Small words, exact places.
Prepositions are the little words that pin everything down — where something sits, when it happens, and which way it moves. Get these right and your English lands exactly where you mean it to.
Meet the four preposition families
Almost every preposition is doing one of these four jobs. Open any card for two simple rules and eight real examples.
Use in for enclosed spaces, on for surfaces, and at for specific points.
Words like under, between and behind pin down the exact spot.
The keys are in the drawer. (enclosed space)
A painting hangs on the wall. (a surface)
She waited at the bus stop. (a specific point)
The cat is under the table. (below something)
He sat between his two friends. (in the middle of two)
There is a garden behind the house. (at the back of)
The lamp stands next to the sofa. (right beside)
We live in a small village. (inside an area)
Use at for clock times, on for days and dates, and in for months and years.
Use for with a length of time and since with a starting point.
The shop opens at nine o’clock. (a clock time)
We meet on Monday mornings. (a day)
She was born in December. (a month)
They have been married for ten years. (a length of time)
I have lived here since 2019. (a starting point)
Please finish the report by Friday. (no later than)
The museum stays open until six. (up to that moment)
We travel a lot in the summer. (a season)
These prepositions answer which way? — movement toward or through something.
To shows a destination, while into and onto end inside or on a surface.
We walked to the station. (a destination)
The train went through the tunnel. (in one end, out the other)
She ran across the field. (from side to side)
He climbed into the small boat. (to the inside)
The cat jumped onto the roof. (onto a surface)
They drove toward the mountains. (in the direction of)
She stepped out of the car. (to the outside)
The ball rolled down the hill. (from high to low)
Certain verbs, adjectives and nouns are always followed by one fixed preposition.
Learn the word and its preposition together: depend on, good at, afraid of.
Success depends on hard work. (depend + on)
She is interested in astronomy. (interested + in)
They are good at chess. (good + at)
I am afraid of spiders. (afraid + of)
Please listen to the teacher. (listen + to)
He apologized for the mistake. (apologize + for)
We are proud of our team. (proud + of)
This book belongs to Maria. (belong + to)
| Family | Its job | Common examples |
|---|---|---|
| Place | Shows where something is | in, on, at, under, between, behind |
| Time | Shows when something happens | at, on, in, for, since, by, until |
| Movement | Shows direction from place to place | to, into, onto, through, across, toward |
| Dependency | Fixed pairings after certain words | depend on, interested in, good at, afraid of |
Pick the right preposition
Ten quick questions — six multiple choice, four to fill in. You get instant scoring and a short explanation for every answer.