Prepositions · CEFR A1 · Starting
Place: in / on / at — English prepositions
In a box, on a table, at a place.
The shape
in + enclosed · on + surface · at + point
Say where something is.
In Hindi
किसी चीज़ के अंदर "in", सतह पर "on", किसी जगह पर "at"।
CoCap explains every structure in both languages, because a rule you understand in Hindi is a rule you can use in English.
The mistake to fix first
The sentence Indian-English speakers actually produce, and the reason it is wrong.
| Commonly said | Correct English |
|---|---|
I am in the bus stop. | I am at the bus stop. A point on a route takes "at". |
Place: in / on / at examples
Easiest first. Every sentence is authored, with the Hindi it comes from.
The book is on the table.
किताब मेज पर है।
The phone is in the bag.
फोन बैग में है।
The cup is on the table.
कप मेज पर है।
The milk is in the fridge.
दूध फ्रिज में है।
The bag is on the chair.
बैग कुर्सी पर है।
The food is on the plate.
खाना प्लेट पर है।
He lives in Delhi.
वह दिल्ली में रहता है।
The picture is on the wall.
तस्वीर दीवार पर है।
The key is in my pocket.
चाबी मेरी जेब में है।
My money is in my pocket.
मेरे पैसे जेब में हैं।
Easy to confuse with
Close enough to be mixed up with this one. Knowing the difference is most of knowing either.
- above / below / between / amongA2Describe where a thing sits in relation to another
- next to / opposite / in front ofA1Give somebody directions they can follow
Questions people ask
- What is the place: in / on / at used for?
- In a box, on a table, at a place. In practice: say where something is.
- How do you form the place: in / on / at?
- in + enclosed · on + surface · at + point.
- What is the most common mistake with the place: in / on / at?
- Saying “I am in the bus stop.” instead of “I am at the bus stop.”. A point on a route takes "at".
Where place: in / on / at fits
Where this structure sits in the ladder, and what surrounds it.
Place: in / on / at is a CEFR A1 structure — the starting band — and it belongs to prepositions. CoCap’s syllabus files every structure this way so you can learn in order instead of jumping between whatever a search happened to return.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
CoCap turns this page into practice: Hindi sentence in, English sentence out, corrected one thing at a time. Free, no card.
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