Use the prepositions at, in and on to talk about time.
at
We usually use at with clock times, mealtimes, festivals, a precise time, or the weekend.
| at + clock times | at 7 o'clock at 11:45 a.m. at half past twelve at seven thirty |
|---|---|
| at + mealtimes | at lunchtime at dinnertime |
| at + festival | at Easter at Chinese New Year at Mid-Autumn Festival at Christmas ⚠ on Christmas Day |
| at + a precise time | at night at sunrise at midnight at midday at noon at bedtime at sunset at the moment at the same time at present |
| at + weekend | UK at the weekend US on the weekend |
in
We usually use in with months, seasons, parts of the day, years, centuries, a long period of time or decades.
| in + month | in August in December |
|---|---|
| in + season | in spring in summer in autumn in winter |
| in + parts of the day | in the morning in the afternoon in the evening ⚠ at night |
| in + year | in 2025 in 1943 |
| in + century | in the nineteenth century in the 18th century |
| in + a long period of time | in the Ice Age in the past in the future |
| in + decades | in the 90s |
on
We usually use on with days of the week, dates or specific days.
| on + day of the week | on Monday on Friday on Friday night |
|---|---|
| on + date | on 5th March on 1st October 2022 on 20 November |
| on + day | on Sports Day on Christmas Day on my birthday on New Year's Eve on a sunny day on weekdays except ⚠ today |
from, to
Use from, to for a period of time with a clear start and end.
| from, to | from 1st July to 10th July from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. |
|---|
no preposition
Don't use a preposition with words like every, last, next, or this.
Don't use a preposition with today, tomorrow, or yesterday.
| every / last / next / this | every day / every night last week / last year next Monday / next month this morning / this afternoon |
|---|---|
| today / tomorrow / yesterday | today tomorrow yesterday |
t
a-t
in-art 1262
c14
c-14 1550
