









































citation


AsiaCALL Online Journal Received: 28/10/2021 

ISSN 1936-9859; https://asiacall.info/acoj Revision: 27/12/2021 

Vol. 13, No.1, 2022  Accepted: 29/12/2021 

pp. 166-179  Online: 03/01/2022 

 

CITATION | Dinh, D. P. (2022). On the Shift of Parts of Speech in Prepositional Meaning in English-Vietnamese 

Translation. AsiaCALL Online Journal, 13(1), 166-179. DOI: https://doi.org/10.54855/acoj.2213110  

On the Shift of Parts of Speech in Prepositional Meaning  

in English-Vietnamese Translation 

Phat Dinh Dac1* 

1 Saigon University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam 
* Correspondence: Phat Dinh Dac, Saigon University, Vietnam. E-mail: dinhdacphat98@yahoo.com.vn:        

      https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1388-3992 

      https://doi.org/10.54855/acoj.2213110 

Abstract 

Exploring the shift in meanings of translating prepositions from English to Vietnamese, the 

study, besides analyzing the cases of the changes in meanings of prepositions, aims to discuss 

a general variety of meanings of English prepositions. The methods of analysis and synthesis 

of theories from the available data on prepositions as well as the methods of classifying and 

systematizing prepositions were applied to English-Vietnamese translation. From the 

collected data, this study has revealed 6 cases of the shift in meanings of prepositions and the 

characteristics of multiple meanings of prepositions. In the course of translation, contextual 

meanings are used in order to convey the meanings appropriately in the Vietnamese style. 

The research paper can make some contribution to the teaching of translation and make it a 

reference material for English learners. 

Keywords: prepositions, translation, English, Vietnamese, the shift in meanings, multi-

meaning 

 

1. Introduction 

Prepositions in English have some similarities with those in Vietnamese. However, there are 

cases where prepositions are used differently between two languages, especially in different 

contexts, leading to different meanings in translation. The phenomenon of changing the 

meaning of prepositions when translating from English to Vietnamese sometimes confuses 

translators due to the habit of translating from Vietnamese to English in a single sense, making 

language expressions unnatural and difficult to understand. Flexibility when translating 

prepositions will help translators convey the content of the translation accurately, avoiding 

translation errors about prepositions. 

Therefore, the correct use of prepositions is very important because people use them to indicate 

the action and details of what people are going to convey. Understanding prepositions not only 

helps to use English naturally but also helps to translate documents and texts correctly (The Key 

to English Prepositions 1, Collier-Macmillan International, 1964). However, many learners in 

Vietnam find it difficult to translate prepositions correctly in many different contexts. 

In addition, English learners often tend to translate languages according to their mother tongue. 

Therefore, they need to realize that there is no such thing as translating an exact preposition in 

https://doi.org/10.54855/acoj.2213110
mailto:dinhdacphat98@yahoo.com.vn
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1388-3992
https://doi.org/10.54855/acoj.2213110


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167 

a single sense from English to Vietnamese and vice versa. We know that sometimes we have 

to add or subtract prepositions when translating a sentence from one language to another. 

Moreover, Vietnamese prepositions would have some meanings similar to English, so the 

translation of prepositions needs to be carefully guided for learners so that they can recognize 

this problem and know the appropriate prepositions to use in different situations to avoid errors 

when using. 

In short, to use English prepositions when translating from English to Vietnamese correctly, 

learners need to know the phenomena of prepositional meaning change when translating from 

English to Vietnamese, as well as the phenomenon of multiple meanings of a preposition in 

different contexts. There are no universal rules for using prepositions, and learners should not 

directly translate prepositions into their native language since prepositions are used differently 

in different languages. As mentioned above, it is very necessary to study the phenomenon of 

prepositions when translating from English to Vietnamese. 

 

2. Literature review 

a) Domestic research 

In Vietnam, there are topics related to prepositions such as: 

- Tran, V. D. (1997). Cách dùng giới từ Anh ngữ, Nhà Xuất bản Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh. 

- Tran, Q. H. (2001). Nghiên cứu giới từ định vị theo hướng ngữ dụng trên cứ liệu tiếng 

Anh và tiếng Việt, Master Thesis of Science in Literature, University of Social Sciences 

and Humanities – Hanoi National University. 

