Prepositions of place (A2)
Learn English prepositions of place at A2: in, on and at for locations, above and below, between, next to, in front of, opposite, and arrive in or at.
Use prepositions of place to say where people and things are. At A2, you can make your descriptions more exact: a café can be opposite the station, a lamp can be above the table, and friends can meet at a particular place.
In, on, and at for places
These three prepositions often depend on how we see the place.
| Preposition | Main idea | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| in | inside an area, room, building, town, or country | in the kitchen, in a shop, in London, in Italy |
| on | touching a surface, or on a street, floor, or island | on the table, on King Street, on the second floor, on an island |
| at | a point or a place where an activity happens | at the bus stop, at school, at the station, at a party |
Compare: Maya is in the café. (inside the building) / Maya is at the café. (that is where she is meeting someone; we do not say whether she is inside.)
Common location expressions
Use at with places people go to for a purpose: at the doctor’s, at the airport, and at a concert. Use in when you mean inside the building: She is in the office.
In British English, in hospital usually means “as a patient”; in the hospital can mean anyone inside the building. In American English, in the hospital is usual in both situations. Like at school, in hospital can describe the usual activity, not only the location.
Use on with public transport when you are a passenger: There are three people on the bus. But say in a car or in a taxi.
Learn common phrases as whole expressions: at home, at work, at school, in bed, and on the bus. These do not follow the purpose rule — at home is not a visit.
Position and direction around a place
Use these prepositions to give a more detailed location.
| Preposition | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| above | at a higher level; it does not say that things touch | The clock is above the door. |
| over | higher than, often directly above; it can touch or cover something | A blanket is over the bed. |
| below | at a lower level; it does not say that things touch | The car park is below the hotel. |
| under | lower than, often directly below; it can describe something under or covered by another thing | The shoes are under the sofa. |
| inside | in an enclosed space | Your coat is inside the cupboard. |
| outside | not inside a building or enclosed place | The children are outside the cinema. |
| between | in the middle of separately identified people, things, or places | The bank is between the pharmacy and the bakery. |
Use between when you can see the individual things as separate points: between two chairs, between the pharmacy and the bakery, or between the three villages.
Among is the partner of between, but it is much rarer — at A2, learn to recognise it rather than to use it. It means “in the middle of a group or mass” that you do not count separately: Her bag is among the coats. / The house is among the trees.
Use these phrases for positions inside a space or a list: on the left of, on the right of, at the top of, and at the bottom of. The lamp is on the right of the sofa. / Her name is at the bottom of the list.
Next to, near, in front of, behind, and opposite
Next to and near
Next to means immediately beside something: The post office is next to the supermarket. Near means close, but not necessarily directly beside it: Our hotel is near the beach.
Compare: Sit next to me. (beside me) / There is a park near my house. (close to it)
In front of, behind, and opposite
Use in front of for a position before something, often on the same side of a road or in the same area: There is a taxi in front of the hotel.
Use behind for a position at the back of something: There is a car park behind the hotel.
Use opposite when two things face each other across a road, a room, or another space: The taxi rank is opposite the hotel. A taxi in front of the hotel is on its side of the road; a taxi rank opposite the hotel is across the road.
At the station: The ticket office is in front of the main entrance. The café is opposite the ticket office, across the hall. The toilets are next to the café.
Corners, streets, and addresses
Say at the corner (of) when you mean the point where two streets meet: Meet me at the corner of Green Street and Park Road.
Say on the corner (of) when a building, shop, or object is located there: There is a bakery on the corner of Green Street and Park Road.
Say in the corner (of) for the inside angle of a room or a box: The plant is in the corner of the room. At and on the corner are outside, where two streets meet; in the corner is inside.
Use on for a street: They live on Oak Road. Use at for a full address or an exact point: They live at 18 Oak Road.
British English often uses in with a street: They live in Oak Road. / There are people in the street. American English uses on in both cases. Both are correct — follow the English you are learning.
Arrive in and arrive at
Use arrive in with cities, countries, and large areas: We arrived in Madrid late at night. / She arrived in Japan yesterday.
Use arrive at with buildings, events, and smaller points: We arrived at the hotel at six. / Please arrive at the meeting early.
Do not say arrive to the hotel. Say arrive at the hotel. With a person’s home, use arrive at my house, or arrive at my place in informal speech.
In context: finding a café
The Blue Café is on Market Street, opposite the museum. It is between a bookshop and a small hotel. The entrance is on the corner of Market Street and River Road. When you arrive at the café, look for the tables in front of the window.
Check your understanding:
- Is the Blue Café inside the museum or opposite it?
- Is its entrance on the corner or at the corner?
- Are the tables in front of the window or behind it?
Answers: opposite it (it faces the museum across the street) · on the corner (the entrance is a fixed location on the corner, not a place to meet) · in front of the window.
Common mistakes
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| The keys are in the table. | The keys are on the table. |
| I am in the bus stop. | I am at the bus stop. |
| The bank is among the café and the library. | The bank is between the café and the library. |
| The car park is behind of the hotel. | The car park is behind the hotel. |
| The plant is at the corner of the room. | The plant is in the corner of the room. |
| We arrived to Rome. | We arrived in Rome. |
| They arrived in the airport. | They arrived at the airport. (the arrival point; in the airport = inside the building) |
Quick check
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Recap
- in → inside an area or building; with towns and countries
- on → a surface, a street, a floor, or an island
- at → a point, activity place, address, or corner
- above / over / below / under → higher or lower than something
- inside / outside → in an enclosed place or not in it
- between / among → in the middle of two things or a group
- next to / near → directly beside or generally close
- in front of / behind / opposite → before, at the back of, or facing/across from something
- arrive in / at → a city or country / a smaller place or event
When you choose a preposition, ask: Am I describing inside, a surface, a point, a position relative to something else, or a destination?
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Prepositions of place (A2)
23 wordsLast updated October 14, 2026