The topic “prepositions of time in English” discussed in this article is considered both easy and difficult. The English language is rich in rules and exceptions.
We will start the lesson with the basic tense verbs in, at, on. In Russian they have the meaning “in”, however, they are used in different situations over time. The table below presents all the uses of prepositions of time.
Prepositions in, at, on
| At | In | On |
| In phrases that describe eating: at breakfast - during breakfast, |
With dates: with year and centuries: in 1974, |
With days of the week: on Saturday - on Saturday |
| With specific timing: For example: I usually wake up at 8 o’clock. – I usually wake up at 8 o’clock. |
When talking about an event that will happen soon. For example: in a few minutes (in a few minutes) |
In expressions: On arrival During the trip – on a trip Upon arrival home – on coming home |
| When holidays are described: at Christmas - for Christmas, |
With the seasons: in summer (in summer), |
When we talk about a specific date. For example, |
| In phrases: at midnight - at midnight, For example: I could not sleep at night - I could not sleep at night. |
In phrases: in the morning - in the morning, |
|
| When we say what period of time was spent on a particular event: at the beginning (at the beginning), |
With months: in August - in August |
|
| With the expression: in the middle of. For example, There are flower-beds in the middle of the lawn. – There are flower beds in the middle of the lawn. |
When talking about an event that will happen over a certain period of time. For example: I’ll cook dinner in half an hour - It will take me half an hour to prepare dinner. I’ll read this text in 10 minutes – It will take me 10 minutes to read this text. |
The expression at the moment is translated as “now,” but the phrase in a moment is in a minute.
For example,
- I'll be ready to listen to you in a moment. “I’ll be ready to listen to you in a minute.”
- I am busy at the moment - I’m busy now.
If you carefully look at the examples in English, you can see that the preposition on is used with specific days of the week, in expresses a long period of time (years, decades), at – a short time interval.
In time and on time
These two expressions are translated into Russian in the same way - on time. In what situations is which option used?
In time in speech denotes the fact that there is still time left.
For example:
- We arrived at the airport in time. – We arrived at the airport on time. That is, there was still time before the flight when we arrived at the airport.
The word just is added for emphasis.
Eg:
- They came to the station just in time to catch the bus. - They arrived at the station just in time. That is, they had little time left, they were late, but still made it before departure.
This expression can be used with the combination in time for something.
Example:
- I hope the flowers are delivered in time for her birthday. – I hope the flowers will be delivered on time for her birthday.
Or with the combination in time to do something.
For example:
- She came to the theater in time to see my performance. “She came to the theater just in time to see my performance.
On time is used when talking about punctuality, that everything goes as planned.
Eg:
- All students handed in their reports on time. – All students submitted their essays on time. That is, on the date when it was planned.
At the end and in the end
You can say this and that. However, they should be used in different situations.
At the end of meaning the end of some time interval.
For example:
- at the end of the month - at the end of the month
You can also use the word “at the beginning.”
Eg:
- at the beginning of the month - at the beginning of the month
In the end is used to mean “in the end.”
Example:
- In the end, we started the car.
If we add the word begining, it will not be the opposite of end. The antonym will be the phrase at first meaning “at first.”
For example:
At first they couldn’t reach an agreement. “At first they couldn’t come to an agreement.
Exceptions when prepositions of time are not used in English
Prepositions of time are not used before the words some, this, one, all, every, that, each, next, any, last.
Examples:
- She’s coming back next Wednesday - She returns next Wednesday.
- See you on Monday. - See you on Monday.
The part of speech in question is not used before the expressions the day after tomorrow (the day after tomorrow), yesterday (yesterday), tomorrow (tomorrow), he day before yesterday (the day before yesterday).
Examples with prepositions:
- I saw them yesterday evening - I saw them yesterday evening.
There is no need for prepositions of time in expressions with this (and sometimes with that this/this).
For example:
We'll call you this evening. (not in this evening). We'll call you this evening.
Some more prepositions of time
The English language is not limited to the three prepositions of time that we have studied. There are several more.
Preposition For
For is used to say during what period of time events occurred in the past or present.
Offers:
- I can come but only for ten minutes. - I can come, but only for ten minutes.
- We lived in this house for three years and then moved to England. – We lived in this house for four years and then moved to England.
- We have lived in this house for three years. – We have been living in this house for four years now.
Preposition Within
Within is used to mean “within no more than.”
Eg:
- He will be back within an hour. - He will return within an hour.
Preposition Over
Over describes the time interval during which the action will occur, for example, how long days.
Examples:
- I have studied much over the last two years - I have studied a lot over the last two years.