- Nguyen, C. H. (2001), Nghiên cứu ngữ pháp và ngữ nghĩa của giới từ tiếng Anh đối 

chiếu với tiếng Việt, Doctoral Thesis, University of Social Sciences and Humanities – 

Hanoi National University. 

- Nguyen, T. T. H. (2020), Giới từ định vị tiếng Anh (at, in, on) và các đơn vị tương đương 

trong tiếng Việt, Doctoral Thesis, University of Social Sciences and Humanities – Ho 

Chi Minh City National University. 

b) International research 

In countries around the world, there are materials related to prepositions such as: 

- Collier-Macmillan International (1964) – The Key to English Prepositions 1, Collier-

Macmillan Limited, London, v. 

- Seth Lindstromberg (2010) – English Prepositions Explained, Amsterdam: John 

Benjamins Publishing Company.  

- Tom Hutch (2015) - 150 Everyday Uses of Prepositions in English, Learning Express. 

- Jean Yates (2020) - Barron’s ESL Proficiency Series: Prepositions, Kaplan, Inc., 

Barron’s Educational Series. 



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Researches and works related to prepositions mentioned above, whether in the domestic or 

foreign scope, have partly provided useful content and materials for students who want to learn 

about prepositions. As Tran (1997) showed that prepositions could follow verbs, adjectives, 

and nouns and would perform different functions, and at the same time shows the general 

pattern of prepositional meaning in English – Vietnamese translation. The Ph.D. thesis of Tran 

(2001) identified the pragmatic factors affecting the choice of locative prepositions. The Ph.D. 

thesis of Nguyen (2001) has shown the comparison of English and Vietnamese prepositions in 

terms of grammatical characteristics so that it can be applied to the analysis of errors of 

Vietnamese people when learning English prepositions. The Ph.D. thesis of Nguyen (2020) 

analyzed the phenomenon of multi-meaning of the English preposition “in” from the 

perspective of cognitive linguistics. The Ph.D. thesis of Nguyen (2020) showed the locating 

prepositions of "at, in, on" in English and equivalent meanings in Vietnamese in terms of 

grammar and semantics. 

There are also documents and books that focus on the use of prepositions. Collier-Macmillan 

International (1964) – The Key to English Prepositions 1 also classified each group of 

prepositions used for different functions such as time, position, measure, number, etc. Thereby, 

each preposition, when going with nouns, will give different meanings. Seth Lindstromberg 

(2010) – English Prepositions Explained classified prepositions used in different meanings and 

functions in each specific case. At the same time, he also grouped prepositions that have the 

same meaning but will be different in each context. Tom Hutch (2015) - 150 Everyday Uses of 

Prepositions in English listed common prepositions used in everyday life and Jean Yates (2020) 

- Barron's ESL Proficiency Series: Prepositions listed each prepositions’ meaning in contexts. 

However, the above studies and documents are only generalizations, or they provide research 

results in certain aspects. There has not been any in-depth research on the phenomenon of 

prepositions in English to Vietnamese translation. In other words, there have not been any deep 

studies of how an English preposition will have different meanings in different contexts. 

Therefore, this study would analyze the phenomenon of transfer meaning between English-

Vietnamese prepositions with the desire to clarify the phenomenon of meaning transference of 

prepositions in sentences, one of the difficulties for English learners. 

2.1 Research Questions  

To fulfil the purpose of the study, the survey was to answer the following research questions:  

a. How many transitions of prepositions are there when translating from English to 

Vietnamese? 

b. Does the phenomenon of polysemy appear in the same preposition in addition to its 

original meaning in different contexts? 

 

 

 



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3. Methods 

3.1 Data 

Researching prepositions in English (focusing on common prepositions that learners often think 

of first when asked about prepositions in English such as at, in, on, for, from, to, above, before, 

without, and so on) and comparing equivalent meanings in Vietnamese such as ở, trong, trên, 

cho, từ, tới, trên, trước, mà không, …) 

3.2 Design of the Study 

The study used the following methods. Firstly, the writer uses the comparative and contrastive 

method to research the similarities and differences between English and Vietnamese 

prepositions. Secondly, the writer uses the analyzing and synthesizing theory method to study 

documents about prepositions in English and look for examples of sentences using prepositions 

in texts to serve as illustrative examples. Finally, the writer uses the classification and 

systematization of theory method to distinguish each phenomenon of prepositional meaning 

transition when translating from English to Vietnamese. 

