preposisional

Prepositional is an adjective relating to prepositions. In linguistics, it denotes relations or constructions that are expressed by or require a preposition. The most common use is to describe prepositional phrases, which consist of a preposition together with its complement (for example, in the garden, on the table). These phrases function as adverbials modifying verbs, or as adjectival modifiers of nouns.

Some languages have a grammatical case associated with prepositions. This so-called prepositional or locative case marks nouns or pronouns when they appear with certain prepositions. In Slavic languages such as Russian (predložnyj padezh) and Polish (locative or miejscownik), this system expresses location, topic, or other relations and is described in grammars as a prepositional case.

The term is also used for verbs or constructions that require a specific preposition to complete their meaning, sometimes called prepositional verbs (for example depend on, consist of). These differ from phrasal verbs, which combine a verb with a particle to yield a new meaning.

In linguistic analysis, prepositional is a functional descriptor used to classify structures that depend on prepositions, in contrast to forms that do not require them. It is not a single element in English grammar but a cross-linguistic label for how prepositions shape syntax and meaning.