- The output of this factory has greatly increased over the past two years. – The output of this plant has increased greatly over the past two years.
- We expect a rise in sales over the next few months. “We expect sales to increase over the next few months.”
Preposition Up to
Up to is used in the time interval limit value.
For example:
- He trains up to 8 hours a day. – He trains up to 8 hours a day.
Preposition During
During is used when we are talking about the time during which the described situation occurred.
Eg:
during the party - during the party
Preposition Ago
Ago meaning “...ago ago.”
Example:
- I finished school ten years ago. – I graduated from school ten years ago.
Preposition Since
Since is used when talking about events in the past that are still happening today.
For example:
- I haven’t seen you since 2015 - I haven’t seen you since 2015.
- It has been raining since 4 o’clock. – It’s been raining since four o’clock.
Preposition By
By is used to mean “by a certain time.”
Eg:
- Do the work by 8 o’clock. – Do this work before 8 o’clock.
- I will be back by six o'clock. - I'll be back before six.
Preposition Before
Before is used in the meaning “not earlier than...”.
Example:
- Wash your hands before you eat. – Wash your hands before you eat.
Preposition Till, Until
Till, until is used to indicate the end of a time interval.
For example:
- He is on holiday till/until Friday. - He is on vacation until Friday.
Preposition After
After is used to mean “after”.
Eg:
- You can't go out after 9 pm. – You can’t leave the house after 9.
Preposition From… to/till
From... to/till is used in speech when it is necessary to delimit the time interval “from” to some time “before”.
- We waited for them until 6 o’clock but they didn’t come. We waited for them until 6 o'clock, but they did not come.
With this we have finished the analysis. As you can see, English is easy to learn if you understand and learn it carefully. To consolidate the acquired knowledge, you should complete exercises on the main prepositions of time in English.
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The prepositions of time in, at and on cause difficulties for all students, since they have the same translation “in”. Therefore, they are very often confused and used incorrectly.
In Russian everything is simple, we say:
"I will come V 7 o'clock. He will come V September I will do it V Monday".
In English, these three sentences will use different prepositions.
To avoid making mistakes, you just need to remember when we use which preposition.
From the article you will learn in what cases we use in, at, on, and I will give a general table of the use of these prepositions.
From the article you will learn:
What are prepositions of time in English?
Prepositions- these are small words that serve to connect words in a sentence.
We need prepositions of time to indicate the time when something happened/is happening/will happen.
In English there are the following prepositions of time:
at- V
in- V
on- V
from .. to- from some time before
for- for some time
since- since then, from some time
during- during
(un)till- until
before- before
after- after
by- at some point
Today we will look at the use of the prepositions at, in and on, since they most often cause difficulties due to the same translation.
Using the preposition of time in in English
Preposition IN
Translation: V
Transcription: / [in]
We use the preposition in:
1. With the time of day (morning, evening)
They come in the evening.
They come in the evening.
We left in the morning.
We left in the morning.
2. With months (in July, in September)
For example:
He returned in September.
He returned in September.
Her birthday is in November.
Her birthday is in November.
3. Over the years (in 2015, in 1992)
For example:
The house was built in 1967.
This house was built in 1967.
We met in 2001.
We met in 2001.
4. With the seasons (summer, winter)
For example:
The snow melts in spring
The snow melts in the spring.
This happened in autumn.
This happened in the fall.
5. With long periods of time (in the 18th century)
This church was built in the 12th century.
This church was built in the 12th century.
The town was established in the 18th century.
The city was founded in the 18th century.
Using the preposition of time at in English
Preposition AT
Translation: V
Transcription:[æt] / [et]
We use the preposition at in the following cases:
1. With time, when we talk about hours (at 3 o’clock, at 8 o’clock)
For example:
We will meet at 7 o'clock.
We will meet at 7 o'clock.
They go to bed at 10 o'clock.
They go to bed at 10.
2. With certain moments of the day (midnight, noon, lunch, night)
For example:
I"ll ring back at midday.
I'll call you back at noon.
He'll come at noon.
He'll come at lunchtime.
3. Happy weekends and holidays (Easter, Christmas)
For example:
We give presents to each other at the New Year.
We give each other gifts for the New Year.
What are you doing at the weekend?
What do you do on the weekends?
4. In stable expressions:
at the moment - at the moment
at present - currently
at the same time - at the same time
at that/the time - at that/certain time
at the age of - at the age of ... years
For example:
Using the preposition of time on in English
Preposition ON
Translation: V
Pronunciation: [ɔn] / [he]
We use the preposition on in the following cases:
For example:
2. With days of the week (Monday, Wednesday, Friday)
For example:
Call me on Monday.
