#325: Prepositions of Time | At, On, In, Before, By, Until, Since, For, Ahead Of

Are you tired of second-guessing prepositions, wondering if it’s at, in, on, or by?

Here’s the problem: prepositions don’t have simple rules, and trying to translate them from your language into English often leads to mistakes.

The good news? Today’s lesson breaks down prepositions of time so you can use them with confidence and ease, without the guesswork.

Let’s make these essential words clear, practical, and easy to use in your everyday English.

Watch now and discover:

• When to use “at” versus “on” (Hint: It depends on specific times vs. days)
• How to talk about time periods with “in” and “during”
• How at, in, and on focus on time (or prepositions of place)
• Why “since” and “for” can change the meaning of your sentence
• When to use “by,” “until,” and “up to” to set deadlines and time limits
• Why native speakers sometimes skip prepositions (and when it’s okay!)

If you’ve ever found yourself confused about time prepositions, this lesson will give you the clarity and confidence you need to use them accurately.

And when you’re finished, hop over to between vs. among!

TAKE THE NEXT STEP: To start using prepositions of time confidently and build your fluency, begin with my free How to Get the Confidence to Say What You Want in English training.

This 3-step process gives you practical tools to use what you learn and see real results in your communication.

Then, when you’re ready to reach your goals faster, join me in the Confident Women Community. It’s a supportive space to put everything you’ve learned into practice, refine your grammar, and connect with women working toward the same goals. Learn more about the Confident Women Community here.

Prepositions of Time | At, On, In, Before, By, Until, Since, For, Ahead Of, and More

Category 1: Specific Points in Time (At, On)

At

We use ‘at’ for specific times of day. 

Examples

• Can we talk later? I’m busy at the moment. 
• The team meeting is at 10:00 aM. 
• Can we meet tomorrow at noon?

We also use ‘at’ to refer to a specific period related to public, religious, or national holidays. 

Examples

• We’re excited to see the family at Thanksgiving. 
• At Christmas, we eat and celebrate a lot more than usual. 

In addition, we use the phrase ‘at the end of’ to refer to a specific time when something ends. 

Examples

• The players shook hands at the end of the game. 
• At the end of the meeting, pizza was delivered to the staff. 
• At the end of January, I will take a vacation.

On

Similarly, we use ‘on’ for days of the week and dates.

Examples

• The concert is on November 20th. 
• We will travel to Italy on Thursday. 
• I will be offline due to an appointment on Monday. 

*Note: In informal speech, English speakers may omit ‘on’ before days of the week. 

For example, instead of “I’ll see you on Friday,” you could say, “I’ll see you Friday.”

However, we use ‘on’ when referring to the specific day of a holiday. 

Examples

• I’ll be at my parents’ house on Christmas Eve. 
• We will be in Italy on New Year’s Day. 
• The staff will not be in the office on Easter Monday. 

*Note: In American English, we use ‘on’ when referring to the weekend. In contrast, British English uses the preposition ‘at.’

Examples

• What did you do on the weekend? 
• I went hiking on the weekend. 
• He often runs on the weekends.

Category 2: Time Periods (In & During)

In

Next, we use ‘in’ when referring to longer periods of time. This can include months, years, seasons, centuries, decades, etc. 

Examples

• I’m traveling to England in January. 
• In 2017, Steve Jobs introduced the first iPhone to the world. 
• In winter, I enjoy skiing and skating with my friends. 
• In the next decade, AI is expected to boost productivity and efficiency across sectors. 

During

We also use ‘during’ to indicate that something happened within a specific period of time — at a time between the start and end of something. 

In other words, we use it to say when something happened within a larger context. And, we often follow it with a noun or pronoun. 

Examples

• We decided on a plan during our meeting. 
• Our kids fell asleep during the movie.
• I expect to be busier than usual during the next year. 
• They stayed at a bed and breakfast during their trip.
• There was a power outage during the snowstorm. 

Category 3: Time Before and After (Before, After, Ahead Of, From…To)

Before

We use ‘before’ to mean earlier than a specific time or event mentioned.

