What is a preposition?

A preposition is a small word that shows the relationship between two things, usually in terms of place (in the box), time (at six o'clock) or direction (to the shop). English has dozens, and the most common are in, on, at, to, for, with and by.

When do I use in, on or at?

For place: in for enclosed spaces, towns and countries (in the room, in Spain); on for surfaces and streets (on the table, on Main Street); at for points and addresses (at the door, at home). For time: in for months and years (in May), on for days and dates (on Monday), at for clock times (at seven).

Why are prepositions so hard to learn?

Prepositions almost never translate one-to-one between languages. The preposition your language uses is often not the one English uses, so direct translation fails. Many uses, especially dependent prepositions like interested in or good at, simply have to be memorised.

Do I say at the weekend or on the weekend?

British English says at the weekend; American English says on the weekend. Both are correct in their own variety. If you are learning British English, use at the weekend.

Prepositions in English: place, time and movement explained

Prepositions are the small words that show how things relate to each other. They tell you where something is (in the box), when something happens (at six), and which way something moves (to the door). There are only a few dozen of them, but they appear in almost every sentence, and they are some of the hardest words in English to get right.

The reason is simple and worth stating early: prepositions almost never translate one-to-one between languages. The preposition your own language would use is very often not the one English uses. So the trick is not to translate but to learn the English pattern directly.

What prepositions do

Most prepositions sit before a noun and link it to the rest of the sentence:

Place: The cat is under the chair.
Time: We met after lunch.
Direction: She walked towards the river.

The three categories below cover the vast majority of everyday use: place, time and movement.

Prepositions of place: in, on, at

These three do most of the work, and they follow a clear logic. In is for spaces with boundaries, on is for surfaces and lines, at is for points.

Preposition	Use	Examples
in	enclosed spaces, towns, countries	in the room, in a car, in London, in France
on	surfaces, streets, public transport	on the table, on the wall, on Oxford Street, on the bus
at	specific points, addresses	at the door, at the bus stop, at 10 Downing Street, at home, at work

A few of these are worth memorising as fixed phrases: at home, at work, at school. Note also the transport split: you are in a car or in a taxi (small, enclosed) but on a bus, on a train or on a plane (you can stand up and walk about).

Prepositions of time: in, on, at

The same three words run the timetable, and the logic mirrors place: in for long stretches, on for single days, at for exact points.

Preposition	Use	Examples
in	months, years, seasons, parts of the day	in May, in 2025, in winter, in the morning
on	days and dates	on Monday, on 5 June, on my birthday, on Christmas Day
at	clock times, night, the weekend	at seven o'clock, at midnight, at night, at the weekend

Watch the exceptions. We say in the morning, in the afternoon and in the evening, but at night. And in British English it is at the weekend, not on the weekend (more on that below).

Prepositions of movement and direction

These show motion from one place to another. They answer the question "which way?" rather than "where?".

Preposition	Meaning	Example
to	movement toward a destination	I am going to the shop.
into	movement to the inside of something	She walked into* the room.*
onto	movement to a surface	The cat jumped onto* the table.*
through	from one end to the other, inside	We drove through* the tunnel.*
across	from one side to the other, over	He swam across* the river.*
towards	in the direction of (not always arriving)	She ran towards* the door.*

The pair to watch is to versus into. Use to for the destination (go to bed, go to work) and into when you focus on entering an enclosed space (go into the bedroom).

One verb breaks the pattern: go home takes no preposition at all. Never say go to home.

Other common prepositions

Beyond place, time and movement, a handful of prepositions turn up constantly. They carry several meanings each, so learn them through examples rather than a single definition.

Preposition	Common use	Example
with	accompaniment, instrument	I went with my sister. Cut it with a knife.
for	purpose, duration, recipient	This is for you. We waited for an hour.
by	agent, method, deadline	written by Orwell, by car, by Friday
of	belonging, quantity	the roof of the house, a cup of tea
from	origin, starting point	I am from Wales. The shop is open from nine.
about	topic	a book about birds

Two of these cause trouble. By and with both answer "how?", but by is for the method (by car, by email) and with is for the tool you hold (with a pen, with a hammer). And for with a length of time means duration (for two hours), which is different from the during you might reach for by instinct (during the film).

Dependent prepositions

Some verbs and adjectives are always followed by a particular preposition, and there is no rule that predicts which one. These are called dependent prepositions, and the honest truth is that you have to memorise them. Learn the verb or adjective and its preposition together, as one unit.

Word + preposition	Example
interested in	I am interested in history.
good at	She is good at maths.
depend on	It depends on the weather.
listen to	I listen to music every day.
arrive at / in	We arrived at the station. They arrived in Paris.
afraid of	He is afraid of dogs.
wait for	I am waiting for the bus.
think about	Think about your answer.

Arrive deserves a note: use arrive at for a specific place or point (arrive at the airport, arrive at work) and arrive in for a town or country (arrive in Spain). It is never arrive to.

Why prepositions resist translation

This is the heart of the difficulty. A French speaker who says I am thinking of you in French uses a preposition that maps onto to or at, not of. A Spanish speaker depends of something rather than on it, because that is the Spanish pattern. Each language has its own logic, and these logics rarely line up.

So do not ask "what is the translation of this preposition?" Ask "which preposition does English use here?" and learn the whole phrase. Listen to, depend on and good at are vocabulary items, not grammar puzzles to solve.

British vs American usage

A few prepositions differ between the two main varieties. Both are correct within their own variety.

Meaning	British English	American English
Saturday and Sunday	at the weekend	on the weekend
comparison after "different"	different to / from	different from / than
being a patient	in hospital	in the hospital

British English drops the article in in hospital, at university and at school when you mean the institution rather than the building. American English keeps it (in the hospital).

Common mistakes

Ranked by how often they actually appear.

Dropping to after listen. I listen the music is wrong. It is listen to music. Listen almost always needs to.
Saying depend of. It is depend on, every time. It depends of the weather should be It depends on the weather.
Using arrive to. Wrong in all cases. Say arrive at (a point) or arrive in (a town or country): arrive at the office, arrive in Tokyo.
The wrong time word: in Monday. Days take on, not in. It is on Monday.
Saying good in something. The fixed phrase is good at. She is good in maths should be She is good at maths.

Practice

Choose the correct preposition. Answers are below.

The keys are ___ the kitchen table.
My birthday is ___ 12 March.
I am not very good ___ drawing.
We arrived ___ the airport two hours early.
She got ___ the bus and sat down near the back.

Answers: 1. on (a surface) 2. on (a date) 3. at (the fixed phrase is "good at") 4. at (a specific point; "arrive at") 5. on (you get "on" a bus, not "in" it)

Frequently asked questions