Call me on Monday.
See you on Friday.
See you Friday.
3. With special dates (birthdays)
For example:
What will you do on your birthday?
What will you do for your birthday?
General table of the use of prepositions of time at, in, on in English
Let's look at the general table of use of the prepositions at, in, on.
| At | In | On |
| Over time, when we talk about watches: at 3 o'clock |
With months: in May |
With dates: on May 9 Note: If there is a date, then we use on, not in |
| With certain moments of the day: at night (we’re talking in general, not about a specific night) |
With time of day: in the evening Note: If we are referring to a specific night, we can also say: in the night |
With days of the week: on Monday |
| Happy weekends and holidays: at the New Year |
Over the years: in 1999 |
With special dates (usually if the word day is present) or when we indicate a specific holiday: on my birthday Note: in American English they say on the weekend, not at the weekend |
| With seasons (summer, winter): in winter |
||
| With long periods of time: in the 12th century |
So, we've covered the theory, now let's move on to practice.
Reinforcement task
Translate the following sentences into English:
1. He will go to work on Monday.
2. They will arrive at 7 o'clock.
3. She was born in January.
4. The store was opened in 2001.
5. They got married on June 17th.
6. We will go skiing in winter.
Prepositions are that part of grammar that you just can’t remember in tables. You need to remember the SYSTEM.
In this article we will talk about the system of prepositions of time at on in, which are very often translated into Russian as prepositions “in”.
Prepositions of time at on in can be divided into three groups: with small time (less than a day), with medium time (day), and with long time ( more than a day – month, season, year, century).
This can be very well represented as a pyramid...
1. When to use the preposition of time at
The top of the pyramid is time less than a day- at
at night - at night
at noon - at lunch
at the moment - at the moment
at present - currently
at dawn - at dawn
at sunset - at sunset
at sunrise - at sunrise
at midnight - at midnight
at midday - at noon
Exceptions:
- in the morning - in the morning
- in the evening - in the evening
- in the afternoon - after lunch
2. When to use the preposition of time on
We get up for the day and apply on
All dates, days of the week, and holidays are used with on .
For example:
- on Monday
- on 1st April
- on rainy day
- on New Year Eve (New Year's Eve)
- on Christmas day
Exceptions:
- at Christmas (in concept, the Christmas period, not Christmas day)
- at Easter (in concept, the Easter period, not Easter day)
- at weekends (an option - on weekends is also possible)
3. When to use the preposition of time in
If more than a day – in . These are months, seasons, years, centuries
For example:
- Months - in May
- Seasons - in winter
- Year - in 1987
- Centuries - in 21st century
4. Additional meaning of the preposition of time in
The preposition in has a second meaning. If used with a period (not with a date) it is translated into Russian as “through”.
For example:
in two hours - in 2 hours
in a day - every other day
in a month - in a month
in a year - in a year
in a week - in a week
in two months - in two months
in three years - in three years
in three weeks - in three weeks
5. When we don’t use the preposition of time
If we're talking about "positions" of time relative to "today", prepositions in English should NOT be used AT ALL.
My contactsAuthor of the article - professional teacher ONLINE ANASTASIA VALYAEVA In other words, after yesterday, today, tomorrow, tonight, this, that, next, last, any, every, all, some, one prepositions are not used.
For example:
I am going to London tomorrow.
I will go to London next month.
I am going to London this month
I advise you to stand in front of a mirror, look at yourself and go through all the positions, saying as many possible options as possible with at, on, in, and remember them muscularly.
English lessons are conducted online. All textbooks and materials are provided by the teacher.
Answers to possible questions about the online learning process can be read at LINK or contact the teacher Anastasia Valyaeva
Pretext at used to indicate intraday time. It is also placed before some other words expressing periodicity or immediacy.
Table: Preposition at (time)
I start work at 9 o’clock. I start work at 9 o'clock.
Eddie always goes to the cafe at lunchtime. Eddie always goes to the cafe during lunch.
What do you usually do at weekends? What do you usually do on your weekends?
Can I speak to Liz? She's not here at the moment. Can I talk to Liz? She's gone now.
2
Pretext on used to indicate days of the week and dates.
Table: Preposition on (time)
I will be home on Christmas Day (= at Christmas). I'll be home for Christmas.
She went away on Saturday morning. She left on Saturday morning.
Germany attacked the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941. Germany attacked the Soviet Union on June 22, 1941.
