Prepositions of Time AT, IN & ON

In this video, we explain how to correctly use the prepositions of time AT, IN, and ON. You’ll learn when to use each one for days, months, times, and specific moments with clear examples. By the end, you’ll confidently use these prepositions in your daily conversations!

Grammar

Practice how to differentiate Prepositions of Time.

Transcript

Watch Our Video

• Host: Hello and welcome to the English Magnet. Today’s video: Prepositions of Time Made Easy! In many cases when you wish to refer to a time word you’re confronted with 3 possible connectors; at, in & on. But which one is the right one? Well, how about we look at the underlying logic of these prepositions and uncover a good rule of thumb to allow you an easy way out when talking about time? Of course, we’ll be looking at exceptions as well! Ready, set, go! 

Part 1: Prepositions of Time 

First of all, remember that these prepositions can be used in contexts other than just time, so we’re not working with ‘at school’, ‘on the desk’ and ‘in the office’. Our focus is time! 

And so, when navigating time in English try to see it as changing different time zones —luckily, just three. ‘At’ is for specific moments, like catching a flight at 8:00 AM. (this is a very precise time period, just a brief moment). ‘On’ is for a broader time zone in relation to 24-hour periods , like leaving the country on Tuesday (a day is 24 hours long, so it fits here). ‘In’ is for the broadest time zone, anything referring to a period longer than 24 hours,  like our next trip is in the spring of next year (a season is pretty long, definitely longer than 24 hours!). Let’s dive into these time zones so you can plan your schedule and talk about events in time with confidence!

Part 2: AT

We use AT to talk about specific points in time (usually precise moments).

• at + times (x o’clock, sunrise, sunset, noon, midnight)
  • Example:
    • The meeting starts at 10:45.
    • Let’s leave at sunset.
• at + breakfast, lunch(time), dinner(time)
  • Example:
    • My spouse’s always grumpy at breakfast, not a morning person!
    • At lunch, we were discussing our counteroffer. 
• at the moment &  at the same time
  • Example:
    • She’s rather busy at the moment.
    • We can’t answer the phone at the same time.

Part 3: ON

We use ON for days and dates; time periods lasting 24 hours. It’s kind of a middle ground between at (brief moments) and in (longer periods). 

• On + days of the week:
  • Example:
    • My internship starts on Monday.
    • The event is on Friday. (As you can see, days of the week always begin with an uppercase letter) (M and F are highlighted) 

You will inevitably encounter cases where there are no prepositions before days of the week. That’s not incorrect, just more common in spoken English. So, it’s ok to to say: 

• My internship starts Monday.
• The event is Friday.

In written English, you’re better off with ‘on’. 

• On + day of the week + part of the day (On is already used for days, and when we mention a part of the day in connection to a specific day, it continues to signal that we’re talking about a specific day, not just any morning, afternoon, evening or night)
  • Example:
    • We’ll meet up for drinks on Friday night after work.
    • They always go for a run on Wednesday mornings to stay active.
• On + specific dates (you need a date and the month and year here are optional): 
  • Example:
    • My sister was born on July 4th, 1980. 
    • We have an appointment on December 1st.
• On + holidays 
  • Example:
    • We open gifts on Christmas Day.
    • What were you doing on New Year’s Eve?
    • Let’s watch a horror movie on Halloween. 
• On + a period of 24 hours (birthday, anniversary, this day, etc.)
  • Example:
    • On a rainy day there’s nothing like a good book! (yes it might not rain all day long, but the day itself is 24 hours long, so go with ‘on’)
    • I’d rather avoid people on my birthday. (A birthday starts at midnight and ends at midnight the next day)
    • On the morning of their wedding, we drove to the lake. (the key word here is ‘wedding’ which emphasizes the specific day of the event, so we use ‘on’)

Part 4: IN 

We use IN for longer periods of time; if it’s longer than a day it fits here!

• In + month / year / season
• Example:

• He wasn’t working yet in April. (quick side note, months, just like days of the week are always capitalized) 
• Youtube was launched in 2005. 
• Have you ever been to Paris in autumn? 

• In + the + decade / century / era / millennium / epoch / eon 
• Example:
  • It was easier to find a job in the 1990s. 
  • What will the world look like in the 25th century? 
  • In the digital era, information is available at our fingertips.
  • In the first millennium, monotheism spread across the Western world. 
  • The Jurassic period was an important time in the Mesozoic epoch.
  • In the distant eon of the Precambrian, complex life was just beginning to form.

Part 5: Exceptions 

• Exception #1 Parts of the day (morning, afternoon, evening, night). These time expressions neither fall into a specific time nor a full 24-hour day; they fall in between and our rule of thumb breaks down here, so you have to memorize the following: in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening and at night. 
  • Example:
    • I prefer studying in the morning.
    • In the afternoon we have to host the conference call. 
    • Rush hour is worsening in the evening these days. 
    • The stars shine at night.
• Exception #2 At / On the weekend: Again we have a time expression that’s not 24 hours long and not as long as a month for instance. But on the bright side, this exception is permissive you can either use ‘at the weekend’, more common in British English or ‘on the weekend’ more common in American English.
  • Example:
    • We get together at the weekend.
    • She will come over on the weekend.
• Exception #3 At + holiday periods: When you refer to a holiday without the word ‘day’ or the idea of a specific day, you’re loosely talking about that holiday period, it’s not an exact date and it must be introduced by ‘at’.
  • Example:
    • We visit my in-laws at Christmas. (here we’re referring to the Christmas period, not specifically the 25th of December)
    • She offered me a present at Hanukkah. (same as above, here the eight-day Hanukkah period is implied and not an  exact day)

Wrap up: Host: There we go! At this specific moment, on this day in the current year you are all set to deal with prepositions of time; at for a precise moment, on for 24 hours and in for a longer period. Hopefully, this has been helpful. A link to some free material to practice by yourselves can be found in the description below. Keep practicing, and you’ll get the hang of it. Thank you for watching. Until next time!