Prepositions are one of my main problems in learning languages (even in English). When I look in a small dictionary, I often don't get the meanings that are used in phrases.
dict.cc for example (still a very incomplete version) lists only German "an, am, auf, beim" for Serbian "na". I still bought no Serbian dictionary. But when I take a look in my better Bulgarian <> German dictionary, there are listed spatial, directional and temporal meanings for "на" as German "in". The same in my Bulgarian <> English dictionary for English "in". There you'll find idioms like:
[within/place]:
- "
in somebody's face/the picture"="
на лицето на някого/картината"
- "
in the snow/sun"="
на снега/слънце"
- "
in your place"="
на твое място"
- "
in the east"="
на изток"
- "
to sleep in the open" = "
спя на открито"
[in situation, state of]:
- "
in fashion"="
на мода"
- "
in fun"="
на шега"
[direction]:
- "
to speak something in sombody's ear" = "
казвам някому нещо на ухото"
- "
to place confidence in somebody" = "
възлагам надежда на някого"
[concerning]:
- "
a rise in prices"="
увеличение на цените"
[taking the form of]:
- "
to speak in French"="
говоря на френски" (in German: "auf" and "in" possible!)
[amount]:
- "
in peaces"="
на части"
- "
one in a hundred chance"="
шанс едно на сто" (in German: "in", "auf", "von" possible!)
Of course some of these examples might not fit because the English phrase is built "
in a different way" (Serbian: ?"
на другачији начин"; Bulgarian: ?"
по различен начин"; German: "
auf andere Weise"/"
auf anderem Weg"/"
in anderer Weise") than the Bulgarian one, and the translation of the phrase actually gives not a concrete translation of the preposition used in the phrase. Even more Bulgarian phrases using "на" are translatad in German with "in" like those of place (
стоя на тачение;
живея на втория етаж;
съм на лекция, концерт, проповед;
къщата е 20 крачки на широчина), direction (
ходим/отивам на училище;
отиваме на концерт/театър/кино;
превеждам на български) or time (
на старини;
на интервали).
Is this similar in translations from BCS to English as it is with Bulgarian to English?
No one of us trusts Google translator, but sometimes in its data base there are integrated whole phrases (especially when you translate from or to English). For "
Kao kap na dlanu drzis me" google gives out "
As a drop in the palm of me hold it" (?correct: "
Like a drop in/on the palm you hold me") and even to German "
Wie ein Tropfen in der Handfläche halten Sie es mir" (?correct: "
Wie einen Tropfen in/auf der Handfläche hältst du mich"). For such a small object like a drop it is equal in German whether you say "in" ("in") or "auf" ("on"). When you associate someone juggling like Djomba meant, you would prefer "auf" ("on") I guess, when you associate your palm building a protecting flat cup, you will prefer to say "in" ("in").