How to Use Prepositions At, On, In

In this lesson, you can learn how to use the prepositions ‘at’, ‘on’ and ‘in’ to talk about where something is.

You’ll see different ways to use the prepositions ‘in’, ‘on’ and ‘at’, with examples, different meanings, and common exceptions to the rules.

QUIZ: How to Use the Prepositions At, On and In

Test your knowledge of the vocabulary from this lesson with this quiz, which has 20 questions. For each question, you need to complete the gap(s) with the word ‘in’, ‘on’ or ‘at’. Most of the pictures are the ones you have seen in the lesson, and you can press ‘Hint’ for extra information to help you. Towards the end, there are new pictures and more gaps, so it gets more challenging as you go! You’ll see your score at the end. Good luck!

Quick Notes

1. In

Use ‘in’ for rooms and indoor spaces:

in the living room
in the apartment
in my bedroom

Learn more about describing rooms in your home with this Oxford Online English lesson: Talking About Your Home.

Also, use ‘in’ for containers and enclosed spaces:

in the bowl
in the box
in your pocket

Use ‘in’ for cities and countries:

in Brazil
in Paris
in China

Also, use ‘in’ plus ‘north’, ‘south’, ‘east’ or ‘west’:

She lives in the south of Spain.
Thailand is in south east Asia.

Learn more about using directions here: North, South, East and West Usage.

Use ‘in’ with establishments and businesses:

in the shop
in a restaurant
in the supermarket

Sometimes, ‘at’ is also possible here, with a similar meaning. You’ll see the exact difference in part three, when we talk about using ‘at’.

You also say ‘in the centre’ or ‘in the middle’.

Use ‘in’ to talk about media:

in a picture
in this photograph
in the film

In this lesson, learn how to describe pictures in English.

Use ‘in’ with cars and taxis. With most other transport, use ‘on’.

You also use ‘in’ to mean ‘surrounded by a material’:

in the air
in the sea
in a thick sauce

You use ‘in’ to talk about many outdoor spaces. You can use ‘in’ for smaller, enclosed spaces. For example:

in the park
in a field
in the garden

You can also use ‘in’ for larger, more open spaces:

in the countryside
in the sky
in the world

Use ‘in’ to talk about things which are enclosed by part of your body. You can hold something in your hand. If you eat too much sugar, you’ll get toothache – a pain in your tooth.

There are some fixed phrases with ‘in’ that don’t follow a clear pattern. The most useful are:

in bed
in hospital
in prison

Try to remember these three!

Finally, use ‘in’ to talk about things which are in a line. For example:

We sat on the floor in a row.
He arranged his tools in a neat line.

This also works if you arrange things into a shape. For example: ‘We set out the chairs in a circle.’

Now, you’ve seen all the common ways to use ‘in’ as a preposition of place.

Next in learning how to use ‘at’, ‘on’ and ‘in’, what about ‘on’?

2. On

Use ‘on’ when something is on top of a surface:

on the floor
on the shelf
on the kitchen counter

You can use ‘on’ with all kinds of surfaces – not just horizontal ones:

She has a small spot on her nose.
He spilled coffee on his shirt.

Use ‘on’ with furniture:

on the bed
on my desk
on a chair

Use ‘on’ with print media:

on page one
on the menu
on the map

You use ‘on’ with many geographical features, like islands, mountains, beaches and so on.

Use ‘on’ with transport which you sit on top of: bicycles, motorbikes and horses. You also use ‘on’ with public transport and boats. So, you say:

on the plane
on the bus
on the boat
on the ferry

Here’s one more example: ‘He’s sitting on the train and talking on the phone.’

Here, there’s another use of ‘on’. Do you know why you say ‘on the phone’?

Use ‘on’ to talk about using devices:

on the phone
on the internet
on the Xbox

Finally, use ‘on’ with floors. You say:

- on the ground floor

on the second floor

on the fifth floor

…and so on.

Finally, let’s see how you can use ‘at’.

3. At

‘At’ is often used with public places. For example, you can say ‘at the cinema’ or ‘at the mall’.

‘At’ in this case can mean that you’re inside the place, or just near it.

Often, in these cases it’s possible to use ‘in’ or ‘at’ with no difference in meaning. You can say ‘I’m in the supermarket’ or ‘I’m at the supermarket’; both are correct and commonly used.

There might be a small difference. If you want to emphasise that you’re inside a building, then use ‘in’. If you’re outdoors, then use ‘at’.

‘At’ can mean ‘next to’. Let’s see a couple of examples:

Someone’s at the door. Can you answer it?
I was waiting at the bus stop for half an hour.

Use ‘at’ with events:

at a meeting
at their wedding
at his birthday party

Use ‘at’ with people’s homes or offices. You can say:

I was at Tim’s house yesterday.
We’ll be at Sasha’s place for dinner tonight.

There are a few fixed phrases with ‘at’ that it’s better just to memorise. The most important ones are:

at home
at work
at school
at college
at university

Note that you never use an article, like ‘a’ or ‘the’, in the phrases ‘at home’ and ‘at work’, and you generally don’t use an article when you say ‘at school’, ‘at college’ or ‘at university’.

Use ‘at’ to talk about position or time with phrases like: