We use certain prepositions when we are talking about time. Which preposition we use depends on what part of time we are talking about.
The prepositions of time are ‘in’, ‘on’, and ‘at’. Some expressions of time don’t need any preposition.
At
- at five o’clock
- at 6.30 am
- at 9.00 p.m
- at night,
- at lunchtime
- at breakfast time
- at tea time
- at the weekend. (some people say on the weekend, or over the weekend)
On:
- on Wednesday
- on my birthday
- on Christmas day
- on Tuesday morning/evening/night
- with dates:
- On June the twelfth,
In: Years
- in 1966 in 2024
Months:
- in June/ in July
decades:
- in the ’60s/ in the 1920s
centuries:
- in the 20th century
times of day:
- in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening
Seasons:
- in winter
- in spring
- in summer
- in autumn
Time expressions with no prepositions required
- last night/ year/ month/ week etc
- yesterday, today, tomorrow
- this morning, this month, this week
- every day, every month, every week, every year
