Prepositions and particles A1 A2 B1

Prepositions of place, time, and movement

Use common prepositions to place actions and things in space, time, and movement.

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Visuelle Übersicht

Prepositions: choose the job first

PREPOSITION = relation word
(place/time phrase follows it)

START: what job does it do?
        │
        ├─ WHERE? position
        │   in / on / at
        │   The phone is in my bag.
        │
        ├─ WHEN? time
        │   at / on / in
        │   The meeting starts at nine.
        │
        └─ WHERE TO? movement
            to / into
            We drove to the airport.

Same place, different job:
The cat is in the box.        [position]
The cat jumped into the box.  [movement]

Ask what job the preposition does: position, time, or movement.

Introduction

Prepositions place the action

Prepositions are small words that attach a noun phrase to the rest of the sentence. They answer where, when, or which way. In The keys are on the table, on the table places the keys in space. Prepositions usually come before a noun, pronoun, or noun phrase: in the room, at six, to the station. Learn them as useful chunks, because the same word can have a space meaning, a time meaning, and a fixed-expression meaning.

Core Grammatik A1 Wortschatz A1 Neutral

The keys are on the table.

A preposition phrase answers where something is.

Satzbausteine

Lies den Satz in Sinneinheiten, nicht Wort für Wort.

on the table

place_chunk

places the keys on a surface

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Cognitive metaphor

Place: container, surface, point

Think of many prepositions as small maps. In means inside a space, area, or container: The phone is in my bag. On means touching or belonging to a surface, line, page, road, or list. At means a point on your mental map: I'll wait at the door. Near, by, and beside mean close to; under, over, behind, and between show position in relation to another thing. The pharmacy isn't near the station shows that the whole phrase near the station works as one place chunk.

Core Grammatik A1 Wortschatz A1 Neutral

The phone is in my bag.

In often means inside a space or container.

Satzbausteine

Lies den Satz in Sinneinheiten, nicht Wort für Wort.

in my bag

place_chunk

inside a container

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Core Grammatik A1 Wortschatz A1 Neutral

I'll wait at the door.

At marks a point on your mental map.

Satzbausteine

Lies den Satz in Sinneinheiten, nicht Wort für Wort.

at the door

place_chunk

at a point or meeting place

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Negative Grammatik A1 Wortschatz A2 Neutral

The pharmacy isn't near the station.

Near, by, and beside show closeness; the negative says the closeness is not true.

Satzbausteine

Lies den Satz in Sinneinheiten, nicht Wort für Wort.

isn't near

negative_relation

says that two places are not close

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near the station

place_relation

close to the station

Core pattern

Place sentence frames

Most place sentences use subject + be or another verb + preposition + place noun. There is a bank on this street. Are the glasses in the cupboard? With be, the preposition chunk often gives the main new information: at home, in the kitchen, under the chair. With action verbs, it often tells where the action happens: work in an office, sit on a bus, wait at reception. Use the article or determiner that the noun needs: in a box, in the box, on my desk.

Core Grammatik A1 Wortschatz A1 Neutral

There is a bank on this street.

There is plus a place phrase is a common way to locate things.

Satzbausteine

Lies den Satz in Sinneinheiten, nicht Wort für Wort.

There is

existence_frame

introduces that something exists in a place

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on this street

place_chunk

on a street as a line or area

Question Grammatik A1 Wortschatz A1 Neutral

Are the glasses in the cupboard?

In questions with be, the preposition phrase still gives the place.

Satzbausteine

Lies den Satz in Sinneinheiten, nicht Wort für Wort.

Are the glasses

question_frame

starts a yes/no question with be

in the cupboard

place_chunk

inside a storage space

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Core logic

Time: point, day, period

Time prepositions use a different map. At points to an exact time or a short named moment: The meeting starts at nine. On names a day or date: We have class on Monday. In names a longer period, such as a month, season, year, or part of the day: It gets cold in December. For answers how long, as in for two hours, and since gives the starting point, as in since Monday. Until shows the end of a continuing situation: The shop is open until eight. By means no later than a deadline, as in by Friday.

Core Grammatik A1 Wortschatz A1 Neutral

The meeting starts at nine.

At is used with exact times.

Satzbausteine

Lies den Satz in Sinneinheiten, nicht Wort für Wort.

starts at nine

time_frame

event plus exact starting time

at nine

time_chunk

exact clock time

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Core Grammatik A1 Wortschatz A1 Neutral

We have class on Monday.

On is used with days and dates.

Satzbausteine

Lies den Satz in Sinneinheiten, nicht Wort für Wort.

have class

event_frame

have an event or lesson

on Monday

time_chunk

day of the week

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Core Grammatik A1 Wortschatz A1 Neutral

It gets cold in December.

In is used with months, years, seasons, and longer periods.

Satzbausteine

Lies den Satz in Sinneinheiten, nicht Wort für Wort.

in December

time_chunk

month as a longer time period

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Core Grammatik A2 Wortschatz A1 Neutral

The shop is open until eight.

Until shows how long a situation continues before it ends.