This study would examine and analyze each phenomenon of prepositional meaning change 

when translating from English to Vietnamese. In translated sentences, the author will try to 

convey the exact meaning of the sentences in certain contexts. 

3.3 Data collection & analysis 

The study focused on English-Vietnamese prepositions and the phenomenon of prepositional 

meaning change when translating from English to Vietnamese. Data and examples were taken 

from 5 sources, including 150 Everyday Uses of Prepositions in English by Tom Hutch, 

Barron's ESL Proficiency Series: Prepositions by Jean Yates, Cách dùng giới từ Anh ngữ by 

Tran Van Dien, English Prepositions Explained by Seth Lindstromberg and The Key to English 

Preopistions 1 by Collier-Macmillan International. All documents are original, and the author 

would select a few examples that use prepositions used in everyday language to show the 

difference in meaning in each language when translated. 

 

4. Results 

4.1 Prepositions are present in English but not in Vietnamese 

Take the verb wait, in English, if we use this verb with the purpose of waiting for someone, it 

would be: 

(1) I will wait for you till 5 o’clock. (Tran, 1997, 10) 

(2) I have waited for you from the morning till now. (Tran, 1997, 13) 

However, if translated into Vietnamese according to the Vietnamese speaking style, the two 

sentences above will give the following meaning: 

 



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(1) Tôi sẽ chờ bạn tới 5 giờ. 

(2) Tôi đã chờ bạn từ sáng cho tới bây giờ. 

Next is the verb arrive, in English if we use this verb to talk about going somewhere, it will be: 

(3) He arrives at Dallat. (Tran, 1997, 12) 

(4) We arrive in Saigon. (Tran, 1997, 22) 

When translated into Vietnamese according to the Vietnamese style, the two sentences above 

will give the following meaning: 

(3) Anh ta tới Đà Lạt. 

(4) Chúng tôi tới Saigon. 

We will not translate that: 

(3) Anh ta tới ở Đà Lạt. 

(4) Chúng tôi tới trong Saigon. 

4.2 Prepositions are not present in English but are present in Vietnamese. 

Take the case of the verb contact, in English, if we use this verb for the purpose of 

communicating between people, it would be: 

(5) They contacted me about my trip. (Yates, 2020, 20) 

(6) You can contact him by e-mail. (Yates, 2020, 48) 

However, if translated into Vietnamese according to the Vietnamese speaking style, the two 

sentences above will give the following meaning: 

(5) Họ liên lạc với tôi về chuyến đi. 

(6) Bạn có thể liên lạc với anh ta qua địa chỉ e-mail. 

Take another case of the verb enter, in English, we use this verb to talk about where to go 

inside, then we will use: 

(7) When the president entered the room, everyone stood up. (Yates, 2020, 215) 

(8) He enters my room. (Tran, 1997, 12) 

When translated into Vietnamese, the two sentences above will give the following meaning: 

(7) Khi chủ tịch vào trong căn phòng, mọi người đều đứng dậy. 

(8) Anh ta vào trong phòng tôi. 

The most common causes of this change of meaning are often in the form of sentences of 

ditransitive verbs: 

S + ditransitive verbs + indirect object + direct object 

(9) She bought him a present. 

(10) Cong Phuong passed Quang Hai the ball. 



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With the above sentences, we will often translate as: 

(9) Cô ta mua cho anh ấy một món quà. 

(10) Công Phượng chuyền banh cho Quang Hải. 

4.3 Prepositions are present in both English and Vietnamese 

Take the verb disagree, in English, if we use this verb for the purpose of expressing an 

opinion, it would be: 

(11) Whatever I say, she always disagrees with me. (Hutch, 2015, 43) 

(12) … I sort of disagreeing with them. (Hutch, 2015, 57) 

If translated into Vietnamese according to the Vietnamese speaking style, the two sentences 

above will give the following meaning: 

(11) Tôi có nói gì, cô ấy luôn luôn không đồng ý với tôi. 

