Question
Actualizado en
22 ene 2016
- Español (México)
-
Inglés (US)
-
Francés (Francia)
-
Alemán
Pregunta de Inglés (US)
When do i have to use on, at, in?
When do i have to use on, at, in?
Respuestas
Lee más comentarios
- Inglés (US)
- Inglés (UK)
"in" and "on" are difficult to distinguish for Spanish speakers because normally there is just one word ("en") used for both in Spanish.
---
"in" is typically used to describe when a thing/person is within an enclosed area, such as having walls or other objects surrounding or covering the thing/person.
Examples:
"I am in the car"
"The cat is in the box"
"There is water in the jug"
"My bag is in the corner of the room"
"My phone is in my bag" (or "my phone is inside my bag")
---
"on" is typically used in other cases where the thing/person is not enclosed or surrounded/covered by other objects and is standing/resting on top of something else.
One exception: public transportation is always "on" even though the person is "in" the vehicle (for bus, train, boat, airplane, etc.).
Examples:
"He is sitting on the rock"
"The dinner is on the table"
"I am standing on the platform"
"The papers have fallen on the ground"
"He is currently on the train and will arrive shortly"
---
"inside of" is a little easier because it is similar to "dentro de" in Spanish. However, these are not exactly the same.
---
"at" refers to "being in the vicinity of" or "being inside the boundaries of" or "being in close proximity to". It can also refer to a time of day.
Examples:
"I am at school"
"I will meet you at 8 pm"
"I'm having lunch at work at around noon"
"He is at the train station"
Note: "He is inside the train station" or "He is inside of the train station" would be more specific, it means you know for sure that he is in the building as opposed to outside or around the building.
Usuario con respuestas altamente valoradas
Was this answer helpful?
- Portugués (Brasil)
pythonpoole provided one, if not the most detailed answer about prepositions I've ever seen in a forum. Now, it's worth spending some time studying prepositional verbs too.
If I may, I'd like to share 3 good websites where you can do so:
http://hpbyrd.com/aegweb/exercises/x8/x8-A/verb...
https://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/prepos...
http://www.englishteachermelanie.com/grammar-ca...
Was this answer helpful?
[News] Hey you! The one learning a language!
Do you know how to improve your language skills❓ All you have to do is have your writing corrected by a native speaker!
With HiNative, you can have your writing corrected by both native speakers and AI 📝✨.
With HiNative, you can have your writing corrected by both native speakers and AI 📝✨.
Regístrate
Preguntas similares
Preguntas similares
- Do you put on make up everyday?
- ¿Cuál es la diferencia entre How did you do? y How are you going? ?
- who do you think is the most famous Japanese ?
Trending questions
- how can I discribe black people hair, can I say curly, the books don't teach us..
- Which sounds more natural, "Go two blocks" or "Go for two blocks," when giving directions?
- I loooooooooooove aussie accent.... I loooooooooooove Australia so much. I'd like to go back th...
- Do these have the same meaning? When do you usually say these? That's just how things work here. ...
- What does UP mean here ? Is this an abbreviation of something? "Greyhound are seeking experie...
Newest Questions (HOT)
- Leí más de la novela de ciencia ficción "Aventura en el Planeta Misterioso" para practicar españo...
- ¿Pronuncias la 's' más como 'shu' y la 'd' de 'lado' más como 'lao' o como una 'd' suave?
- No pude llamar a mi papá. No pude llamarle a mi papá. ¿Cuál es natural?
Newest Questions
- What does amigovio mean
- cual es la diferencia entre (empresa) y (compañía) y (negocio)?
- Esta frase es una oración impersonal ¿no? "La concentración del tinte, el tiempo del teñido, la ...
- How are people with disabilities and speech disorders treated by Mexican society?
- I was wondering if anyone is willing to have me ask some questions about Mexico such as communica...
Previous question/ Next question
Thank you! Rest assured your feedback will not be shown to other users.
Thank you very much! Your feedback is greatly appreciated.