What is the rule for in, on, and at?

They move from general to specific: in for large areas and long periods (in Texas, in July), on for surfaces and days (on the table, on Monday), at for exact points (at the door, at 3 p.m.).

What is the difference between for and since?

Use for with a length of time (for two years) and since with the starting point (since 2020).

Level: A2-B1

English Prepositions

Prepositions are small words that show the relationship between a noun (or pronoun) and the rest of the sentence — place, time, direction, cause, or means. This ESL guide covers the types, position rules, the all-important in / on / at distinction, common collocations, multi-word prepositions, the look-forward-to trap, and the most common ESL mistakes. With click-to-hear examples.

📝 Prepositions unit · the guide + 10 more lessons 🔊 click any example to hear it

3 videos 🎬 Watch the prepositions lessons on YouTube See these prepositions used in real sentences, slowly and clearly.

🎬 On this site: Every prepositions lesson, listed in order

What is a preposition?

A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence. Prepositions often tell us about place, time, direction, cause, manner, or means.

A preposition is always followed by a noun or pronoun, called the object of the preposition.

Examples

The cat is on the table. (place)
We arrived at 8 o’clock. (time)
She walked into the room. (direction)
He is good at math. (relationship with a skill)

Key points

A preposition never stands alone. It is always followed by a noun or pronoun.
The preposition and its object together form a prepositional phrase: on the table, at 8 o’clock, into the room.
Prepositions are not verbs, adverbs, or conjunctions. They do not change form.

Types of prepositions

Prepositions can be grouped by the kind of relationship they show between their object and the rest of the sentence.

1. Place or position

Show where something is or happens.

The book is on the table.
The cat is hiding under the bed.
There is a park near my house.

2. Direction or movement

Show movement from one place to another.

We walked into the room.
He ran toward the station.
They drove through the tunnel.

3. Time

Show when something happens.

We arrived at 8 o’clock.
He was born on Monday.
I have lived here since 2020.

4. Cause, reason, or purpose

Show why something happens.

The flight was canceled because of the storm.
He succeeded through hard work.
We stayed home due to the rain.

5. Means, instrument, or agent

Show how something is done or who/what performs the action.

I wrote the letter with a pen. (means / instrument)
The novel was written by an unknown author. (agent — passive voice)
He paid by credit card. (means)

Prepositional phrases

A prepositional phrase begins with a preposition and ends with a noun or pronoun (the object of the preposition). Prepositional phrases can act like adjectives (describing a noun) or like adverbs (telling how, when, where, or why).

Structure

preposition + object of the preposition (+ any describing words)

on the table
under the old bridge
with my best friend

Examples in sentences

The keys are on the table. (adverb: where?)
She looked through the window. (adverb: where?)
The book on the desk is mine. (adjective: which book?)
The man with the red hat is my teacher. (adjective: which man?)

Key points

A prepositional phrase never contains the subject or main verb of a sentence.
It only adds extra information about time, place, direction, cause, or description.
Many prepositional phrases can move to the beginning or end for emphasis: In the morning, we went for a walk. / We went for a walk in the morning.

Position of prepositions

A preposition is usually placed before its object — that’s why it’s called a preposition.

1. Normal position

The cat is under the bed.
We arrived at the station on time.
He is good at math.

2. At the end of questions or clauses

In everyday English, a preposition often comes at the end of a question or relative clause. This is natural and correct.

What are you looking for?
That’s the book I was talking about.
Who are you waiting for?

3. Formal style vs. everyday English

In very formal English, some writers avoid ending a sentence with a preposition and move it to the middle:

That’s the book about which I was talking. (formal)
That’s the book I was talking about. (everyday English)

Both are grammatically correct, but the everyday version is much more common and natural.

In / on / at — place and time

The three small words in, on, and at are among the most-used prepositions in English — and the most confusing for ESL learners. Each one is used differently for place and for time. Learn these two tables and you’ve solved most preposition problems.

For place

Preposition	Use it for…	Examples
in	enclosed / contained spaces; large areas (cities, countries)	in the box · in the kitchen · in Paris · in France · in a car · in a book
on	on a surface or a line; public transportation	on the table · on the wall · on the floor · on a bus · on a plane · on page 5
at	a specific point, address, or event	at the door · at the corner · at the station · at school · at home · at a party

Compare these three sentences:

She is at the supermarket. (the location as a point)
She is in the supermarket. (inside the building)
The poster is on the supermarket. (on the outside surface)

For time

Preposition	Use it for…	Examples
in	long periods (months, years, seasons, centuries) and parts of the day	in July · in 2020 · in summer · in the 1990s · in the morning · in the afternoon
on	specific days and dates	on Monday · on July 4th · on Christmas Day · on my birthday · on the weekend
at	specific clock times and short, fixed moments	at 8:00 · at noon · at midnight · at night · at the moment · at sunset

The three-way distinction in one date:

I’ll see you in December. (the month)
I’ll see you on December 25th. (the day)
I’ll see you at 6:00 on December 25th. (the clock time)

Common mistakes

I’ll meet you in Monday.

I’ll meet you on Monday.

She arrived at Paris.

She arrived in Paris.

The meeting is in 3 p.m.

The meeting is at 3 p.m.

For vs since

Both for and since answer “how long?”, but they’re used with different kinds of time expressions. This is a classic ESL mistake area, especially with perfect tenses.

Word	What it answers	Followed by…
for	How long? (a period of time)	a duration: five years, two hours, three days, a long time
since	Starting from when? (a point in time)	a starting point: 2020, Monday, last week, I was a child

Examples

I have lived here for five years. (period)
I have lived here since 2020. (starting point)
She has been waiting for an hour.
She has been waiting since 8 a.m.

