[Grammar] Preposition ‘beyond’ usage

[northpath]

I’ve been told by a non-native speaker, that the preposition ‘beyond’ is appropriate in the sentences like:
Sorry, but to help you is beyond my power.
or
It’s beyond my comprehension …
But the sentences like:
Beyond the river, cattle were grazing.
The sea is beyond that big hill.
are unnatural and rarely used by native speakers.
Is it true?

 

[emsr2d2]

I wouldn't say they're unnatural but I feel they're more likely to be seen in literature rather than heard in everyday speech.

 

[northpath]

Ok, here the situation: I come up to a river and see a huge herd of cows grazing beyond the river. My girlfriend phones me and asks, “What do you see”? What should I say so that it does not sound bookish? I have now idea but: “I see a beautiful river and cattle grazing beyond it.”
And what about the sentence: “They knew that beyond the border was freedom.” Is it bookish?

 

[northpath]

Ok. What about the sentence: “We saw a beautiful valley and some cattle grazing beyond a river.”
Or
“In the distance some cattle were grazing beyond a river.”

 

[Raymott]

"Beyond" is OK in AusE. They sound natural enough.
"It's beyond me!" is a common idiom meaning something similar to your first two examples.

 

[GoesStation]

Past the border, the river, etc. would be more natural in conversational AmE. ​