Prepositions of time: "at", "in", "on"

Do you know how and when to use at, in and on to talk about time?

Look at these examples to see how we use at, in and on to talk about time.

• At weekends, I love to go skiing.

• In spring, the weather is warmer.

• On Mondays, I work from home.

• In the afternoon, I do activities.

• On weekdays, I work until 12.

• At 5 o'clock, I do two or three more hours of work.

Explanation

The preposition 'at' is used to refer to a specific time. The preposition 'on' is used to refer to a particular day or date, such as on Sunday, on May 25th. The preposition 'in' refers to a broader time frame, such as a month or a year, a decade, etc.

We use the prepositions in, on or at to say when something happens.

at

We usually use at with clock times and mealtimes.

• I get up at 6.30 a.m. and go for a run.

• She doesn't like to leave the office at lunchtime.

We also use at with some specific phrases such as at the weekend and at night.

• At the weekend, I can spend the days how I like.

We can also say on weekends or on the weekend. This is more common in American English.

We say at night when we mean all of the night. But we say in the night when we want to talk about a specific time during the night.

• She's a nurse and she works at night.

• The baby often wakes up in the night.

We use at with Christmas and other holidays that last several days.

• The weather is very cold here at Christmas.

• At Chinese New Year, many people go home to their families.

in

We usually use in with parts of the day and longer periods of time such as months, seasons and years.

• I usually relax in the evening.

• In summer it's too hot to do anything.

• I'm always really busy in December.

on

We usually use on with days and dates.

• On Fridays, I have a long lunch.

• It's his birthday on 19 October.