Prepositions are short words, but they are essential for expressing relationships between people, places, objects, time and actions.
Common examples include in, on, at, to, from, for, with, by, about and under.
What is a preposition?
A preposition shows the relationship between a noun or pronoun and another word in a sentence.
Examples:
The book is on the table.
She lives in Nairobi.
He went to school.
Prepositions of place
In
Used for being inside an enclosed space or within an area.
She is in the room.
He lives in Kenya.
On
Used for surfaces.
The phone is on the table.
At
Often used for a specific point or location.
I am at the station.
Under
The bag is under the chair.
Behind
The car is behind the house.
In front of
She is standing in front of the building.
Between
The shop is between the bank and the school.
Prepositions of time
At
Used with specific times.
at 7 o’clock
at noon
On
Used with days and dates.
on Monday
on 19 September
In
Used with months, years and longer periods.
in September
in 2026
in the morning
Prepositions of movement
Common examples include:
- to
- from
- into
- out of
- through
- across
- towards
Examples:
She walked to school.
He came from Mombasa.
They went into the room.
We walked across the road.
Common preposition mistakes
Incorrect: I arrived to Nairobi.
Correct: I arrived in Nairobi.
Incorrect: We discussed about the problem.
Correct: We discussed the problem.
Incorrect: She is married with a doctor.
Correct: She is married to a doctor.