Here is a reference list of common prepositions in English, categorized for clarity:
Time
- at: at 3 o'clock, at night, at the weekend
- on: on Monday, on 25 December, on a hot day
- in: in 2023, in January, in the morning
- before: before lunch, before 2000
- after: after the film, after I left
- during: during the flight, during our stay
- for: for two weeks, for a few days
- since: since yesterday, since 1990
- until/till: until Friday, till the end
- by: by 5 o'clock, by next week
Place/Position
- at: at home, at school, at the station
- in: in the garden, in London, in a box
- on: on the table, on the wall, on the bus
- above: above the clouds, above the door
- below: below sea level, below the surface
- under: under the bed, under the tree
- beneath: (more formal than under) beneath the waves
- over: over the bridge, over the fire
- across: across the road, across the river
- through: through the forest, through a tunnel
- to: to London, to the beach
- from: from Italy, from the office
- near: near the park, near my house
- by/beside: by the window, beside the lake
- between: between two trees, between 9 and 10
- among: among the crowd, among friends
- in front of: in front of the building
- behind: behind the car, behind the curtain
- inside: inside the house, inside the box
- outside: outside the shop, outside the city
Direction/Movement
- to: go to Spain, walk to the door
- from: come from France, return from work
- towards: walk towards the station
- into: go into the house, get into the car
- out of: go out of the room, get out of the taxi
- through: drive through the tunnel
- across: run across the street
- along: walk along the beach
- up: walk up the hill
- down: walk down the stairs
- around: walk around the park
Other Relationships
- of: a cup of tea, the capital of France
- for: a present for John, famous for its beaches
- with: tea with milk, a man with a beard
- by: written by Shakespeare, by car/bus/train
- about: talk about the weather, a book about history
Phrasal Prepositions
These are combinations of words that function as a single preposition:
- according to: According to the news...
- because of: Because of the rain...
- in spite of: In spite of the difficulties...
- due to: The flight was delayed due to fog.
- instead of: I had tea instead of coffee.
- next to: The bank is next to the post office.
- on top of: The book is on top of the desk.
- out of: He ran out of the room.
This list is not exhaustive, but it covers the most common prepositions in English. Remember that the meaning of a preposition can change depending on the context.
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