Editing Shilha language (section)

=== Prepositions ===
Prepositions can have up to three different forms, depending on the context in which they are used:
*before a noun or demonstrative pronoun
*with a pronominal suffix
*independent in relative clause
The form before nouns and demonstrative pronouns and the independent form are identical for most prepositions, the exception being the dative preposition {{Lang|shi-latn|i}} (independent {{Lang|shi-latn|mi}}, {{Lang|shi-latn|mu}}).

{|class="wikitable" border="1"
!width="120"|Before noun or demonstrative pronoun
!width="120"|Independent
!width="120"|With pronominal suffix
!width="120"|Translation equivalents
|-
|ar || —    || —    || [[Terminative case|terminative]]: "until, as far as"
|-
|d  || d    || id-, did-    || [[Comitative case|comitative]]: "with, in the company of; and"
|-
|dar    || dar  || dar- || "at the place of, {{Lang|fr|chez}}"
|-
|ddu    || …    || ddaw-, ddawa-    || "beneath, under"
|-
|f  || f    || flla-    || "on; because of"
|-
|gr || …    || gra- || "between"
|-
|(i)ngr || …    || (i)ngra- || "among"
|-
|ɣ  || ɣ    || gi(g)-   || [[Locative case|locative]]: "in, at"
|-
|i  || mi, mu   || (indirect object clitics)    || [[Dative case|dative]]: "for, to"
|-
|n  || —    || (possessive complements) || [[Possessive case|possessive]]: "of"
|-
|nnig   || …    || nniga-   || "above"
|-
|s  || s    || is-  || [[Instrumental case|instrumental]]: "with, by means of"
|-
|s  || s    || sr-  || [[Allative case|allative]]: "to, toward"
|-
|zɣ || zɣ   || zgi(g)-  || [[Ablative case|ablative]]: "from"
|-
|colspan="4" | — inexistent<br />… unattested, probably inexistent
|}

Most prepositions require a following inflected noun to be in the annexed state (EA) (see {{section link| |Use of the annexed state}}). Exceptions are {{Lang|shi-latn|ar}} "until", {{Lang|shi-latn|s}} "toward" (in some modern dialects, and in premodern texts) and prepositions borrowed from Arabic (not in the table) such as {{Lang|shi-latn|bɛd}} "after" and {{Lang|shi-latn|qbl}} "before".

The instrumental and allative prepositions {{Lang|shi-latn|s}} "by means of" (with EA) and {{Lang|shi-latn|s}} "toward" (with EL) were still consistently kept apart in premodern manuscript texts. In most modern dialects they have been amalgamated, with both now requiring the EA, and with the pre-pronominal forms each occurring with both meanings: {{Lang|shi-latn|sr-s}} "toward it" (now also "with it"), {{Lang|shi-latn|is-s}} "with it" (now also "toward it").

The use of the different forms is illustrated here with the preposition {{Lang|shi-latn|ɣ}} "in":

{{interlinear|lang=shi-latn|number=ex:
|iḍr unẓar izwarn '''ɣ''' ukccum n ktubr |c1=(with noun)
|it.fell EA-rain in EA-beginning of October
|"the first rain fell '''in''' the beginning of October"}}
{{interlinear|lang=shi-latn|number=ex:
|ggawrn '''gisnt''' ar ssan lqhwa |c1=(with pronominal suffix)
|the sit in.them the're.drinking coffee
|"they sit '''in them''' [i.e., cafés] drinking coffee"}}
{{interlinear|lang=shi-latn|number=ex:
|urti '''ɣ''' llan lacjar lli stɣllanin ar ittyiswa |c1=(independent)
|EL-orchard in.which they.exist trees that they.are.bearing.fruit it.is.irrigated
|"an orchard '''in which''' there are fruit-bearing trees is usually irrigated"}}

Two prepositions can be combined:

{{interlinear|lang=shi-latn|number=ex:
|illa yglgiz lli yttzdaɣn {'''ɣ ddu'''} tsbnit
|it.exists EA-beetle that it.is.living in under EA-dung
|"there is a [kind of] beetle that lives beneath the dung"}}
{{interlinear|lang=shi-latn|number=ex:
|ar ttddan {'''s dar'''} uḥjjam ɣ Tfrawt
|they.are.going to at.the.place.of EA-barber in EA-Tafraout
|"they always go to a barber in Tafraout"}}

Spatial relations are also expressed with phrases of the type "on top of":
:{{Lang|shi-latn|ɣ iggi n umdduz}} "on top of the dung heap"
:{{Lang|shi-latn|ɣ tama n uɣaras}} "beside the road"
:{{Lang|shi-latn|ɣ tuẓẓumt n wasif}} "in the midst of the river"
The preposition {{Lang|shi-latn|gi(g)-}} "in" with pronominal suffixes, with all its free and dialectal variants,<ref>Gathered from published texts.</ref> is presented below. The other prepositions display a much smaller variety of forms.

{|class="wikitable" border="1"
!width="90"| ||width="90"| {{Lang|shi-latn|gig-}} ||width="90"| {{Lang|shi-latn|gi-}} ||width="90"| with {{Lang|shi-latn|-t-}} ||width="180"| irregular
|-
| 1 sg. || {{Lang|shi-latn|gig-i}} || {{Lang|shi-latn|gi-Ø}} || {{Lang|shi-latn|gi-t-i}} ||
|-
| 2 sg.m. || {{Lang|shi-latn|gik-k}} || {{Lang|shi-latn|gi-k}} || 
|-
| 2 sg.f. || {{Lang|shi-latn|gig-m}} || {{Lang|shi-latn|gi-m}} || ||
|-
| 3 sg. || || {{Lang|shi-latn|gi-s}} || || {{Lang|shi-latn|giz, gid, git}}
|-
| 1 pl. || {{Lang|shi-latn|gig-nɣ}} || {{Lang|shi-latn|gi-(n)ɣ}} || {{Lang|shi-latn|gi-t-nɣ}} ||
|-
| 2 pl.m. || {{Lang|shi-latn|gig-un}} || {{Lang|shi-latn|gi-wn}} || {{Lang|shi-latn|gi-t-un}} ||
|-
| 2 pl.f. || {{Lang|shi-latn|gig-unt}} || {{Lang|shi-latn|gi-wnt}} || {{Lang|shi-latn|gi-t-unt}} ||
|-
| 3 pl.m. || || {{Lang|shi-latn|gi-sn}} || {{Lang|shi-latn|gi-t-sn}} || {{Lang|shi-latn|gizn, gidsn}}
|-
| 3 pl.f. || || {{Lang|shi-latn|gi-snt}} || {{Lang|shi-latn|gi-t-snt}} || {{Lang|shi-latn|giznt, gidsnt}}
|}