Look at these examples to see how we use at, in and on to talk about time.
At weekends, I love to go skiing.
In spring, the weather is warmer.
On Mondays, I work from home.
In the afternoon, I do activities.
On weekdays, I work until 12.
At 5 o'clock, I do two or three more hours of work.
Try this exercise to test your grammar.
- Grammar test 1
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Grammar A1-A2: Prepositions of time – 'at', 'in' and 'on': 1
Read the explanation to learn more.
Grammar explanation
We use the prepositions in, on or at to say when something happens.
at
We usually use at with clock times and mealtimes.
I get up at 6.30 a.m. and go for a run.
She doesn't like to leave the office at lunchtime.
We also use at with some specific phrases such as at the weekend and at night.
At the weekend, I can spend the days how I like.
We can also say on weekends or on the weekend. This is more common in American English.
We say at night when we mean all of the night. But we say in the night when we want to talk about a specific time during the night.
She's a nurse and she works at night.
The baby often wakes up in the night.
We use at with Christmas and other holidays that last several days.
The weather is very cold here at Christmas.
At Chinese New Year, many people go home to their families.
| clock times | at 6 o'clock at 9.30 at 13.00 |
|---|---|
| mealtimes and breaks | at breakfast time at lunchtime at dinner time at break time |
| other time phrases | at night at weekends/the weekend at Christmas/Easter |
in
We usually use in with parts of the day and longer periods of time such as months, seasons and years.
I usually relax in the evening.
In summer it's too hot to do anything.
I'm always really busy in December.
| parts of the day | in the morning/afternoon/evening |
|---|---|
| months | in January/February |
| seasons | in (the) spring/summer/autumn/winter |
| years, centuries, decades | in 2016 in the 21st century in the 80s |
| other time phrases | in the past in the future in the last few years/months/weeks/days |
on
We usually use on with days and dates.
On Fridays, I have a long lunch.
It's his birthday on 19 October.
| days | on Monday/Tuesday etc. on my birthday on New Year's Day |
|---|---|
| dates | on 30 July on the second of August |
Do this exercise to test your grammar again.
- Grammar test 2
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Grammar A1-A2: Prepositions of time – 'at', 'in' and 'on': 2
Hello team,
I would be grateful if you could help me with the below.
According to dictionary.cambridge.org,
We use "at":
To refer to activities which involve a group of people:
Eg.
Were you at Lisa's party? ( also "at the cinema, at the theatre" )
Does the above mean saying "IN the cinema" and
"INSIDE the cinema" are wrong?
Thanks
Hello Yornis,
They are not wrong but they have different meanings. Generally, in and inside describe physical locations within a structure such as a building or similar. When you say 'in the cinema' or 'inside the cinema' you are talking about being within the building. When you say 'at the cinema' you are expressing a broader meaning which suggests going to watch a film.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello team,
I would be grateful if you could help me with the below:
He jumped INTO the rIver. (Certainly correct)
He threw fruits INTO the rIver. (Certainly correct)
My question is : Can we use "in" instead of "into" for the above two as shown below:
(1) He jumped IN the river.
(2) He threw fruits IN the rIver.
Thanks.
Hello Yornis,
Yes, you can use 'in' here in both sentences.
In describes location and can also describe movement. Into is only used for movement. In most cases where you can use into you can also use in, but the reverse is not always true. Sometimes into is better as in can be ambiguous. For example:
Of course, the context usually makes the meaning clear.
You can read a little more on the topic here:
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/in-into
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Thanks
Firstly, If we say ,in the summer or on the summer. what is the difference between these twos? Thanks
Hello Rona Niki,
'In the summer' is the correct form. I would never say 'on the summer'.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hello I would like to ask about for/in
I was talking with my mentor about not being in a Theatre for at least three years the exact sentence was: "I haven't been to a Theatre in a long time" and afterward she corrected me that stead of in I should have used for. Would you mind explaining please?
Hello vosik121,
When the sentence is affirmative you can use only 'for':
However, when the sentence is negative both are possible:
In your example both 'in' and 'for' are possible.
Peter
The LearnEnglish Team
Hi, if I want to talk about certain kind of days, such as windy days or sunny days, which preposition should I use?
For example, ‘on windy days I feel funny’, or ‘in windy days I feel funny’?
I would instinctively use ‘on’, but I’d like to understand better.
Thanks in advance (: