Preposition help please!

[Karin Rengu]

I've been studying them a little but they're confusing the heck out of me.

[Yuki~]

lol, don't worry... they are confusing XDD

[Karin Rengu]

I'm glad it's not just me. I mean, I went to a few sites to learn them but none of them explained why they have 'de' and 'ni' etc. I mean, are prepositions more like a phrase in Japanese?

[Dreams]

Are you talking about prepositions as a whole? Or just specific particles like 'de' and 'ni'? Because those are also prepositions. Like a phrase? I can only assume you're talking about things like "no toki ni", etc.

It depends on what comes before and after the preposition. They all follow similar rules. Like:

toki: when
[noun] + no + toki + sentence
[adj w/ full ending] + toki + sentence
[verb] + toki + sentence

These are the basic patterns. However, it's most common to see "toki ni". The "ni" just gives it greater emphasis or precision, a nuance I don't have the luxury of explaining because I don't think I can find a proper English comparison for it. You also might see "toki wa", which is usually used in the sense of contrast. This follows the general rule of "wa", which is almost always used with negative verbs or when showing contrast. Then you might also see "toki ni wa", which gives it both emphasis and the negative/contrast connotation.

Other prepositions like "aida" (between/while) and "mae" (before) follow the same rules.

Placement prepositions do too, but you will usually always see them followed by a particle, unlike the above. Depending on what you're saying, it can be "ni", "de", "kara", etc, because these are showing placement.

General rule:
[noun] + no + [placement word] + ni/de/etc
Neko wa teeburu no tonari ni iru = The cat is next to the table

They can be used in other places though, almost adverbially:
Neko wa tonari no ie ni iru = The cat is at the house nextdoor

Placement prepositions:
tonari, soba, yoko = next to
chikaku = nearby
mae = in front (of) *not the same as the 'mae' in the beginning of my post
naka = inside/among
soto = outside
ushiro = back/behind something
ura = reverse/back side/other side of something
ue = on top of
shita = underneath
mawari = around (something)
mukai = opposite/across from
mukou = beyond (something)

[Karin Rengu]

ooooh. So when I look up a word in my dictionary and it's like 'no naka de/ni' the 'no' and 'de' and the 'ni' are particles? That's what was confusing me. I've been studying from another site but it was confusing. I think I understand it now though. However, as usual, I might have more questions in the future. Thanks!