Satzbausteine

Lies den Satz in Sinneinheiten, nicht Wort für Wort.

open until eight

time_limit_frame

continues and ends at eight

until eight

endpoint_chunk

continuing endpoint

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Core logic

Movement: destination and path

Movement prepositions draw a path. To marks the destination: We drove to the airport. Into means from outside to inside: She ran into the room. Onto means from off a surface to on it, as in onto the tray. Across goes from one side to the other, through goes inside a space and out the other side, along follows a line, past goes beside and beyond, and from marks the starting point. Choose the preposition that matches the whole path, not only the final place.

Core Grammatik A1 Wortschatz A1 Neutral

We drove to the airport.

To marks the destination of a movement.

Satzbausteine

Lies den Satz in Sinneinheiten, nicht Wort für Wort.

drove to

movement_frame

travelled with a destination

to the airport

destination_chunk

destination of movement

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Core Grammatik A1 Wortschatz A1 Neutral

She ran into the room.

Into shows movement from outside to inside.

Satzbausteine

Lies den Satz in Sinneinheiten, nicht Wort für Wort.

ran into

movement_frame

moved from outside to inside

into the room

path_chunk

entrance path

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Sentence xray

X-ray the preposition chunk

Read a preposition phrase as one functional chunk. In The keys are on the table, the thing is The keys, the verb is are, and the core place chunk is on the table. In The meeting starts at nine, the event is The meeting, the verb is starts, and the core time chunk is at nine. In She ran into the room, the mover is She, the movement verb is ran, and the core path chunk is into the room. Each chunk answers a practical question: where, when, or where to.

Contrast

Position or movement?

The closest confusion is position versus movement. At, in, and on can describe where something already is; to, into, and onto usually describe a change of place. I'm at the station means my position is the station. I'm going to the station means the station is my destination. The cat is in the box gives a location. The cat jumped into the box gives a path from outside to inside. This is why be often chooses a place preposition, while go, come, move, put, and jump often choose a movement preposition.

Contrast Grammatik A1 Wortschatz A1 Neutral

I'm at the station.

At describes position, not movement toward a place.

Satzbausteine

Lies den Satz in Sinneinheiten, nicht Wort für Wort.

at the station

place_chunk

position at a place

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Contrast Grammatik A1 Wortschatz A1 Neutral

I'm going to the station.

To describes the destination of movement.

Satzbausteine

Lies den Satz in Sinneinheiten, nicht Wort für Wort.

going to

movement_frame

moving toward a destination

to the station

destination_chunk

destination of movement

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Contrast Grammatik A1 Wortschatz A1 Neutral

The cat is in the box.

In gives location after the movement has finished or without movement.

Satzbausteine

Lies den Satz in Sinneinheiten, nicht Wort für Wort.

in the box

place_chunk

already inside the box

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Contrast Grammatik A1 Wortschatz A1 Neutral

The cat jumped into the box.

Into gives the path from outside to inside.

Satzbausteine

Lies den Satz in Sinneinheiten, nicht Wort für Wort.

jumped into

movement_frame

jumped from outside to inside

into the box

path_chunk

entrance path

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Danger zone

Common danger zones

Some common English time and place phrases do not follow the simple map. Do not use a preposition before next, last, every, or this when they directly modify a time word. Mistake: I'll see you on next Friday. Corrected: I'll see you next Friday. With arrive, use in for cities and countries, and at for buildings, stations, events, or exact points. Mistake: We arrived to Paris. Corrected: We arrived in Paris. Also, go home and get home usually take no to, because home works like a direction word.

Mistake Grammatik A1 Wortschatz A1 Neutral

I'll see you on next Friday.

Do not use on before next when next directly modifies a time word.

Corrected Grammatik A1 Wortschatz A1 Neutral

I'll see you next Friday.

Next Friday works as a time phrase without a preposition.

Satzbausteine

Lies den Satz in Sinneinheiten, nicht Wort für Wort.

next Friday

time_chunk

future time expression with no preposition

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Mistake Grammatik A2 Wortschatz A1 Neutral

We arrived to Paris.

Arrive normally takes a location preposition, not to.

Corrected Grammatik A2 Wortschatz A1 Neutral

We arrived in Paris.

Use in with arrive for cities and countries.

Satzbausteine

Lies den Satz in Sinneinheiten, nicht Wort für Wort.

arrived in

arrival_frame

arrived in a city or country

in Paris

place_chunk

city location after arrival

Als Einheit lernen

Summary

Choose by job, then learn chunks

Choose the preposition by the job of the phrase. For place, ask what kind of map you need: container, surface, point, or relation. For time, ask whether the time is a point, a day, a longer period, a duration, an endpoint, or a deadline. For movement, ask whether the phrase shows destination, entrance, surface change, crossing, route, passing, or starting point. Learn frequent preposition phrases as reusable chunks, then check difficult verbs and fixed expressions separately.

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Prepositions of place, time, and movement

Prepositions: choose the job first

Prepositions place the action

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Place: container, surface, point

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Place sentence frames

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Time: point, day, period

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Movement: destination and path

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X-ray the preposition chunk

Position or movement?

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Common danger zones

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Choose by job, then learn chunks

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