Is it on Tuesday or at Tuesday? In winter or on winter? At the weekend or on the weekend? These little words like in, at or on can be difficult to remember because often they are different in every language. Here are some tips to remember how to use them to talk about times.

In

We use in to talk about:

• months
  • My birthday is in October.
  • We’re going on holiday in July.
  • She started her new job in February.
• years
  • They started the company in 2011.
  • The next elections will be in 2023.
  • The protests took place in the year 1968.
• seasons
  • We always go on holiday in summer.
  • It sometimes snows in the winter.
  • The days get longer in spring.
• times of day
  • He always drinks coffee in the mornings.
  • In the afternoon I’m meeting a friend.
  • The restaurant was very full in the evening.

At

We say at when we describe:

• specific times
  • The show starts at 6pm.
  • My train leaves at midday.
  • They’re meeting at half past four.
• festivals
  • We visit our family at Christmas.
  • They will be away at Diwali.
  • What food do you eat at Easter?

On

On is used to talk about:

• days of the week
  • Our next appointment is on Tuesday.
  • Do you have time on Thursday?
  • I didn’t go the party on Saturday.
• dates
  • The conference is on 12th March.
  • My flight is on 20th November.
  • On 5th September we’re visiting customers.
• special days
  • I’m having a big party on my birthday.
  • We always eat a roast dinner on Christmas Day.
  • Are seeing friends on New Year’s Eve?

Exceptions and extra trips

• at night or in the night?
  • We say at night to talk generally about things that happen during the night.
    • The stars come out at night.
    • At night my cat is very active.
  • We say in the night to talk about one particular night.
    • I heard a strange sound in the night.
    • We’re flying home in the night.
• at the weekend or on the weekend?
  • Both! British English speakers say at the weekend and American English speakers say on the weekend, so either is possible.
    • The weather was great on the weekend.
    • The weather was great at the weekend.
• On Sunday morning or at Sunday morning?
  • Here, we say on Sunday morning because the day comes first.
    • I always go running on Tuesday afternoons.
    • We often go out on Friday evenings.
    • He already has plans on Wednesday morning.
• At Christmas or on Christmas?
  • We say at Christmas to describe the whole festive period.
    • Our company has a party at Christmas.
    • I like to give my friends gifts at Christmas.
    • At Christmas the shops are always busy.
  • On Christmas Day describes that one day.
    • I visited my grandparents on Christmas Day.
    • Lots of people watch films on TV on Christmas Day.
    • Children get up early on Christmas Day.

---

Do you have any other questions about using in, at and on? Or do you have some more tips? I’d love to hear them in the comments below!