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Prepositions of Time in English: At, On, In for Talking About Time
At for exact times, on for days and dates, in for longer periods like months and years.
Written by Bryan López, Profesor de inglés · Updated
At, on, and in are also used to talk about time, not just place. At is for exact times (at 3:00), on is for days and dates (on Monday), and in is for longer periods like months, years, and seasons (in July, in 2024).
At, on, in for time
The 'at night' exception
You say "in the morning," "in the afternoon," and "in the evening," but night is the exception: it's "at night," not "in the night."
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Practice prepositions of time with real audio
Interactive exercises, real pronunciation, and the full lesson taught in English.
No preposition before next, last, this, every
You never use in, on, or at before next, last, this, or every: "next week" (not "in next week"), "last month," "this year," "every day."
Common mistakes learners make
In many languages, one word covers almost all time uses (the equivalent of "in the morning" and "in 2024"), so it's common to use "in" for everything in English, even exact times or days. "In 3:00" or "in Monday" are wrong, they should be "at 3:00" and "on Monday."
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Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between at, on, and in for time?
At is for exact times (at 3:00), on is for days and dates (on Monday), in is for longer periods like months and years (in July, in 2024).
When do you use at for time?
For exact times and specific moments: at 3:00, at night, at lunch, at the moment.
When do you use on for time?
For days of the week and specific dates: on Monday, on June 5th, on Christmas Day.
When do you use in for time?
For months, years, seasons, and parts of the day (except night): in July, in 2024, in winter, in the morning.
Why do you say "at night" and not "in the night"?
It's a fixed exception: even though the other parts of the day use "in" (in the morning, in the afternoon), night always uses "at night."
Is a preposition used before next, last, this, or every?
No. You never use in, on, or at before these words: "next week," "last year," "this month," "every day."
Practice prepositions of time with real audio
Interactive exercises, real pronunciation, and the full lesson taught in English.