How to use the English prepositions in, at, on correctly

Do you get frustrated with English prepositions? You are not alone. Prepositions cause problems for even the most experienced learners of English. It’s because there is no real reason why we use certain prepositions to talk about a particular time and place. It’s just how English has evolved!

Plus, what seems logical in your native language may sound strange when you translate it into another language. In this post, we’ll start with the basics - the prepositions in, at and on, and when and how to use them correctly when you are speaking English. Get these prepositions correct and you will instantly sound more fluent and confident when you speak English.

If you still feel confused after reading this blog article, why not get answers from an experienced teacher in our English classes for adults

In, at on – when do we use them and what are the rules in English grammar?

These three tiny words can cause big problems for language learners. In English, we often use prepositions to talk about times and locations. But different languages use prepositions in different ways. So try not to think, “How would I say this in my own language?” It’s a better idea to think “Is this place and time general or specific?” 

If you are making plans in English, you might have a conversation like this:

Shall we go for a meal in the next few days?

Yeah, why don’t we meet on Friday?

Ok, fine - let’s meet at 8pm on Friday.

Notice at first these two friends are just deciding they will meet sometime over the next few days. So they use in.

When they decide the exact day (being a bit more specific), they use on.

When they get even more specific (the exact time and day), they use at.

Here are some more examples:

In English, we also use these prepositions to talk about locations or where things are.  Here are some examples:

We also use both on and in to talk about transport and getting around. This is a bit confusing because the correct preposition depends on which type of transport you are talking about. There’s no real logic to it. Why do you get in a taxi, but on the train? We have to accept that’s how English has evolved.

Exceptions and variations when you use prepositions in English

There are lots of exceptions and variations with prepositions, so they require study. Here are some important exceptions:

1. Talking about times of day… but not night

When we are speaking generally about times of day we use in. For example in the morning, in the evening and in the afternoon. However, when we talk about night. We usually don’t use “the” and so we usually say at night. The exception is the phrase “in the middle of the night”.

For example:

I prefer to exercise in the afternoon rather than in the morning. At night, I like to watch TV and relax. When I exercise in the afternoon,  it energizes me too much! I find I stay awake until the middle of the night.

2. Talking about the weekend

Generally in the UK, we say “at the weekend”. But in American English, it is common to ask someone “what are you doing on the weekend?”. So both of these are acceptable.

3. Describing where you are

The preposition you use can give a slightly different meaning to your sentence. Compare:

1. I’m in the school - there’s a dance concert on

2. I’m at school, studying for my exams.

3. I’ll see you at school tomorrow.

In sentence a. we can imagine the person is inside the school building (probably in the concert hall). In a similar way, someone might say “I’m in the office”, or “I’m in the hospital” – this tells us that they are in the office building or the hospital building.

In sentence b, the speaker may be inside the school… but they may also be talking about what they are generally doing at this stage of their life. It’s similar to how we might say “I study at the University of London”. In sentence c the speaker says “at school” because they are referring to school as an institution where people go every day. In English, it is also common to hear the phrases “at work”, and “at home” because people are talking about a place they go daily.

Common grammar errors using in, at and on in English 

People often get confused about which prepositions to use. Here are some common errors for learners:

Overuse of “at” when you’re talking about times of day:

I’ll see you at the morning, at 10 o’clock. ×

I’ll see you in the morning, at 10 o’clock. ✓

Using “in” for travel on all forms of transport:

I was in the bus when you phoned. ×

I was on the bus when you phoned.✓

Using the verb “arrive” with “to”

We can use the verb arrive with at or in. Normally we use at to talk about a place (the airport, a station, a bank etc), and in to talk about a city or country. But in English, we never use arrive with the preposition to.

We arrived to Paris at 8pm ×

We arrived in Paris at 8pm. ✓

I arrived to the bank just as it opened. ×

I arrived at the bank just as it opened. ✓

Remember to here is a preposition, not the infinitive - you can find out more about infinitives and when to the use them here.

Famous examples of at, in, on in popular music

You can find examples of these prepositions in hundreds of popular film and song titles. 

Weekend at Bernie’s is a classic 80s film (from 1989) about a couple of young salesmen spending the weekend at their boss’ house. There is an unusual twist – when they get there, they find that their boss Bernie is not actually alive.

Love in a foreign place  was a hit for the pop group Gossip - it’s full of lots of prepositions as the singer describes her journey on a night out.

Sitting on a dock of a bay was a hit for Otis Redding in 1967 as he breezily sings about watching the tide roll away as the ships come in.

Mini quiz.

Can you find and correct the errors in these sentences?

1. Brian arrived to the office late again - his boss is not happy.

2. I’m going to Berlin in the bus - it’s going to take 12 hours.

3. I like to go running in the night, just before I have dinner.

4. I think we are going to stay at home on Christmas this year. 

5. Let’s meet at my house, in 26 Oxford Road.

Answers:

1. Brian arrived at the office late again - his boss is not happy.

2. I’m going to Berlin on the bus - it’s going to take 12 hours.

3. I like to go running at night, just before I have dinner.

4. I think we are going to stay at home at Christmas this year. 

5. Let’s meet at my house, at 26 Oxford Road.