Prepositions of time

Using the right preposition in English can be a problem. Here are the most common ones used to talk about time, place and transport.

Time
in a century
"There were many inventions in the twentieth century."

in a year
"She left school in 1987."

in a month
"He's leaving in January."

in a season
"We usually go on holiday in summer."

in a part of the day
"I'm leaving in the morning, not in the evening."

during or in - when something happens
"Muslims fast during / in Ramadan."
"It rained during / in the night."

for - how long something takes
"She played tennis for an hour."

at Christmas or at Easter
"Christians celebrate at Christmas and at Easter."

at the weekend
"I play tennis at the weekend."

at night
"I go to sleep at night."

at a time
"The appointment is at four o'clock in the afternoon."

on a day
"The appointment is on Monday."

on a date
"I'm leaving on 12 December."

Place
on or on top of
"The remote control is on the table."

above (higher than)
"Look at the clock above the mantelpiece."

under or underneath
"The keys are under the mat."

beneath (old fashioned word to mean under)

below (lower than)
"The chart below shows the annual figures."
"It was below freezing last night."

next to "A is next to B in the alphabet."

between "B is between A and C in the alphabet."

opposite
"The bank is opposite the supermarket. If you walk outside the bank, you can see the supermarket in front of you, on the other side of the road."

across
"Walk across the road, to the other side."

round / around
"It's round the corner - you can't see it from here."

Transport
on a train, a bus, a plane, a bicycle

get on / off a train / a bus / a plane / a bike

in a car

get in / out of a car

go by car / train / plane / bus

go on foot