Prepositions of Time
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Use the prepositions at, in and on to talk about time.
at
We usually use at with clock times, mealtimes, festivals, a precise time, or weekend.
| at + clock times | at 7 o'clock at 11:45 a.m. at half past twelve at seven thirty |
|---|---|
| at + mealtimes | at lunch time at dinner time |
| at + festival | at Easter at Chinese New Year at Mid-Autumn Festival at Christmas ⚠ on Christmas Day |
| at + a precise time | at night at sunrise at midnight at midday at noon at bedtime at sunrise at sunset at the moment at the same time at present |
| at + weekend | UK at the weekend US on the weekend |
in
We usually use in with clock months, seasons, parts of the day, years, century, a long peroid of time or decades.
| in + month | in August in December |
|---|---|
| in + season | in spring in summer in autumn in winter |
| in + parts of the day | in the morning in the afternoon in the evening ⚠ at night |
| in + year | in 2025 in 1943 |
| in + century | in the nineteenth century in the 18th century |
| in + a long peroid of time | in the Ice Age in the past in the future |
| in + decades | in the 90s |
on
We usually use on with days of the week, date or day.
| on + day of the week | on Monday on Friday |
|---|---|
| on + date | on 5th March on 1st October 2022 on 20 November |
| on + day | on Sports Day on Christmas Day on my birthday on New Year's Eve on a sunny day on weekday except ⚠ today |
from, to
use from, to in a period of time with start and end.
| from, to | from 1st July to 10th July from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. |
|---|
no preposition
Don't use a preposition with every day, every night, every morning, every afternoon, every year ...
Don't use a preposition with today.
| Don't use a preposition | every day every night every morning every afternoon every year every ... |
|---|---|
| Don't use a preposition | today |