Common mistakes

I have lived here since five years.

I have lived here for five years.

I have lived here for 2020.

I have lived here since 2020.

Common preposition collocations

Many verbs, adjectives, and nouns are usually paired with one specific preposition. These pairings are called collocations. There’s no logical rule — you simply learn them as units.

By vs with — agent or instrument

The letter was written by John. (agent — WHO did it)
I wrote the letter with a pen. (instrument — WHAT was used)
She traveled by train. (means of transport)

Verbs + preposition

Verb + preposition	Example
depend on	It depends on the weather.
listen to	I like to listen to music.
look for	He is looking for his keys.
wait for	She is waiting for the bus.
belong to	This book belongs to me.
apologize for	I apologize for being late.
worry about	Don’t worry about the test.
agree with / on	I agree with you on this.
think about / of	She’s thinking about the problem.
talk about / to	We talked about the movie.

Adjectives + preposition

Adjective + preposition	Example
good at	She is good at drawing.
afraid of	He is afraid of spiders.
interested in	I am interested in languages.
famous for	The city is famous for its food.
married to	She is married to a doctor.
similar to	My phone is similar to yours.
different from	English is different from Spanish.
full of	The box is full of toys.
proud of	I am proud of my children.
allergic to	She is allergic to peanuts.
tired of	I am tired of waiting.
capable of	He is capable of great things.

Nouns + preposition

a reason for: What is the reason for this delay?
an interest in: She has an interest in history.
a rise in: There was a rise in prices.
an answer to: There is no answer to that question.
a solution to: We found a solution to the problem.
the cause of: The cause of the accident is unknown.

Multi-word (phrasal) prepositions

Some prepositions are made of two or three words that work together as a single unit. They’re called multi-word prepositions (or phrasal prepositions). They’re extremely common in everyday English.

Common examples

Phrase	Meaning	Example
because of	reason	She was late because of the traffic.
due to	reason (formal)	The flight was canceled due to bad weather.
in spite of	contrast / opposition	In spite of the rain, we went out.
instead of	replacement	She drank tea instead of coffee.
in addition to	also, plus	In addition to math, she studies physics.
according to	source of information	According to the news, it will rain.
in front of	position	She stood in front of the building.
next to	position	He sat next to me.
on top of	position	The book is on top of the desk.
out of	direction / source	He came out of the room.
away from	direction	Stay away from the fire.
as well as	and also	She speaks French as well as German.

The to preposition trap

The word to has two completely different jobs in English, and mixing them up is one of the most common advanced-ESL mistakes.

1. to as part of an infinitive — followed by the base verb

Most of the time, to + base verb forms the infinitive:

I want to go home.
She needs to study.
He hopes to win.

2. to as a preposition — followed by a noun or -ing form

A few common phrases use to as a preposition instead. When to is a preposition, what follows it must be a noun or an -ing form (gerund) — NEVER the base verb.

The most common to-preposition phrases:

look forward to + noun / -ing
be used to + noun / -ing (= be accustomed to)
get used to + noun / -ing
be accustomed to + noun / -ing
be addicted to + noun / -ing
be opposed to + noun / -ing
object to + noun / -ing
in addition to + noun / -ing
with regard to + noun / -ing
prefer X to Y

Examples:

I look forward to seeing you. (seeing = -ing form, not “to see”)
She is used to waking up early.
I prefer tea to coffee.
In addition to studying, she works part-time.

Common mistakes

I look forward to see you next week.

I look forward to seeing you next week.

I am used to wake up early.

I am used to waking up early.

She objected to be questioned.

She objected to being questioned.

Common mistakes and practice tips

Prepositions are small words but the wrong one stands out immediately to a native ear. Below are the mistakes ESL learners make most often, and the standard correct forms to memorize.

Most common ESL preposition mistakes

I am married with him.

I am married to him.

He explained me the problem.

He explained the problem to me.

We discussed about the issue.

We discussed the issue. (no preposition with “discuss”)

It depends of the weather.

It depends on the weather.

She is good in math.

She is good at math.

I am afraid from dogs.

I am afraid of dogs.

She listened the music.

She listened to the music.

I’m looking at my keys.

I’m looking for my keys. (at = direction of gaze; for = trying to find)

Quick fill-in practice

Look at each sentence and pick the preposition. Answers are in (parentheses).

We will meet ___ 7:00 p.m. (at)
The cat is hiding ___ the bed. (under)
He is interested ___ learning new languages. (in)
She is waiting ___ the bus stop. (at)
This painting was made ___ an Italian artist. (by)
I’ll see you ___ Monday. (on)
She has lived here ___ 2018. (since)
I look forward ___ hearing from you. (to)

Helpful tips

✅ Learn prepositions as part of phrases: good at, interested in, wait for, depend on.
✅ Read real sentences and notice which prepositions are used.
✅ Write your own sentences and check them with a teacher or reference guide.
✅ Don’t translate prepositions word-for-word from your language — usage varies a lot.
✅ For in/on/at, ask yourself: am I talking about a point, a surface, or an enclosed space / a long period?

Frequently asked questions

What is a preposition?: A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in the sentence — often place, time, direction, cause, or means.
What is the rule for in, on, and at?: They move from general to specific: in for large areas and long periods (in Texas, in July), on for surfaces and days (on the table, on Monday), at for exact points (at the door, at 3 p.m.).
What is the difference between for and since?: Use for with a length of time (for two years) and since with the starting point (since 2020).