Examples

• Please finish your homework before dinner. 
• I went to the grocery store before work. 
• We stopped at the gas station before getting on the highway. 

After

We use ‘after’ to mean later than a specific time or event mentioned or next. 

Examples

• Let’s go for a walk after we eat. 
• The conference will be held a few months after the annual general meeting. 
• I’ll work on this project after completing my pending tasks.

Ahead of

We use ‘ahead of’ to indicate something is in or into the future or that something ​​is earlier than or before someone or something.

Examples

• Lynn arrived at the meeting ahead of the others. 
• The agenda is always posted ahead of the meeting. 
• Berlin is six hours ahead of New York. 
• It looks like we’ll get this project finished ahead of schedule.

From…To

We use ‘from’ and ‘to’ to indicate the beginning and end points of a period. 

Examples

• The dental appointment is from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM. 
• Katie lived in New York from 2010 to 2015. 
• I’ll be out of the office from Wednesday, November 6, to Tuesday, November 12. 

Category 4: Time Limits (By, Until, Up to)

In English, some prepositions are used to indicate a deadline or a limit. 

By

We use ‘by’ in the sense of “at the latest” or a point in time before which something must occur. It’s often used to indicate deadlines.

Examples

• Please review the agenda by tomorrow morning. 
• I need to submit my application by midnight. 
• You must return your book by December 1st. 

Until

We use ‘until’ to indicate up to a specific point of time or event in the past or future.

Examples

• You cannot go outside to play until you finish your homework. 
• We waited until the clients left to discuss the next steps. 
• Tina waited at the train station until Jessica arrived. 

Up to

Similarly, we use ‘up to’ to indicate a limit. English speakers use ‘up to’ when it means less than or equal to, but not more than, a stated time.

Examples

• You’ll be given up to three minutes to brainstorm small talk questions. 
• The store will hold the item for up to three days. 
• I can hold my breath for up to 60 seconds. 

Category 5: Duration of Time (Since, For, Over, Throughout)

Since

We use ‘since’ to indicate a starting point for a continuing action or state, usually from a period of time up to the present moment. 

Examples

• I have lived in Brazil since 2008. 
• We have been working at this company since August. 
• The company has offered these classes since last year. 
• Our family has lived in this neighborhood since it was under construction. 

For

However, when we want to indicate how long someone or something has been doing something, we use ‘for.’ It is often followed by a noun or pronoun and is often used with present continuous, present perfect continuous, present perfect, and simple past.

Examples

• I have lived in Brazil for 20 years.
• We have been working at this company for three months.
• The company has offered these classes for nearly a year.
• Our family has lived in this neighborhood for a long time. 

*Note: 

We also use ‘in’ to indicate the length of time it took to do something and indicate a specific point in time. 

For example, “I learned to drive in four weeks” means the entire process of learning to drive was completed within a four-week period.

‘For’ is used to express a duration that is ongoing or has been ongoing. 

For example, “I have been learning to drive for four weeks” means the learning process started four weeks ago and is continuing. 

Over

Next, we use ‘over’ to emphasize that something happened during a longer period of time. 

Examples

• Over the years, the city has grown significantly, 
• The children have gotten taller over the summer. 
• Over the past few months, we worked on optimizing our employee benefits. 

Throughout

Finally, we use ‘throughout’ to indicate something continues from the beginning to the end of a period or event.

Examples

• The Royal Ontario Museum will be open throughout the renovations. 
• We will be working throughout the holiday season. 
• Most servers will be offline throughout the day. 

Bonus Practice 

Read the paragraph below and correct the mistakes.

Rewrite the paragraph using the correct prepositions. Check your answers in the comments below.

I went to Paris at the summer. I arrived at the airport on 10 o’clock. Until I checked in to my hotel, I went for a walk in the city. I saw the Eiffel Tower people watched at a local cafê before 6:00 until 6:30 PM. Then, I had dinner. I stayed in Paris in two weeks. Over my trip, I visited the Louvre Museum and the Notre Dame Cathedral. I had a wonderful time and I can’t wait to go back to Paris again!

All my best,

~ Annemarie

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