(12) … tôi kiểu như không đồng tình với họ. 

Take the verb phrase talk about, in English, when we use it to express what we mean about 

something, we will use: 

(13) He often talks about his job. (Yates, 2020, 19) 

(14) He talked about you. (Tran, 1997, 15) 

If translated according to the Vietnamese style, we would say: 

(13) Anh ta thường nói về công việc của mình.  

(14) Anh ta đã nói về bạn.  

4.4 Prepositions are present in both English and Vietnamese but different prepositions are 

used 

Take the phrase be famous for, in English, we use to refer to a thing/situation that is famous, 

then we will have the following sentences: 

(15) Da Lat is a city famous for its climate. (Tran, 1997, 145) 

(16) She is famous for giving great parties. (Yates, 2020, 91) 

If translated according to the Vietnamese style, we would say: 

(15) Đà Lạt là một thành phố nổi tiếng về khí hậu tốt. 

(16) Cô ấy nổi tiếng về việc tổ chức các bữa tiệc tuyệt vời.  

When translating into Vietnamese, English will still use the preposition for. Meanwhile, the 

Vietnamese will use the preposition about (về). Therefore, we will use the wrong preposition 

if translating in normal Vietnamese: 

(15) Da Lat is a city famous for its climate.  

(16) She is famous about giving great parties. 

Next is the verb remind, in English, if we use it to talk about reminding someone of/about 

something, we will use it with the preposition of according to the structure: 



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to remind somebody of someone/something 

(17) She reminds me of my sister. (Yates, 2020, 260) 

(18) The purple color reminds me of her. (Tran, 1997, 92) 

In this case, when translating into Vietnamese, we will translate it as: 

(17) Cô ấy làm tôi nhớ tới/về chị gái của tôi. 

(18) Màu tím làm tôi nhớ tới/về cô ấy. 

Therefore, we will use the wrong preposition if translating in normal Vietnamese: 

(17) She reminds me to/about my sister. 

(18)The purple color reminds me to/about her.  

4.5 Prepositions are not present in both English and Vietnamese 

In this case of translation, in English and Vietnamese sentences, they both describe common 

actions. 

(19) I am awaiting your visit with pleasure. (Yates, 2020, 199) 

(20) I was inspired by that film to become a fireman. (Hutch, 2015, 2020) 

(21) After reading this article three times, I still don’t understand it. (Yates, 2020, 30) 

Translated into Vietnamese, the above sentences will give the meaning: 

(19) Tôi đang trông đợi chyến thăm của bạn với niềm vui mừng. 

(20) Bộ phim truyền cảm hứng cho tôi để trở thành lính cứu hỏa. 

(21) Sau khi đọc bài báo này ba lần, tôi vẫn không hiểu nó. 

With become and read, there will never be a preposition followed if translated into Vietnamese: 

(20) I was inspired by that film to become into a fireman. 

(21) After reading about this article three times, I still don’t understand it. 

 

4.6 Prepositions are present in English, when translated into Vietnamese, they act as 

conjunctions or verbs 

In some cases, when translating an English to Vietnamese preposition in a sentence, we will 

see that the meaning of the preposition now has the meaning of conjunction or verb. Examples 

of the following sentences with the preposition with: 

a) With in the meaning of conjunction: 

(22) With (In case of) problems of this sort, you have got to think in terms of five- or 

ten-year periods. (Lindstromberg, 2010, 219)  

(22) Trong trường hợp của những vấn thuộc loại này, bạn phải nghĩ vê khoảng thời 

gian năm hoặc mười năm 

(23) The flower is wet with (because of) dew. (Tran, 1997, 16) 



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(23) Những bông hoa bị ướt bởi sương sớm. 

(24) The girl's face is wet with (because of) tears. (Yates, 2020, 224) 

(24) Khuôn mặt của cô gái ướt vì nước mắt. 

(25) I love him with (despite) all his faults. (Yates, 2020, 225) 

(25) Tôi yêu anh ấy bất chấp tất cả những lỗi lầm của ảnh. 

