Prepositions (Prepositions) – signposts of time and space
Prepositions are those short words (like in, on, under, about) that connect nouns with the rest of the sentence. They indicate spatial relationships (where something is), temporal (when something happens), or logical. In the English language, the absolute kings of prepositions are the great trio: IN, ON, AT.
Part 1: For Beginners (Fundamentals)
The key to mastering prepositions is to imagine an inverted pyramid from our chart. We go from general and large things (IN), through medium (ON), to very precise points (AT).
1. Prepositions of Time (Prepositions of Time)
When you want to say when something happened, use this rule:
- IN (Months, Years, Seasons, Long periods):
in May (in May), in 2025 (in 2025), in summer (in summer), in the morning (in the morning). - ON (Specific days of the week and full dates):
on Monday (on Monday), on my birthday (on my birthday), on 5th May (on 5th May). - AT (Exact hours and moments):
at 8 o’clock (at 8:00), at midnight (at midnight), at the moment (at the moment).
2. Prepositions of Place (Prepositions of Place)
The pyramid rule also works perfectly in space!
- IN (Countries, cities, „inside” 3D space):
in London (in London), in Poland (in Poland), in the box (in the box). - ON (Streets, flat surfaces):
on Oxford Street (on Oxford Street), on the table (on the table), on the wall (on the wall). - AT (Exact addresses, specific points on the map):
at 25 Oxford Street (at number 25), at the bus stop (at the bus stop), at the door (at the door).
Part 2: For advanced (Nuances and contexts)
At a higher level, we must face the fact that prepositions like to „stick” to specific words, creating inseparable pairs, and in questions, they end up at the very end of the sentence!
1. Prepositions at the end of the sentence (Preposition Stranding)
In Polish, we say: „Who are you talking to?” (the preposition „to” is at the beginning). In natural English (especially spoken), the preposition moves to the very end of the question!
- Who are you talking to? (Do kogo mówisz?).
- Where do you come from? (Skąd pochodzisz?).
- What are you looking at? (Na co patrzysz?).
2. Indivisible pairs (Dependent Prepositions)
Many adjectives and verbs only connect with one, predetermined preposition. Unfortunately, this rarely matches the Polish translation, which is the source of many mistakes. You have to learn them as whole phrases!
| English phrase | Polish translation (trap) | Example of use |
|---|---|---|
| depend on | zależeć od (BŁĄD: depend from) | It depends on the weather. |
| good at | dobry w (BŁĄD: good in) | I am good at English. |
| interested in | zainteresowany czymś (brak przyimka po polsku) | She is interested in art. |
| afraid of | bać się czegoś | He is afraid of spiders. |
3. Traps in transport (IN vs ON)
How to say „in the bus”? In Polish, we are always „in” the middle of the transport. In English, the rule is very physical and concerns how you move in that vehicle:
- We use ON if you can freely stand and walk in the vehicle (there is a „deck”) or if we sit on it from above:
on a bus (in a bus), on a train (in a train), on a plane (in a plane), on a bike (on a bike). - We use IN if you have to „get in” the vehicle by bending down, and we sit in it closed, without the possibility of walking:
in a car (in a car), in a taxi (in a taxi), in a helicopter (in a helicopter).