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At, in, on: Prepositions of time

Grammar / A1 Grammar lessons and exercises /At, in, on: Prepositions of time

✏️ Exercises

At, In, On – Prepositions of Time

Prepositions of time: at, in, on – when to use each with examples

Use "at" for Specific Times

Use at with specific times of the day, including mealtimes, bedtime, and special moments.

at 3 o’clock
at 10.30 am
at noon
at dinnertime
at bedtime
at sunrise
at sunset
at the moment

Also used in common expressions:

at the weekend: I don’t usually work at the weekend.
at Christmas / at Easter: I stay with my family at Christmas.
at the same time: We finished the test at the same time.
at present / at the moment: He’s not home at present. Try later.

Use "in" for Longer Periods

Use in with months, seasons, years, decades, centuries, and long periods.

in May
in the summer
in 1990
in the 1990s
in the 20th century
in the Ice Age
in the past / in the future

Use "on" for Days and Dates

Use on with days of the week and specific dates.

on Sunday
on Tuesday mornings
on 6 March
on 25 December 2010
on Christmas Day
on Independence Day
on my birthday
on New Year’s Eve

Parts of the Day

Special rules for parts of the day:

in the morning
in the afternoon
in the evening
at night

Note: We say "at night", but "in the morning/evening/afternoon".

With Last, Next, Every, This

When using last, next, every, or this, we do NOT use at, in, on.

✅ I went to London last June.
❌ I went to London in last June.
✅ He’s coming back next Tuesday.
❌ He’s coming back on next Tuesday.
✅ I go home every Easter.
❌ I go home at every Easter.
✅ We’ll call you this evening.
❌ We’ll call you in this evening.