IN, AT, ON: Guida Pratica alle Preposizioni "Piccole ma Potenti"

Le preposizioni in, at e on sono paroline minuscole che usiamo in continuazione in inglese: ci servono per fissare un appuntamento, indicare un punto di ritrovo o descrivere dove si trova qualcosa.

Diciamoci la verità: probabilmente le persone capiranno cosa intendi anche se le usi in modo impreciso. Tuttavia, un errore in questo ambito salta subito all'occhio (e all'orecchio!), quindi vale davvero la pena imparare a padroneggiarle per rendere il tuo inglese più naturale e professionale.

Tutte e tre queste preposizioni si usano sia per parlare di TEMPO che di SPAZIO. Iniziamo subito scoprendo come si comportano quando le riferiamo al tempo.

IN, AT, ON – (riferito al tempo)

IN – months, seasons, years, morning/afternoon/evening, a future moment

• When we refer to a month or a season we use ‘in’. For example,
  “Many people go on holiday IN August.”

“Skiing is a popular sport IN Winter.”

• We also use ‘in’ with reference to a year. For example,

“She was born IN 2005.”

“He became the CEO IN 1995.”

• And we use ‘in’ to talk about a part of the day. For example,

“The shop isn’t open IN the mornings.”

“Let’s meet IN the afternoon.”

“We often watch TV IN the evening.”

• ‘In’ can also refer to a moment in the future. For example,

“I’ll be there IN five minutes.”

“The next public holiday is IN ten days.”

AT – time, night, the weekend (UK), a festive period

• To indicate the time of an action we use ‘at’. For example,

“The meeting starts AT 10:00.”

“The kids get up AT 7:30 to go to school.”

“Come over at 3:00. We can watch the game.”

• We also use ‘at’ before ‘night’. For example,

“Our baby doesn’t sleep well AT night.”

“Nowadays, some supermarkets are even open AT night.”

• In British English, ‘at’ is used to refer to the weekend. For example,

“What are you doing AT the weekend?”

“I don’t work AT the weekend.”

• And ‘at’ can be used when we talk about a particular moment of the year. For example,

“AT Christmas they often visit their relatives.”

“Will you be here AT Easter or are you going away?”

ON – days, dates, the weekend (US)

• We use ‘on’ with days. For example,

“I finish work early ON Fridays.”

“She usually goes out with her friends ON Saturday evenings.”

“Carlo works from home ON Tuesdays.”

• And we also use ‘on’ with dates. For example,

“My brother’s birthday is ON 25th May.”

“We’re going away ON 2nd August.”

“Your next lesson is ON February 15th.”

• In American English ‘on’ is used to refer to the weekend. For example,

“He loves playing sport ON the weekend.”

“They don’t use their car ON the weekend.”

Errori frequenti nell'utilizzo delle preposizioni di tempo

Uno degli scivoloni più comuni per noi italiani, quando si parla di preposizioni di tempo, è fare confusione tra in e on nel caso di mesi e date.

Ecco un esempio pratico:

              “I’m going to Puglia with my Mum ON April.”      WRONG

              “I’m going to Puglia with my Mum IN April.”       RIGHT

              “My birthday is IN September 18th.                        WRONG

              “My birthday is ON September 18th.                      RIGHT

Another error is saying a day + morning preceded by ‘in’. For example,

              “The meeting is IN Thursday morning.                  WRONG

              “The meeting is ON Thursday morning.                RIGHT

IN, AT, ON – (riferito allo spazio)

IN – cities and countries, streets, rooms and areas, containers/closed spaces

• We use ‘in’ to talk about villages, towns, cities, regions and countries. For example,

“Her parents live IN Lucca which is IN Tuscany.”

“It often rains IN Britain.”

“He works IN the South of France.”

• In British English, ‘in’ is used with streets, roads and avenues. For example,

“We live IN Oak Street.”

“Shall we meet IN Church Road?”

• ‘In’ indicates the location of a person or thing inside a room or part of a building. For example,

“Dad’s cooking IN the kitchen.”

“Sam works IN the Finance department.”

“They keep wine IN the cellar.”

• We use ‘in’ to refer to being inside a car. For example,

“I often listen to a podcast IN my car.”

“The suitcases are already IN the car.”

• And we use ‘in’ to mean inside containers or closed spaces. For example,

“There isn’t much milk IN the fridge.”

“All the documents are IN the folder.”

“The lions are IN a cage.”

AT – a general location, near a point 

• We use ‘at’ when we refer to the general location of a person or thing, especially thinking of the function of that location. For example,

“Sara is AT work today.”

“Max and Tommy are AT the stadium to watch the derby.”

“Call me later. I’ll be AT home.”

• ‘At’ is also used to mean ‘near’ a particular point. For example,

“Turn left AT the next traffic lights.”

“Wait for us AT the entrance to the museum.”

“There’s someone AT the door.”

ON – touching another surface, floors, transport

• When an object is attached to or supported by something (e.g. a wall) we use ‘on’. For example,

“There are several paintings ON the walls.”

“Can you put these plates ON the table, please?”

“Our cat is sleeping ON my bed.”

• In American English, ‘on’ is used with streets, roads and avenues. For example,

“Tiffany’s is ON Fifth Avenue.”

“The cinema is ON Brook Street.”

• To talk about the floor where an apartment or room is, use ‘on’:

“I live ON the first floor.”

“Our classroom is ON the third floor.”

• We use ‘on’ to indicate being inside a train, bus, plane, or boat. For example,

“We’re ON a bus going to London.”

“The crew is ON the plane waiting for the passengers to board.”

Errori frequenti con At e In

Un altro errore classico per noi italiani è usare at con le città. Ricorda: in inglese, per indicare paesi, città o intere nazioni, la scelta giusta è sempre in.

“The Head Office is AT Berlin.”                               WRONG

              “The Head Office is IN Berlin.”                                RIGHT

However, the trickiest preposition to remember is ON for transport (except for cars). 

              “The goods are IN the boat.”                                  WRONG

              “The goods are ON the boat.”                                 RIGHT

Comparing IN and AT for location

In inglese, usiamo spesso at per indicare la posizione generica di qualcuno, mettendo l’accento sulla funzione di quel luogo (ovvero l'attività che si svolge lì). Al contrario, usiamo in quando vogliamo riferirci a una stanza o a un’area fisica specifica.

Per esempio:

              “Toby’s AT school. He’s studying IN the library.”

              “Monica’s AT work. She’s giving a presentation IN a meeting room.”

              “I’m AT the airport. I’m waiting IN the lounge.”

              “My son is AT home. He’s listening to music IN the living room.”

Lo so bene: ricordarsi quale di queste preposizioni usare al momento giusto non è affatto un gioco da ragazzi. Quindi, come fare? Il mio consiglio è quello di mettere nero su bianco alcune frasi che abbiano un legame diretto con la tua vita. Ad esempio, prova a rispondere a queste domande usando la preposizione corretta: puoi scriverle su un foglio o semplicemente ripeterle a voce alta!

              Where do you live?

Which floor?     

When’s your birthday?  

What year were you born in?

What time do you need to get up tomorrow?

Where are you at the moment? And where is your family?