Using the right preposition in English can be a problem. Here are the most common ones used to talk about time, place and transport.
Time
in
a century
"There were many inventions in the twentieth
century."
in
a year
"She left school in 1987."
in
a month
"He's leaving in January."
in
a season
"We usually go on holiday in summer."
in
a part of the day
"I'm leaving in the morning, not in the
evening."
during
or in
- when something happens
"Muslims fast during / in
Ramadan."
"It rained during / in the night."
for
- how long something takes
"She played tennis for an hour."
at
Christmas or at Easter
"Christians celebrate at Christmas
and at Easter."
at
the weekend
"I play tennis at the weekend."
at
night
"I go to sleep at night."
at
a time
"The appointment is at four o'clock in the
afternoon."
on
a day
"The appointment is on Monday."
on
a date
"I'm leaving on 12 December."
Place
on
or on
top of
"The
remote control is on the table."
above
(higher than)
"Look at the clock above the mantelpiece."
under or
underneath
"The
keys are under the mat."
beneath (old fashioned word to mean under)
below
(lower
than)
"The chart below shows the annual figures."
"It
was below freezing last night."
next to "A is next to B in the alphabet."
between "B is between A and C in the alphabet."
opposite
"The
bank is opposite the supermarket. If you walk outside the bank, you
can see the supermarket in front of you, on the other side of the
road."
across
"Walk
across the road, to the other side."
round /
around
"It's
round the corner - you can't see it from here."
Transport
on a train, a bus, a plane, a bicycle
get on / off a train / a bus / a plane / a bike
in a car
get in / out of a car
go by car / train / plane / bus
go on foot