Learn how to use prepositions of time
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| Hi everybody! My name is Alisha, and today I'm going to talk about prepositions of time. I'm going to talk about a few prepositions we use when we're talking about time and time periods. So let's get started! |
| Okay, so the first preposition of time I want to talk about is "on." |
| We use "on" for days, for example, on Sunday, on Monday, on Tuesday. And we use "on" for the weekend, like, on the weekend or on weekends. These are the two cases where we use "on" as a preposition of time. |
| I like to… on Sunday. |
| I like to… on weekends. |
| We use "on" in these two cases. |
| The second preposition of time I want to talk about for today is "at." |
| So we use "at" when we want to talk about a time, and by time, I mean o'clock, like, at 7 o'clock, at 9 o'clock, at 10 o'clock. We can also use at with a.m. and p.m., like, at 2 a.m., at 7 p.m., we use "at" to talk about a specific point in time, a specific number, for example. We also use "at" with the expression "at night." |
| I like to… at night. |
| I usually… at night. |
| We always use "at" in this case. |
| Then I have one more here, the weekend, you'll see I used the weekend for "on" here, but in British English, I speak American English, in British English, you might hear "at the weekend" instead of "on the weekend." So "at the weekend" is something you might hear depending on where you are or depending on the people with whom you study, but for me I prefer to use "on the weekend." |
| Ok, let's talk about "in" next. So we use "in" for a lot of different cases, as you can see. |
| We use "in" for months, like, in September, in October, in November. |
| We use it for seasons, like, in summer, in spring, in fall. |
| We use it for expression, like, in the morning, in the evening, in the afternoon as well. In the morning, in the afternoon. |
| We also use "in" for periods of time, so minutes, hours, and years, for example. So in five minutes, in three years, in a few seconds. |
| If you want to talk about a period of time, you can use "in" to explain that. So we use "in" for a lot of different cases. |
| The last thing I want to talk about though, is a situation where you don't need to use a preposition at all when you use "this" plus weekend, like, this weekend or this morning, or this evening, or this month, this September, this October. You do not need to use a preposition in this case. We'll practice in just a moment, but this is a very common mistake; if you use "this" before one of these expressions, you do not need to include a preposition. So, please be careful. |
| Okay, so with this information, I want to try a few example sentences that I've prepared here. |
| The first one is I have to leave _____ five minutes. |
| Five minutes is a period of time, so we know the correct preposition is "in." I have to leave in five minutes is the correct answer here. |
| Next, what are you doing _____ December? |
| December, so we know December is a month, we should use "in" in this case. What are you doing in December? |
| Of course, by the way with this sentence, we could say What are you doing this December? to be very specific, but in this case, for a preposition, we should use "in." |
| Okay, next sentence, I'll meet you at the restaurant… we know that we should use "at," at 6 p.m. |
| Okay, next, your plane leaves _____ two hours. So two hours, again, is a period of time, a period of time therefore we should use "in." Your plane leaves in two hours is the correct sentence here. |
| Okay, next, they're going to France _____ this summer. Here is a big hint word, "this," therefore no preposition is needed in this case. They're going to France this summer. No preposition here. |
| Okay, next, he's meeting us in the station _____ noon. So noon, I've used the word noon here, but noon is a time, still a time, we should use "at." At noon is the correct sentence here. |
| Okay, next, can you meet me at the cafe _____ 2 p.m.? So 2 p.m. here, we have another time, at 2 p.m. is the correct answer here. |
| Okay, next, I like going hiking _____ weekends. So we learned over here that we use "on" to talk about weekends. Weekends, in this case, multiple weekends, so I like going hiking on weekends is the correct answer in this case. |
| Finally, it's hard for me to wake up _____ the morning. The morning, so we saw here, morning is used with "in." So in the morning is the correct answer for this sentence. |
| So with a little bit of practice and as you use these phrases, not just with a single preposition but as you use these in longer sentences and as part of phrases, it will become easier to remember which is which and which one you should use at which time. Thanks very much for watching and see you again soon. Bye! |
11 Comments
HidePlease let us know if you have any questions.
Hello Nelson,
Thank you for taking the time to ask us your question. 👍
In relation to the difference between 'stay in' and 'stay at' (as you put it 'stayed in my house' and 'stayed at home') - 'stay in' / 'stayed in' means to remain in a place.' If used alone (without an object) it usually means 'to remain at home.' In your case "stayed in my house" means 'stayed INDOORS in my house.'
To 'stay at' means to remain at a place - this doesn't have to mean INDOORS. To 'stay at' can mean to reside somewhere temporarily (e.g. a holiday apartment). Specifically 'stayed at home' means to remain at your home residence.
I hope this is helpful to you. 😄👍
Please feel free to ask us any other questions you have throughout your studies.
Sincerely,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
Hi, what's the difference between
I stayed IN my house and
I stayed At home
Thanks.
Hello Narine,
As long as you're getting your 8 hours of sleep! 👍👍👍
Thanks for sharing!
Kindly,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
I usually wake up at 7 o clock on Monday and I sleep a 12 pm at night.
Hello Mukti,
Thanks for the post, we will pass the message on to Alisha! 😄😄
Please let us know if you ever have any questions throughout your studies, we would be happy to assist.
Sincerely,
Éva
Team EnglishClass101.com
👍Good Luck Ms Alisha
Hi Mito,
Thank you for posting.
Keep up studying well and in case of any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. :)
Saludos,
Cristiane
Team EnglishClass101.com
These preposotions are used in many situatuions. So I want to be able to select
and use them in various situatuions.
Hi Ryan,
It looks like she's injured.😭
I hope she gets better soon!
Ofelia
Team EnglishClass101.com
What happened to Alisha's right hand? :-)