3
Pretext in characterizes the longest periods (months, seasons, years).
Table: Preposition in (time)
Another excuse in determines the period during which a certain action is performed.
4
We usually say in the morning(s), in the afternoon(s), in the evening(s). Ending -s indicates that the event repeats itself every period mentioned.
I'll see you in the morning. See you in the morning.
Hilary often works in the evenings.
We're going to the park in the afternoon. In the afternoon we go to the park.
The dark time of day (night, late evening) in English can be expressed by two phrases - at night And in the night. However, they have different meanings. Compare:
I sometimes wake up at night. Sometimes I wake up at night (every night, periodically).
I woke up in the night. I woke up at night (on one specific night).
Also, do not forget that if the day of the week is indicated before the time of day, then the phrase comes with the preposition on.
I'll see you on Friday morning ( Wrong: in Friday morning). See you Friday morning.
We're coming on Sunday night. We will arrive on Sunday evening.
5
A preposition is usually omitted if the expression includes one of the following words:
| next | last | this | that | one | any | each | every | some | all |
We've been walking around the city all day. We walked around the city all day.
Phil crashed his bike last week. Phil crashed his motorcycle last week.
Every morning Loe goes jogging. Every morning Lou goes for a run.
When shall I phone? Any time. When should I call? Anytime.
My parents are going to Greece this summer. My parents are going to Greece this summer.
In addition, the preposition is often omitted before the names of days in colloquial speech on, and the periodicity can be denoted by the words days, nights, mornings, evenings, afternoons.
I'll see you Friday morning. See you Friday morning.
Hilary often works evenings. Hilary often works in the evenings.
Since there are a limited number of prepositions in English, they can serve several different functions: for example, the same preposition can denote both time and place, depending on the context.
in the box – V box
in summer - in the summer
The main prepositions of time are in, at And on.
Using the preposition “On”
1. With days of the week: on Monday on Friday
Use of the preposition “In”
1. With months: in January, in September
2. With the seasons: in spring, in autumn
3. Over the years: in 1989, in 2016
4. With decades: in the 1990s
5. With eyelids: in XX century
6. With long periods of change: in the past, in the Middle Ages
7. With time of day:
in the morning - in the morning
in the afternoon - in the afternoon, after lunch
in the evening - in the evening
However, if we put the day of the week before the time of day, then the preposition on is used:
on Friday evening - Friday evening
8. In the meaning of “through”: in 10 minutes – through 10 minutes
9. When we say how long it took to complete an action:
He wrote a letter in 1 hour. - He wrote the letter in 1 hour.
10. Expression in the end means finally, eventually and can be translated into Russian as “in the end”
11. last year And in the last year
If we use last year, this means that the described action occurred last calendar year. For 2016, this year will be 2015 (from January to December 2015).
Expression in the last year means the action took place over a period of time - 365 days - counting back from today. To Russian in the last year can be translated as “over the last year.” For example, on July 1, 2016, the expression in the last year covers the period from July 1, 2015 to July 1, 2016.
The choice of verb tense in a sentence depends on this. Expression last year refers the action to a completed period of time, so the verb will be in the Past Simple.
Expression in the last year denotes a period of time associated with the present, so the verb in the sentence will be in the Present Perfect Simple or Continuous.
I went to Geneva last year.
They got divorced last year.
I have been to Geneva three times in the last year.
They have been arguing a lot in the last year.
Using the preposition “At”
1. With exact time: at 5 o'clock, at 7.15 a.m.
2. With some parts of the day:
at night - at night
at midday/ at noon - at noon
at midnight - at midnight
at lunchtime - at lunchtime
at sunset - at sunset
3. Happy holidays: at Easter, at Christmas
However, if we use the word day, then the preposition on is used:
on Christmas Day
4. With days off: at the weekend
At the weekend or on the weekend?
The Cambridge Dictionary explains the difference in the use of these prepositions:
In British English the preposition at is usually used with the word weekend. The preposition on can be used when we clarify which specific weekends we are talking about:
I'll go and see my mother at the weekend if the weather’s okay.- I’ll go see my mom this weekend if the weather is good.
The folk festival is always held on the last weekend in July.- The folk festival is always held on the last weekend of July.
In American English the preposition on is used with the word weekend: on the weekend.
5. With the following expressions:
at the moment - at the moment
at present – currently
at the same time - at the same time
6. With the beginning and end of the period:
at the beginning ( of) – at the beginning (of something)
at the end( of) - at the end (of something)
Please note: prepositions are not used with words next, this/that etc, every:
on Monday – Monday next Monday
in May – every May