(26) With (Despite) all her problems, she is quite serene. (Yates, 2020, 225) 

(26) Bất chấp mọi vấn đề của mình, cô ấy vẫn khá thanh thản. 

b) With in the meaning of verb: 

(27) The man with (who has) brown eyes is my father. (Tran, 1997, 15) 

(27) Người đàn ông có đôi mắt màu nâu là cha tôi. 

(28) I am with (agree) you on that point. (Tran, 1997, 15) 

(28) Tôi đồng ý với bạn ở điểm đó. 

(29) I have an article with (that contains) pictures for my presentation. 

(30) (Yates, 2020, 219) 

(29) Tôi có một bài báo chứa những bức ảnh cho bài thuyết trình của mình. 

Another case of the preposition against, in the meaning of verb: 

(30) They held the mirror against (touch) the wall. (Yates, 2020, 33) 

(30) Họ giữ gương dựa vào tường.  

(31) He is always against (disagree) me. (Tran, 1997, 16) 

(31) Anh ta luôn chống đối tôi. (Tran, 1997, 16) 

When placed in different contexts, the original meaning will be lost and give different meanings 

similar to Vietnamese. This phenomenon occurs due to elements of Vietnamese culture. At this 

point, the meaning of the two sides will no longer be equivalent to each other in the original 

sense. There will be many other meanings in the same preposition, and the study will only 

generalize to show that the phenomenon of multiple meanings of prepositions in the context is 

present. 

Now, the study will focus on the preposition on, one of the most commonly used prepositions 

in both English and Vietnamese prepositions to show the phenomenon of multi-meaning of 

prepositions when translating from English to Vietnamese. 

(1) on, in its original sense, is often translated by Vietnamese as trên: 

(32) The newspaper is on the table. (Yates, 2020, 149) 

(32) Tờ báo ở trên bàn. 

(33) There are a lot of movies on television. (Yates, 2020, 159) 

(33) Có rất nhiều bộ phim trên TV. 

(2) on can be translated as ở in Vietnamese: 

(34) Please open your book on page one (Yates, 2020, 150) 

(34) Hãy mở sách của bạn ra ở trang một. 

(35) I live on the fourth floor … (Tran, 1997, 23) 



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(35) Tôi sống ở tầng bốn … 

(36) I am with you on that point. (Tran, 1997, 15) 

(36) Tôi đồng ý với bạn ở điểm đó. 

(3) on can be translated as vào in Vietnamese: 

(37) Come and see me on Mondays. (Tran, 1997, 10) 

(37) Hãy đến và gặp tôi vào thứ hai. 

(38) He vistis twice a month on weekends. (Yates, 2020, 153) 

(38) Anh ta viếng thăm hai lần một tháng vào các ngày cuối tuần. 

(4) on can be translated as bằng in Vietnamese: 

(39) He came over on his bike. (Yates, 2020, 151) 

(39) Anh ta ghé chơi bằng xe đẹp. 

(40) George usually goes to work on the bus. (Macmilland, 1968, 15) 

(40) George thường đi làm bằng xe buýt … 

(41) That car runs on diesel fuel. (Yates, 2020, 153) 

(41) Chiếc xe hơi đó chạy bằng dầu đi-e-zel. 

(42) He wrote his paper on the computer. (Yates, 2020, 154) 

(42) Anh ta viết bài bằng máy tính. 

(5) on can be translated as về in Vietnamese: 

(43) He gave me a lecture on science. (Tran, 1997, 15) 

(43) Anh ấy giảng cho tôi về khoa học. 

(44) We have a good book on gardening. (Yates, 2020, 155) 

(44) Chúng tôi có một cuốn sách về làm vườn. 

(6) on can be translated as bên in Vietnamese: 

(45) The porch is on the side of the house. (Yates, 2020, 150) 

(45) Mái hiên bên hông nhà. 

(46) Did you notice the twin oak trees on the left hand side of the path?  (Lindstromberg, 

2010: 58) 

(46) Bạn có để ý thấy đôi cây sồi bên tay trái của lối đi không? 

(7) on can be translated as đối diện in Vietnamese: 

(47) Their house is on the beach. (Yates, 2020, 150) 

(47) Nhà của họ đối diện bãi biển. 

