Use of prepositions in English

01 December 2025

English-learners

Oleksandra Kulish

Book expert

Prepositions in English are an extremely interesting part of the language, capable of completely changing the meaning of a sentence. In order not to mislead your interlocutor, it is worth understanding these small, tricky, but necessary words.

What exactly is a preposition in English?

A preposition is a function word that shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and other words in a sentence. These relationships can be spatial, temporal, causal, or indicate direction of movement. The Ukrainian equivalent is case endings, which often convey the same semantic relationships as prepositions in English.

Since prepositions are function words, they are not used independently and do not change in form.

It takes time and practice to memorise a large number of prepositions. So let's focus on the main types of English prepositions and understand the principle by which they are divided into groups. You can always use the table and choose the preposition that best fits the meaning of the sentence.

The main difficulty is that English prepositions do not have exact equivalents in Ukrainian. Because of this, mistakes often occur in literal translations. To avoid this, you need to learn to think in English structures rather than translating word for word. Over time, you will develop a ‘feel for the language,’ and understanding the meaning of prepositions will become much easier.

Examples of non-obvious translations:

The cat is on the sofa (not in the sofa).
There is a note on the wall (not in the wall).
She’s at the airport now. — She is at the airport, not in the airport (when referring to her location, not a place inside the building).
He walked into the room (not in the room, because he is moving inside).
We met at the bus stop (not on the bus stop).
They live near the river (not by the river in a context where they are not directly by the water).

English prepositions are divided into simple, derived, compound and phrasal.

1. Simple prepositions. This is the largest group — short words that are used most often.

at — near, in, on;
in — inside;
on — on surface;
to — to, in the direction of;
for — for, during;
from — from, with;
with — with (someone or something).

2. Derived prepositions. These are derived from other parts of speech (mainly verbs or adjectives).

concerning — concerning, regarding;
including — including, in particular;
regarding — regarding, concerning;
following — after, as a result.

3. Compound prepositions. Formed by combining two parts.

alongside — next to, near;
outside — outside, beyond;
within — within, inside;
upon — on, immediately after.

4. Composite or phrasal prepositions. These are phrases formed by combining several words.

because of — because of, as a result of;
instead of;
due to — because of, due to;
for the sake of;
in front of;
in spite of.

Next, we will talk about the types of prepositions.

Types of prepositions: place, time, direction, reason, and movement

In English, there are five main groups of prepositions:

Prepositions of time.
Prepositions of place.
Prepositions of direction.
Prepositions of reason.
Movement or path (Prepositions of movement).

The meaning of each preposition depends on the context, so sometimes one phrase can have several interpretations.

Prepositions of Time

Indicate when the action takes place.

Preposition	Meaning	Example
at	at a specific time or moment	He always wakes up at 7 a.m.
in	during a specific period (month, year, season)	We met in June.
on	on a specific day or date	My exam is on Monday.
before	before a certain moment	Call me before dinner.
after	after something	Let’s go for a walk after lunch.
during	during the period	I slept during the flight.
by	no later than	Finish the task by Friday.
since	from a certain time	She has lived here since 2020.
for	throughout	He studied English for two years.

Prepositions of Place — prepositions of place in English

Indicate where an object is located.

Preposition	Example
in	The keys are in my pocket.
on	The book is on the shelf.
under	The cat is hiding under the bed.
behind	The school is behind the park.
between	The shop is between two buildings.
next to / by	Sit next to me.
in front of	There’s a bus stop in front of the bank.
above / below	The picture hangs above the fireplace.

Prepositions of Direction — prepositions of direction

Answer the question ‘where?’

Preposition	Example
to	We’re going to the museum.
into	She jumped into the pool.
through	The wind blew through the window.
along	They walked along the beach.
across	The dog ran across the street.
towards	He moved towards the door.
out of	She ran out of the room.

Prepositions of Reason — prepositions of cause

Explain why an action took place.

Preposition	Example
because of	The match was canceled because of rain.
thanks to	We won thanks to teamwork.
due to	The flight was delayed due to fog.
for	He worked hard for his family.
on account of	Classes were canceled on account of illness.

Prepositions of Movement — prepositions of movement

Indicate the direction or path of movement.

Preposition	Example
onto	The cat jumped onto the chair.
over	The bird flew over the garden.
past	We walked past the bakery.
down / up	They ran down the hill.
around	The children ran around the playground.

To better remember prepositions, study them in context — through examples, short stories, or songs. This makes it much easier to develop an intuitive understanding of which preposition to use in a given situation.

Tips for memorising prepositions in English

Before you begin, ask yourself honestly: ‘Do I need to know all the prepositions?’ Yes, of course, it's nice to say that you know them all, but in practice, you are unlikely to use each of them in speech. Here are some tips to help you learn them in a more structured and effective way:

Don't chase quantity

Don't set out to learn all the prepositions at once. Focus on the most commonly used ones — these are the ones you will encounter most often in communication.

Learn prepositions in context

You've probably noticed that one preposition can have several meanings. To remember them better, create an example sentence or connection for each meaning.

Several prepositions can also convey similar meanings. In this case, it is important to understand how they differ. Make a sentence with each one and try to answer the question: ‘Why is this particular preposition appropriate in this context?’ If you can't explain it, refer to the rules and repeat them. After a while, try to reproduce the explanation without hints.

Memorise fixed combinations

Pay attention to typical constructions: adjective + preposition, noun + preposition, phrasal verbs. This way, you will immediately memorise the natural use of prepositions in speech.

Do not overload yourself

Learn no more than 8-10 prepositions at a time. If you try to memorise more, you will simply forget most of it — and this can be demotivating.

Regularity is the key to success

Make it a habit to constantly repeat the prepositions you have already learned. Even if you think you have mastered them well, this does not mean that your memory will not fail you. Review the material the next day, then again in a few days, and again in a week. After a month, give yourself a mini-test, and add any prepositions you have forgotten to your list for review.

Such advice may seem difficult. Indeed, without regular practice, it is almost impossible to remember all the rules for using prepositions.

If you find it difficult to force yourself to learn English prepositions, try English courses and high-quality textbooks — they will help you learn with pleasure and systematically.