Are you scared of prepositions in English? What if I tell you that Prepositions of Time never change? Here you’ll learn how to use ‘at, on and in’ in less than 5 minutes.
We recommend to learn WHEN to use these Prepositions of Time. Check the following video to learn how to use them properly and avoid mistakes, increasing your English proficiency.
There are 3 Prepositions of Time in English (at, on and in)
AT – We use the prepositions AT for the time of day
Use ‘at’ for the time of day, for example: at 3 o’clock, noon, midnight, night, sunset…
Use ‘at’ also for: lunchtime, dinnertime and the weekend.
If we talk about Christmas Time, referring to the vacation days we spend decorating or with the family and friends, we also use ‘at’.
- at + clock time
- The train leaves at 6 o’clock.
- at + noon / midnight / night / sunset
- In the US, they eat lunch at noon.
- I went to bed at midnight last night.
- We watch TV at night.
- We went to the beach at sunset.
- at + dinnertime / lunchtime
- She gets home from work at dinnertime.
- I usually have an English class at lunchtime.
- at + the weekend / Christmas
- We usually go to the village at the weekend.
- I prefer to visit my family at Christmas.
ON – We use the preposition ON for specific days and dates
As you already know, ‘on’ has many different meanings in English. This review is only for specific days and dates. For example: on Monday, on June 3rd (EEUU), on 3, June (British).
NOTICE THAT! British usually use ‘at weekends‘ whereas Americans prefer ‘on weekends‘. They are both correct.
When we use ON + Christmas Day, this means 25th of December. However, when we use AT + Christmas, it means the whole period of Christmas Time. This works for every holiday: At Easter (any day of the Easter week) y On Easter Day (celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ).
- on + days / dates
- Let’s meet on Tuesday at 3 o’clock.
- Your test is on May 8th at 12 o’clock.
- on + my birthday / Christmas Day
- I like to eat at a restaurant on my birthday.
- We open up our gifts on Christmas Day, the 25th.
- on + the weekend
- I’m busy on Tuesday. How about on/at the weekend?
IN – We use the preposition IN for longer periods of time
We can also use ‘in’ in many contexts, but if we refer to Time, we use it for longer periods of time, so we use ‘at’ for time of day, ‘in’ if we talk about the morning or the afternoon, but ‘at’ for the night period.
NOTICE THAT! We use ‘at night’ but ‘in the evening‘.
As we saw previously, we use ON for specific dates (on January 3rd). However, if we talk about MONTHS, we use IN (in January, in March).
We also use IN for YEARS (in 1998, in 2021) and SEASONS (in spring, in summer, in autumn y in winter). Notice that! Season names are always written in lower-case.
If we mention a historical period of time, we use IN, for example: in the Middle Age, in the 18th century.
- in + time of the day
- I love going to the beach early in the morning in summer
- in + months / years / seasons
- In the US, kids go back to school in August. In Spain, kids go back in September.
- My daughter was born in 2012.
- I love wearing big heavy sweaters in winter.
- in + the Middle Ages / the future / the 13th Century
- The book is set in the Middle Ages.
- In the future, technology will become more and more important in our daily lives.
- The Saint Maria Cathedral was built in the 13th Century.
English Grammar
Now that you have learned ‘How to use AT, ON and IN in less than 5 minutes’, take a look at our other English Grammar posts: Grammar Video: First and Second Conditional
Grammar Video: Be used to / Get used to
