Learn to use prepositions of time: in, on, at

Learn English grammar about prepositions of time using in, on, and at. with the games, activities, and exercises on this page. This is perfect for beginner or elementary English students. You can get started with these three useful English prepositions of time exercises.

What is a preposition of time?

Prepositions in English are nothing to fear! A preposition is an English part of speech. There are eight different parts of speech (noun, pronoun, verb, adjective, adverb, determiner, preposition, conjunction, and interjection), but prepositions usually work with nouns or pronouns and they express a relation to another word.

Examples of prepositional phrases with nouns:

at home, in the morning, on my birthday

The three most common prepositions of time are: in, on, and at. Many students have difficulty understanding when to use these three, but the good news is that there are some easy clues that will help you learn them quickly. Watch this video to learn how to use them.

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Preposition examples and tips on how to use them

The three common prepositions, in, on, and at are sometimes confusing for English language learners. However, each preposition has a specific rule for when to use them. With practice and lots of review, you can master these topics.

Preposition in: use in when you are talking about long periods of time, like months, years, centuries, and seasons. You can also use ‘in’ with periods of the day.

• in June
• in 2015
• in the 16th century
• in the summer
• in the morning
• in the afternoon
• in the evening

Preposition on: use on when you are talking about days of the week and dates. Another rule is that you can use on with holidays. You can even use on when you talk about periods of the day when using the name of the day.

• On Friday
• On April 28th
• On Ramadan
• On Monday morning
• On Wednesday evening

Preposition at: use at when you are talking about specific times of the day or with mealtimes. There is one special exception: at night. Do not say in night.

• at midnight
• at 8:35 a.m.
• at lunchtime
• at night

Remember, prepositions of time may be a question for many English learners, but with practice and lots of review, you will feel more confident using them!