Prepositions of time: 'at', 'in', 'on'
Look at these examples to see how we use at, in and on to talk about time.
At weekends, I love to go skiing.
In spring, the weather is warmer.
On Mondays, I work from home.
In the afternoon, I do activities.
On weekdays, I work until 12.
At 5 o'clock, I do two or three more hours of work.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
We use the prepositions in, on or at to say when something happens.
at
We usually use at with clock times and mealtimes.
I get up at 6.30 a.m. and go for a run.
She doesn't like to leave the office at lunchtime.
We also use at with some specific phrases such as at the weekend and at night.
At the weekend, I can spend the days how I like.
We can also say on weekends or on the weekend. This is more common in American English.
We say at night when we mean all of the night. But we say in the night when we want to talk about a specific time during the night.
She's a nurse and she works at night.
The baby often wakes up in the night.
We use at with Christmas and other holidays that last several days.
The weather is very cold here at Christmas.
At Chinese New Year, many people go home to their families.
| clock times | at 6 o'clock at 9.30 at 13.00 |
|---|---|
| mealtimes and breaks | at breakfast time at lunchtime at dinner time at break time |
| other time phrases | at night at weekends/the weekend at Christmas/Easter |
in
We usually use in with parts of the day and longer periods of time such as months, seasons and years.
I usually relax in the evening.
In summer it's too hot to do anything.
I'm always really busy in December.
| parts of the day | in the morning/afternoon/evening |
|---|---|
| months | in January/February |
| seasons | in (the) spring/summer/autumn/winter |
| years, centuries, decades | in 2016 in the 21st century in the 80s |
| other time phrases | in the past in the future in the last few years/months/weeks/days |
on
We usually use on with days and dates.
On Fridays, I have a long lunch.
It's his birthday on 19 October.
| days | on Monday/Tuesday etc. on my birthday on New Year's Day |
|---|---|
| dates | on 30 July on the second of August |
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
Hello,
- During/Over the course of the last five years, I've tried to learn how to ski for three days each winter.
- During/Over the last five years, I've tried to learn how to ski for three days each winter.
- I've tried to learn how to ski [for] three days each winter for five years.
Are these grammatically correct? Do they sound idiomatic to you?
Thank you
Hello Tony_M,
The sentences are correct. though I think the most natural way to say this would be with 'for': For the last five years...
During generally means happening within a particular time frame rather than over a period of time and so changes the meaning somewhat. Over and over the course of are OK.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello again Peter,
Thank you very much.
I’ve tried to learn how to ski five years each winter for 3 days. -> a length of time up to now.
Is my understanding correct?
Would you repeat 'for' twice in #4 (for the last 5 years, for 3 days)?
Would #5 still be considered grammatical/natural?
Hello again Tony_M,
Yes, I agree with all of those.
I think the last sentence does need for before 'five years', however.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thank you, Peter.
On July 18, 2023, I visited central France. In the mornings, I used to wake up late and leave my room at 7:30. I always managed to arrive at the training center right on time. At break time, I would grab a snack from one of the nearby restaurants.
In the evenings, I walked around until late at night. Over time, the city streets became so familiar to me that they felt like my own village, drawn in my mind with all their details.
Hello! I'd like to ask if the following sentence is appropriate and why can't we use in with the the verb go in this case.
" he went in a new school in London"
" he went at a new school in London"
thank you for your clarification
Hello NabilaELM,
The correct preposition here is 'to', so you need to say 'He went to a new school in London'.
The verb 'go' can be followed by 'into' when talking about physical entry, such as going into a building. When you want to say someone is a part of an educational institution we use 'go to': go to school, go to college, go to the British Council, go to yoga classes etc.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello team,
I would be grateful if you could help me with the below.
According to dictionary.cambridge.org,
We use "at":
To refer to activities which involve a group of people:
Eg.
Were you at Lisa's party? ( also "at the cinema, at the theatre" )
Does the above mean saying "IN the cinema" and
"INSIDE the cinema" are wrong?
Thanks