Prepositions of Time

Prepositions are small words that connect elements in a sentence. They are essential because they provide additional details about the sentence.

We use prepositions of time to locate an event in a time frame {see Common Prepositions of Time and Place, A1 level}.

Prepositions of time don’t stand alone but act with other elements of the sentence to create what we can call prepositional phrases: at, on, in and by.

At

• Everyday at 7.00 clock I can see the stars.
• He is going to the forest at Easter.
• At weekends we take the dogs for a walk.

On

• On Sundays, I usually relax with my friends by going to the coast.
• She was born on the 1st of September in 1997.
• The island sank on Sunday morning.

In

• I always travel to famous forests in Finland in November.
• In autumn it always rains.
• In the evening the horses started to run.

By

• Please, send me those tickets by Monday.
• She has to finish her world map by next week.
• Is Maria still in the garden? Yes, she will be back by evening.

We use prepositions of time to locate an event in a specific moment or period.

At

• Exact times (the moment, sunrise, noon, night, midnight, hours);
• Special holiday periods (Christmas*, Easter…);
• Weekend*.

On

• Days of the week (Monday, Saturday, Wednesday…);
• Dates;
• Specific part of the day (on Sunday morning).

In

• Months, years, centuries;
• Seasons;
• The morning, the afternoon, the evening.

By

• Time-limited actions;
• Projects with deadline;
• Time of someone’s return.

*In American English you can find on instead of at.

Prepositions of time are used to locate the event in a time context.

The main prepositions of time are: at, on, in and by.

For example:
— “I will go to my grandparents’ house at Christmas.” = We use at to talk about special holiday periods.
— “I will go to my grandparents’ house on 25th of December.” = We use on to talk about dates.
— “I will go to my grandparents’ house in December.” = We use in to talk about months.
— “I will return from my grandparents’ house by December.” = We use by to talk about the time of someone’s return.

NOTE: In American English you can find Christmas and weekend with on instead of at.

Let’s revise this content within the {Form} section. Take a look at the {Example} section that shows its use within a context.