Prepositions of Time

In English, prepositions help us talk about time, place, and other things. Today, we’re focusing on prepositions of time—words that help us understand when something happens.

Prepositions in English

Prepositions, though sometimes confusing, play a crucial role in English. These small words help indicate aspects like time, location, and direction in relation to a noun. In the following section, we’ll simplify things by focusing on essential prepositions of time.

What are prepositions of time?

Prepositions of time are words that help us talk about when something happens. Examples include “on,” as in “on Sundays,” “in,” as in “in July,” and “at,” as in “at night.” These little words guide us in expressing specific times and periods.

Examples of Prepositions of Time in English

1. On:

• Use: for days and the weekend (in American English).
• Example: Many shops don’t open on Sundays. What did you do on the weekend?

2. In:

• Use: for months, seasons, years, parts of the day, and periods of time.
• Examples:
  • I visited Italy in July, in spring, in 1994.
  • In the evenings, I like to relax.
  • This is the first cigarette I’ve had in three years.

3. At:

• Use: for night, the weekend (in British English), and specific times.
• Examples:
  • It gets cold at night.
  • What did you do at the weekend?
  • There’s a meeting at 2:30 this afternoon / at lunchtime.

4. Since:

• Use: to talk about the start of a period up to now.
• Example: England has not won the World Cup in football since 1966.

5. For:

• Use: to show an amount of time.
• Example: I’m just going to bed for an hour or so.

6. Ago:

• Use: to talk about a time in the past.
• Example: The dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago.

7. Before:

• Use: to talk about a time earlier than another.
• Example: She’s always up before dawn.

8. To:

• Use: when saying the time, to mean before the stated hour.
• Example: It’s twenty to six.

9. Past:

• Use: when telling the time.
• Example: Five past ten.

10. To:

• Use: until a particular time, marking the end of a period of time.
• Example: It’s only two weeks to Christmas.

11. From:

• Use: to show when something starts.
• Example: The museum is open from 9:30 to 6:00 Tuesday to Sunday.

12. Till / Until:

• Use: up to the time that.
• Example: We waited till/until half past six for you.

13. By:

• Use: not later than; at or before.
• Example: She had promised to be back by five o’clock.

Remember, these prepositions help us talk about when things happen. Practice using them, and soon it will become easy for you!

Here is a table summarizing the prepositions of time in English:

Preposition	Use	Example
On	Days, weekend (American English)	Many shops don’t open on Sundays.
In	Months, seasons, years, parts of the day	I visited Italy in July, in spring, in 1994. We met in the morning.
At	Night, weekend (British English), specific times	It gets cold at night.
Since	Start of a period up to now	England has not won the World Cup since 1966.
For	Amount of time	I’m going to bed for an hour or so.
Ago	Time in the past	The dinosaurs died out 65 million years ago.
Before	Time earlier than	She’s always up before dawn.
To	Time before the stated hour	It’s twenty to six.
Past	Telling the time	Five past ten.
To	Until a particular time	It’s only two weeks to Christmas.
From	When something starts	The museum is open from 9:30 to 6:00.
Till/Until	Up to the time that	We waited till/until half past six for you.
By	Not later than; at or before	She promised to be back by five o’clock.

More on prepositions of time: at, on, in

Related Pages:

• Prepositions of time
• Prepositions of place
• Other kinds of prepositions.
• Lesson on the prepositions at in and on
• Exercise on prepositions
• Exercise on the prepositions at, in, and on