Exercises for this card
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A1 · ⑩ Prepositions
In, on, at — time and place
They do not translate. But they do follow a shape: a point, a surface, a closed space.
45minthe whole
sheet
42questions
in the practice
3pages,
one at a time
01 · First page · the shape behind the three words
The map
at
a POINT · an exact spot, an exact hour
at · time
at 7 o'clock · at midnight · at the weekend
at · place
at the door · at the bus stop · at home · at work
on
a SURFACE · something resting on top, or a named day
on · time
on Monday · on 3 May · on my birthday
on · place
on the table · on the wall · on the second floor
in
a CLOSED SPACE · something inside, or a long period
in · time
in May · in 2019 · in the morning · in two hours
in · place
in the box · in Rome · in the car · in bed
preposition: A preposition is a small word that places something — in space, in time, or in a relationship. It is the part of the language that translates worst: almost no preposition matches one to one across languages, which is why guessing from your own language fails so often.
the three shapes: at is a point, on is a surface, in is a closed space. The same three shapes work for time as well as for place: an hour is a point (at six), a day is a surface you stand on (on Monday), a month is a space you are inside (in May). Learn the shape once and it serves twice.
fixed expression: Some combinations follow no shape at all: at home, in bed, on foot, at night, in the end. They are not rules, they are words — learn them as whole blocks, the way you learn a word, and stop asking why.
- The meeting is at ten.
- We met on Friday.
- She was born in May.
- The keys are on the table.
- He lives in Athens.
| For time | For place | |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Time | Place |
| at · a point | at 7.30 · at midnight · at Easter | at the door · at the corner · at school |
| on · a surface | on Tuesday · on 5 June · on that day | on the table · on the wall · on page 12 |
| in · inside something | in April · in 2020 · in the evening | in the box · in Italy · in the garden |
| in · after a length of time | in ten minutes · in a week | — |
| no preposition at all | today · tomorrow · last week · next year | here · there · home (go home) |
Golden rule
Never translate a preposition. Translate the SHAPE. Ask whether the thing is a point, a surface or something you are inside — and let the answer choose the word. When the shape gives no answer, you are looking at a fixed expression, and those are learned whole, never worked out.
Four time expressions take NO preposition at all, and adding one is a very common mistake: today, tomorrow, yesterday, this week, last month, next year, every day. You say see you next week, never on next week.
02 · Second page · the uses, and the ones you just learn
The uses
at · exact time
A precise hour, or a moment treated as a point on the clock.
at 6.45at noonat the same time
on · a named day
Days of the week and dates. If you can put a name on the day, use on.
on Sundayon 12 Marchon Christmas Day
in · a long period
Months, seasons, years, centuries, and the parts of the day except night.
in Julyin winterin the 1990sin the afternoon
in · how long from now
in also measures forward from the present: the time it will take before something happens.
in ten minutesin a couple of days
at · a spot
A place seen as a point on a map, or a place seen by its function rather than its walls.
at the stationat workat the party
on · touching a surface
Something resting on top of something else, or written on a page or a screen.
on the flooron the lefton the internet
in · surrounded by it
Inside something with edges: a room, a box, a city, a country, a car.
in the kitchenin Portugalin my pocket
to · movement
For going somewhere use to, not in: the destination needs a direction, not a container.
go to schoolfly to Madridbut: go home
The short list worth memorising whole
These follow no shape, and trying to work them out wastes time. Learn them as blocks: at home, at work, at school, at night, at the weekend. in bed, in hospital, in prison, in the end, in time. on foot, on holiday, on the phone, on time, on the radio. Note the two pairs that look alike and mean different things: in time means early enough, on time means at the exact hour; in the end means finally, at the end means at the last point of something.
🌍 For everyone
Both languages put a preposition before tomorrow and next week, and English does not: see you next week, never on next week. It is a small word that has to be deleted, and deleting is harder than adding.
la settimana prossima → next week
arrive is the verb that catches everybody: it takes in for a city or country, at for a building or a point, and never to. You arrive in London, arrive at the airport, arrive home. Compare with go, which does take to: go to London.
I arrive to London tomorrow. → I arrive in London tomorrow.
arrive takes in for a city, at for a building — never to.
See you on next week. → See you next week.
next, last, this and every take no preposition at all.
There are three people on the picture. → There are three people in the picture.
A picture is a space you look into, not a surface you stand on.
I go to home after work. → I go home after work.
home is one of the few places that needs no preposition after a verb of movement.
We travelled in bike. → We travelled by bike.
Means of transport take by, with no article: by bike, by bus, by train.
The train arrived in time, at 9.02 exactly. → The train arrived on time, at 9.02 exactly.
on time means at the scheduled hour; in time means early enough.
She is in the university. → She is at university.
Institutions seen as an activity take at and no article: at university, at school, at work.
- I'll be there in twenty minutes.
- We arrived at the hotel at midnight.
- The photo is on page 40.
- She goes to work by train.
03 · Third page · now it's your turn
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