Common Prepositions (A1)

1. What Is a Preposition?

A preposition is a small word (like in, on, to) that gives extra information about place, time, or direction, or shows a link like with someone or of something.

Examples:

The book is on the table.
I go to school.
She is with her friend.

2. “In”, “On” and “At” for Place and Time

In, on and at are three of the most common English prepositions. We use them for both place and time.

Preposition	Place	Time
in	inside or in a larger area: in the bag, in South Africa	months, years and parts of the day: in July, in 2026, in the morning
on	touching a surface: on the table	days and dates: on Monday, on 5 May
at	a point or familiar place: at the bus stop, at school	an exact time: at 8 o’clock

Think of in as inside, on as touching a surface, and at as a point. For time, use in for longer periods, on for days, and at for exact times.

Some time expressions are fixed: at night, at the weekend, and at Christmas. In British English, say at the weekend and on 5 May. In American English, say on the weekend and on May 5.

More Place Prepositions

Use these prepositions to say where something is:

under the table
behind the door
next to the window
between the chairs
in front of the house

Useful Place Chunks

Learn these common expressions as whole chunks:

at home
in bed
at work
in the car
on the bus

3. Other Very Common Prepositions

Preposition	Main use	Example
to	movement or direction	I go to work.
from	a starting place or origin	I come from South Africa.
with	together, not alone	She is with her sister.
for	the intended person or a length of time	This gift is for you. We stay here for two days.
of	a part, amount or connection	I’d like a cup of tea.

4. Three Different Meanings of “By”

4.1 Travel by

Use by + type of transport to say how you travel. Do not use a or the in this pattern.

I travel by bus.
We go to work by train.

4.2 By meaning “next to”

Use by to say that someone or something is next to a person or place.

Sit by me.
The café is by the station.

4.3 By for the person who created something

With a book, song or picture, by can name the person who created it.

This book is by my favourite writer.
This song is by a local band.

These meanings of by are different. Learn the whole patterns: by bus, by the station, and a song by someone.

5. Prepositions and Nouns

A preposition is usually followed by:

a noun
a pronoun

Examples:

on the table
with my friend

In speaking, we often put the preposition at the end of a question:

Who is she with?
Where are you from?
What are you looking at?

6. Useful Contrasts

6.1 “To” or “from”?

Use to for the destination and from for the starting place.

The train goes from London to Paris.
I walk from home to school.

6.2 “Of” or “from”?

Use of for the contents or a connection. Use from for an origin or source.

a glass of water
water from the tap
a student from Brazil

6.3 “For” a length of time

Use for to say how long something continues. Use from … to … to give its start and end.

We study for two hours.
We study from 9 o’clock to 11 o’clock.

7. Common Mistakes

Check the meaning before you choose a preposition.

❌ We meet in Monday. → ✅ We meet on Monday.
❌ The keys are in the table. → ✅ The keys are on the table.
❌ I go at school every day. → ✅ I go to school every day.
❌ I’d like a cup from tea. → ✅ I’d like a cup of tea.
❌ I travel with bus. → ✅ I travel by bus.
❌ I’m going to home. → ✅ I’m going home.
❌ We meet in Monday morning. → ✅ We meet on Monday morning.
❌ I study on the morning. → ✅ I study in the morning.

Quick check

Try one question now

I go work at 8 a.m.

Check your answer when you are ready.

8. Quick Summary

A preposition answers questions like:

Where?
When?
With what?
To where?

Meaning	Common prepositions	Example
place	in, on, at, by	on the table
time	in, on, at, for	at 8 o’clock
direction and origin	to, from	from home to school
together	with	with my friend
part or amount	of	a cup of tea
method	by	by bus

Common Prepositions