onto
gb/ˈɔntu/ us/ˈɔntu/
A2
Kiingereza
~ 1600
Maana
maana 0
preposition
A2
relation
1
Moving to be on something
Shows movement to a place on top of something.
Muundo wa matumizi:
to move [someone/something] onto [something]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners sometimes confuse 'onto' with 'on'. 'Onto' is used for movement; 'on' is for position.
Visawe
upon (More formal or literary, often interchangeable in physical contexts.)
Vinyume
off (Indicates movement away from a surface, opposite of onto.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
climb onto
|jump onto
|get onto
|fall onto
|load onto
Mada
daily life
|movement
|space
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- She climbed onto the roof to fix the antenna.
- The cat jumped onto the table.
- He loaded the boxes onto the truck.
- The glass fell onto the floor and shattered.
- We stepped onto the stage as the lights came up.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- The dog jumped onto the bed.
- He put his bag onto the chair.
- She went onto the bus.
- I climbed onto the wall.
- They carried the box onto the ship.
preposition
B1
relation
2
Moving to next subject/activity
Shows going from one thing to another, often in time or topic.
Muundo wa matumizi:
move/change onto [something]
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners may confuse 'onto' with 'into' when talking about involvement; 'onto' suggests progression or change, not entry inside something.
Visawe
toward (Indicates direction toward something but less specific about change of topic or activity.)
Vinyume
away from (Indicates moving in the opposite direction from a subject or activity.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
move onto
|go onto
|proceed onto
Mada
conversation
|time
|daily life
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- After discussing the budget, we moved onto the next item.
- Let’s go onto the main course now.
- He quickly went onto another topic.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- We moved onto the next lesson.
- She went onto a new job.
- Now we go onto the next game.
adjective
informal
B2
property
3
Aware of situation/idea
Knowing what is really happening or what someone is doing.
Kosa la kawaida:
Learners may mistakenly use 'on to' instead of 'onto' in this idiomatic use; 'onto' is correct when meaning aware of or having discovered something.
Visawe
aware (General word for knowing about something; 'onto' implies active awareness or suspicion.)
Vinyume
unaware (Not knowing about something happening.)
Miunganiko ya maneno
be onto someone
|be onto something
Mada
knowledge
|relationships
|communication
|core_vocabulary
Mifano
- The police are onto him and will catch him soon.
- I think you’re onto something with that idea.
- She’s onto their plan to cheat.
Mifano kwa wanafunzi
- The teacher is onto him for cheating.
- You are onto a good idea.
- They are onto the thief.
Sarufi
Umbo la kamusi
onto
IPA
GB/ˈɔntu/
US/ˈɔntu/
Silabi na mkazo
onto (silabi 1)
Stress on 1st syllable (onto)
Maumbo ya neno
Adjective
- Base: onto
- Comparative: ontoer
- Superlative: ontoest
Familia ya neno
Semi
be onto someone
1/bˈi ˈɔntu sˈʌmwˌʌn/
fixed phrase
informal
Aware of someone's actions
To know what someone is doing, especially if they are doing something bad.
Mifano
- The police are onto the gang’s activities.
- She’s onto her kids skipping school.
be onto something
1/bˈi ˈɔntu sˈʌmθɪŋ/
fixed phrase
informal
Discovering an important idea
To have an idea or plan that could be very good or successful.
Mifano
- I think we’re onto something with this new recipe.
- She’s onto a great business opportunity.