You’re about to get very clear on prepositions—what they are and how they make your speaking and writing flow better. Prepositions for beginners can feel tricky at first, but once you understand them, they become easy and fun to use.

Words like ‘in, on, and at‘ may be small, but they indicate where things are, when events happen, and how ideas connect, making sentences clear.

This guide covers ‘what are prepositions in English Grammar‘, types of prepositions, and plenty of preposition examples.

Preposition: Meaning & Examples

A preposition is a small word that links nouns or pronouns to other words. It is one of the important Parts of Speech in English.

Prepositions list: in, on, at, by, for, with, from, to, over, under, about, between, during, before, after, through

• The book is on the table.
• She is in the room.
• He walked through the park.

Common Preposition Types

Prepositions are grouped by function. Let’s explore the most common types:

1. Prepositions of Place

These prepositions tell us ‘where something is located‘. Simply, these show location—like room markers in a house.  They answer questions like Where is it? Or where did it happen?.

Common examples: in, on, at, under, above, between, next to, behind

Preposition	Example Sentence	Tip for Beginners
In	She is in the room.	Use ‘in‘ for enclosed spaces
On	The book is on the table.	Use ‘on‘ for surfaces
At	He is at the bus stop.	Use ‘at‘ for specific points
Under	The lamp hangs above the table.	Shows something below
Above	The lamp hangs above the table.	Shows something higher

2. Prepositions of Time

They tell us when something happens. They answer questions like When did it happen?

Common examples: at, on, in, during, before, after, by, since, for

• The meeting is at 5 PM.
• She has been working here since 2022.
• We will finish the task by Friday.

3. Prepositions of Direction (Movement)

This preposition shows motion, direction, or movement. They answer questions like Where to? or Where from?

Common examples: to, from, into, onto, through, toward, out of

• She walks to school.
• He runs through the park.
• She went into the room.

Additional Notes for Beginners

• Many prepositions can overlap in meaning. For example, ‘on‘ and ‘onto‘ both relate to surfaces, but onto implies movement.
• Pairing prepositions with verbs and nouns forms prepositional phrases (e.g., “walk to the park,” “interested in music“).

Prepositions List with Examples

Preposition	Meaning	Example
in	Inside a space (Place) / Period of time	She lives in Lahore. / We met in July.
on	Surface of something (Place) / Specific day/date (Time)	Specific point (Place) / Specific time
at	Specific point (Place/ time)	Meet me at the station. / Train arrives at 5 PM.
under	Below something (Place)	Bag under the table.
above	Higher than something (Place)	Lamp above the table.
between	In the middle of two things (Place)	The ball is between the chairs.
behind	At the back of (Place)	The car is behind the house.
next to	Beside (Place)	She sits next to me.
in front of	Ahead of (Place)	He sat in front of me.
before	Earlier than (Time)	Finish the task before dinner.
after	Later than (Time)	We went out after lunch.
to	Movement toward (Direction)	Walk to school.
from	Starting point (Direction)	A letter from my friend.
into	Inside movement (Direction)	He ran into the room.
onto	Movement on top (Direction)	Place the cup onto the table.
through	Moving inside something (Direction)	Run through the park.
toward	In the direction of (Direction)	She walked toward the exit.
off	Away from a surface (Movement)	He fell off the chair.
with	Accompanied by (Place/Time/Other)	Coffee with milk.
by	Doer/agent (Place/Time/Other)	Written by her.
for	Intended purpose(Place/Time/Other)	This is for you.

What Is a Prepositional Phrase?

A prepositional phrase is a group of words starting with a preposition and ending with a noun or pronoun. It gives extra information about time, place, direction, cause, or manner.

• During the meeting, he took notes carefully.
• The dog ran through the garden.

Practice Exercise: Prepositions for Beginners

Instructions: Fill in the blanks with the correct preposition.

1. She lives ___ Lahore.
2. The gift is ___ you.
3. Walk ___ school every day.
4. The cat is ___ the table.
5. Meeting ___ 5 PM.
6. He jumped ___ the pool.
7. The picture hangs ___ the wall.
8. I am afraid ___ spiders.
9. They came ___ France yesterday.
10. The bird flew ___ the tree.
11. I will go ___ the market after breakfast.
12. She sat ___ the chair quietly.
13. He borrowed a pen ___ his friend.
14. The dog is hiding ___ the bed.
15. The plane flew ___ the mountains.

Answer Key: 1. in | 2. for | 3. to | 4. on | 5. at | 6. into | 7. on | 8. of | 9. from | 10. over | 11. to | 12. on | 13. from | 14. under | 15. over

Mastering prepositions for beginners becomes easy with daily practice and the right approach. Use the prepositions list with examples to create your own sentences and experiment with prepositional phrases in everyday writing and speaking.