(48) Both of these campgrounds are right on the ocean. (Lindstrormberg, 2010, 52) 

(48) Cả hai khu cắm trại đều đối diện ngay bãi biển. 

(8) on can be translated as trong in Vietnamese: 

(49) She is on the basketball team … (Yates, 2020, 156) 

(49) Cô ta trong đội bóng rổ … 



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(9) on can be translated as lên in Vietnamese: 

(50) She poured water on the plant. (Yates, 2020, 151) 

(51) Cô ta tưới nước lên cái cây. 

(52) He sprinkled salt on the meat. (Yates, 2020, 151) 

(51) Anh ấy rắc muối lên miếng thịt. 

(10) on can be translated as khi in Vietnamese: 

(52) She fainted on hearing the news. (Yates, 2020, 159) 

(52) Cô ấy ngất khi nghe thông tin. 

(53) On hearing the victory, people were transported with joy. (Tran, 1997, 180) 

(53) Khi nghe tin chiến thắng, dân chúng xiết nỗi vui mừng. 

(11) on can be translated as với in Vietnamese: 

(54) The teacher is much too easy on the boys. (Yates, 2020, 160) 

(54) Người giáo viên quá dễ dãi với những học sinh nam. 

(55) I think I was too rough on her yesterday. (Yates, 2020, 160) 

(55) Tôi nghĩ tôi đã quá khắt khe với cô ta ngày hôm qua. 

 

In addition to the above cases, the preposition on has other meanings in English expressions 

but does not carry the prepositional meaning when translated into Vietnamese. In this case, the 

translator will use Vietnamese expressions with similar meanings to express the meaning of on 

in the sentence. For example: 

(56) They were on the road for two days during their trip. (Macmillan, 1964, 3) 

(56) Họ đã đi được 2 ngày trong suốt chuyến đi. 

(57) The light’s on. (Lindstromberg, 2010, 65) 

(57) Đèn đang bật 

(58) The meeting’s on. (vs off) (Lindstromberg, 2010, 65) 

(58) Cuộc họp đang diễn ra. 

(59) He is always on hand to help us. (Yates, 2020, 158) 

(59) Anh ta luôn có mặt để giúp chúng tôi. 

(60) She is on a diet. ( Yates, 2020, 158) 

(60) Cô ta đang ăn kiêng. 

 

Through analyzing the preposition on in the above contexts, the author has pointed out 11 

different meanings of the preposition “on” when placed in different contexts and the exception 

when it is a fixed phrase, resulting in similar meanings to Vietnamese when translated. 

 

 



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5. Conclusion and Discussion 

Summarising 

The research has answered two questions raised by referencing documents on English and 

Vietnamese prepositions as a basis for research and surveying cases of prepositional transitions 

when translating from English to Vietnamese. Specifically, how many phenomena will occur 

when we translate English prepositions into Vietnamese and whether an English preposition 

can have many meanings other than the original meaning when placed in different contexts. 

The study shows that there are 6 cases of transition of prepositions when translating from 

English to Vietnamese. Cases showing the similarities and differences of prepositions in each 

different language will have different usage, thereby drawing the conclusion that prepositions 

are arbitrary and do not have a prepositional using method. There will be cases where 

prepositions are present in both English and Vietnamese, and they have the same meaning when 

translated. There will be cases where prepositions are added or omitted, or both have the same 

meaning, but the preposition is used differently, and there are cases where there are no 

prepositions in sentences to describe actions. 

The study also shows that in translation, learners or translators need to look closely at the 

phenomena of translation in order to be able to convey the correct meaning and use the correct 

prepositions. Moreover, the study also shows that when considering the cultural factor of the 

language to be translated, it will give different meanings in one preposition. To clarify, the 

preposition on can be translated in many meanings similar to other prepositions in Vietnamese 

and other expressions in addition to the original meaning trên, including other 10 meanings: 

ở, vào, bằng, về, bên, đối diện, trong, lên, khi, với. 

The findings in this paper provide the basis for people to see that prepositions are one of the 

important aspects of English. Understanding and using correct prepositions will help us express 

our ideas through language and express it naturally. According to Tran (1997), “learning the 

form and meaning of prepositions is not enough. What matters is learning how to use 

prepositions in different situations.” The study also shows that the proficient use of English 

prepositions does not have a uniform rule, but it takes practice and habits to become proficient. 

