are”)

Etymology 2

Verb

فِي • (fī) (form I)

1. second-person feminine singular active imperative of وَفَى (wafā)

---

Gulf Arabic

Etymology

From Arabic فِي (fī). Compare Egyptian Arabic فيه (fī), Hijazi Arabic فيه (fī), and North Levantine Arabic فيه (fī).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fi/

Determiner

في • (fi)

1. there is, there are

Usage notes

The past tense there was and there were is formed by adding كان (kān) before في, for example كان في دونت بس خلصوا (kān fī dunat/donat bas ḵaḷḷaṣaw, “there were doughnuts but they finished”)

Preposition

في • (fi)

1. forms the conjugated forms of the preposition بْـ (b, “in, at”)

   فيها ― fīha ― in her

   فينا ― fīna ― in us

2. (with conjugation) how about s.th., do you feel like s.th.

   فيكم سينما؟

   fīkum sēnima?

   Do you feel like going to the cinema?

   (literally, “in you (CPL), is there a cinema?”)

   فيچ نجرب المترو؟

   fīc njarrib il-mitro?

   Do you feel like trying the metro?

   (literally, “in you (FSG) (we) try the metro?”)

   فيك سفرة؟

   fīk safra?

   Do you feel like travelling

   (literally, “in you (MSG), is there a trip?”)

---

Tunisian Arabic

Preposition

فِي (fī)

1. in

   تُسْكُنْ عَايِلْتِي فِي سُوسَة ― tuskun ʿāyiltī fī sūsa ― My family lives in Sousse

   هِيَّ بِشْ تْجِي فِي مَارِسْ ― hiyya biš tjī fī mars ― She will come in March

   نَّجِّمْ نَعْمِلْ الْخِدْمَة هَاذِي فِي ثْلَاثَة يَّام ― nnajjim naʿmil ilḫidma hāḏī fī ṯlāṯa yyām ― I can do this work in three days

   هِيَّ فِي صَحَّة طَيّْبَة ― hiyya fī ṣaḥḥa ṭayyba ― She is in good health

Inflection

inflected forms of في
Base form					فِي (fī)
Personal-pronoun- including forms		singular		plural
		m	f
1st person		فِيَّا (fiyya)		فِينَا (fīna)
2nd person		فِيكْ (fīk)		فِيكُمْ (fīkum)
3rd person		فِيهْ (fīh)	فِيهَا (fīha)	فِيهُمْ (fīhum)