A1 · Beginner

at, on and in for time

Use at for clock times and points in time, on for days and dates, and in for longer periods such as months, seasons and years.

The three words

Preposition	Use	Example
at	clock times, points in time	The lesson starts at nine.
on	days and dates	We have a test on Monday.
in	months, seasons, years, long periods	It snows here in January.

Think of at as a point, on as a day, and in as a longer space of time.

At

The shop opens at half past eight.
She goes to bed at midnight.
Our family eats together at Christmas. Here, Christmas means the holiday period.

Use at for night, the weekend, and for meal times: at night, at lunchtime. On the weekend and on weekends are usual in American English.

I read at night.
They visit us at the weekend.

On

My train leaves on Tuesday.
Her birthday is on 14 May.
We go for a walk on Sunday mornings.

Use on with a day or date, and with a day + part of the day: on Friday evening.

In

I was born in 1998.
The weather is hot in summer.
We moved here in April.
He studied French in the 1990s.

Use in with the morning, the afternoon and the evening.

I drink coffee in the morning.

No preposition

Do not use at, on or in before these time expressions used on their own: next Friday, last week, this morning, every day, today, tomorrow and yesterday.

We are leaving next Friday.
I saw him last week.
She calls her mother every day.

Watch out

✗The class starts in nine o'clock.

✓The class starts at nine o'clock.

Clock times take at.

✗We meet at Monday.

✓We meet on Monday.

Days take on.

✗I'll see you on next week.

✓I'll see you next week.

No preposition before next.

✗I work on the morning.

✓I work in the morning.

Use in with the morning.

What comes next

See Other time prepositions: from, to, since, for, ago, within and between for other time prepositions, by, until and by the time for by and until, and during, for and while for during and for.

Practice

Eight questions. Choose one answer for each.