Prepositions are diverse and always change meaning when placed in different contexts. 

Therefore, there is no method of using prepositions. 

According to Nguyen (2001), in both English and Vietnamese, linguists classify prepositions 

into functional words, linking words, empty words, etc. Prepositions have an important position 

in the word system. Type, it has the ability to connect, showing the relationship between the 

elements in the sentence that they link. Moreover, it is necessary to distinguish prepositions 

from conjunctions in both English and Vietnamese. Conjunctions are words that show an 

equality relationship, and prepositions represent a main-subordinate relationship. In English, 

prepositions also need to be distinguished from minor adverbs. Sub-adverbs differ from 

prepositions in terms of syntactic and grammatical features. 



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In both English and Vietnamese sentences, a preposition always precedes the noun or pronoun 

that it governs to form a prepositional phrase (preposition). Prepositions in both languages can 

be used at the beginning of a complex sentence with a clause to indicate different meanings in 

translation, such as purpose, cause, and effect. 

In conclusion, the study hopes to have partly contributed to the identification of the meaning of 

English prepositions in learning and translation. Therefore, the research paper hopes to be 

useful to English learners and individuals who are passionate about teaching aspects of the 

language, especially prepositions. 

Limitations  

The study is only a small contribution to the study of English prepositions by analyzing some 

transitional phenomena and briefly mentioning that a preposition can have many meanings and 

play different roles in the English language. In other words, there will be many phenomena that 

change the meaning of prepositions and the phenomenon of multiple meanings of each 

preposition that within the scope of this research paper will not be able to cover all of them. 

According to Nguyen (2001), from the analysis of the prepositional systems of English and 

Vietnamese, we can see that the prepositional systems in both languages have diversity and rich 

activities. The English preposition system is considered difficult to use for Vietnamese learners 

because of the habit of translating the language directly from the mother tongue, and the 

meaning and usage of the preposition system are sometimes different from that of Vietnamese. 

Moreover, the differences in respective structures and spatial and temporal perception of the 

British and Vietnamese are often not the same. 

The author also agrees with the point of view of Nguyen (2001), that teaching and learning 

English prepositions should not be separated from each other but should be taught and 

integrated into the process of grammar teaching and communication knowledge. In addition to 

the theory in class, learners need to practice in class to be able to remember the taught 

prepositions and use them correctly. First, they need to understand the nature of prepositions 

between English and Vietnamese, then gradually apply them through small exercises, then 

progress to the exercises of compounding sentences and completing sentences. In addition, the 

role of the mother tongue needs to go hand in hand with learning English. Secba (1979), in the 

book "On foreign language teaching methods," said: "Experience has shown that it is impossible 

to give up the mother tongue in the process of learning a foreign language, but it is impossible 

to remove the mother tongue from the students' minds obtainable” (213). 

Discussion 

In addition, the study suggests that in teaching translation, especially prepositions, teachers 

should pay attention to making learners understand that preposition translation should not be 

translated directly in their own language. They must rely on context and semantics in linguistics. 

Teachers also need to help learners limit the habit of translating everything into their native 

language, especially prepositions, because the case of a preposition with multiple meanings 



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does occur. Furthermore, based on cultural differences and habits of using prepositions in 

different languages, teachers should also understand clearly so that they can help learners 

reduce mistakes when using prepositions. During the teaching process, the teacher should: 

- Analyzing the phenomenon of meaning change of prepositions when translating 

from English to Vietnamese in translation so that learners can accurately translate 

the meaning of sentences. 

- Analyzing the case of multiple meanings of prepositions in translation that, in 

addition to common meanings, can have other meanings in different contexts. 

- Analyzing other roles of prepositions in sentences, which can be verbs or 

conjunctions. 

 

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Biodata 

As an excellent student at Sai Gon University, Phat Dinh Dac has won a championship in an 

annual contest "The Winner" and conducted a scientific research at the university level. He will 

be able to get more achievements when he has been exposed to scholarly atmosphere like the 

one created by this Conference. 

https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte22216
https://doi.org/10.54855/ijte.22217

