Prepositions Made Easy: In, On, At, and Beyond

I live in New York.

💡 IN for cities

The keys are in my pocket.

💡 IN for enclosed spaces

She works in a bank.

💡 IN for buildings (inside)

He is in the kitchen.

💡 IN for rooms

I read it in the newspaper.

💡 IN for printed materials

There are fish in the water.

💡 IN for liquids

My apartment is on 5th Avenue.

💡 ON for streets

The picture is on the wall.

💡 ON for surfaces

She lives on the second floor.

💡 ON for floors

I saw it on TV.

💡 ON for TV, radio, internet

The island is on the coast.

💡 ON for islands and coasts

There is a fly on the ceiling.

💡 ON for any surface

Meet me at the coffee shop.

💡 AT for specific places

She is at work.

💡 AT for activities/locations

I will meet you at the entrance.

💡 AT for specific points

He is at the party.

💡 AT for events

We arrived at the airport.

💡 AT for arrival points

Turn left at the traffic light.

💡 AT for specific points

School starts in September.

💡 IN for months

I was born in 1990.

💡 IN for years

Flowers bloom in spring.

💡 IN for seasons

I exercise in the morning.

💡 IN for parts of day

I'll finish in 10 minutes.

💡 IN for future duration

This happened in the past.

💡 IN for periods

We have a test on Friday.

💡 ON for days

I'll see you on January 1st.

💡 ON for dates

What do you do on weekends?

💡 ON for weekends

We met on a rainy day.

💡 ON for specific days

The shop is closed on Sundays.

💡 ON for days of week

I'll call you on your birthday.

💡 ON for special days

Class begins at 9 AM.

💡 AT for specific times

We eat lunch at noon.

💡 AT for noon, midnight

The store opens at sunrise.

💡 AT for sunrise/sunset

I'll call you at night.

💡 AT for night (exception!)

We exchange gifts at Christmas.

💡 AT for festivals

He is busy at the moment.

💡 AT for current time

Walk to the store.

💡 TO = destination

Jump into the pool.

💡 INTO = entering inside

Run across the field.

💡 ACROSS = from one side to another

Climb up the stairs.

💡 UP = moving higher

Go through the tunnel.

💡 THROUGH = from one end to another inside

Walk along the river.

💡 ALONG = following the length

Jump over the fence.

💡 OVER = above and across

The cat ran under the table.

💡 UNDER = below something

The book is on the table.

💡 ON = touching surface

The cat is under the bed.

💡 UNDER = below

Stand behind me.

💡 BEHIND = at the back

The bank is next to the post office.

💡 NEXT TO = beside

The park is between two buildings.

💡 BETWEEN = a position or relationship involving separate entities; it can sometimes involve more than two

Everyone is here except Tom.

💡 EXCEPT = not including

Stand in front of the mirror.

💡 IN FRONT OF = facing

The lamp is above the table.

💡 ABOVE = higher than (not touching)

❌ I'm in the bus → ✅ I'm on the bus

💡 ON for public transport (bus, train, plane)

❌ I'm on the car → ✅ I'm in the car

💡 IN for cars and taxis

❌ Arrive to school → ✅ Arrive at school

💡 ARRIVE AT a place

❌ Married with → ✅ Married to

💡 We marry TO someone

❌ Different than → ✅ Different from

💡 Different FROM something

❌ Listen the music → ✅ Listen to the music

💡 Listen TO something

❌ Depend of → ✅ Depend on

💡 Depend ON something

❌ Good in math → ✅ Good at math

💡 Good AT a subject/skill