List of prepositions in English
In order to get a better understanding of the English prepositions, this subchapter gives you an overview of the most common prepositions in the English language
Lesson Outline
HideMost common English prepositions with examples
The table below shows the most common prepositions and examples.
| Preposition | Example |
|---|---|
| Aboard | I'm going aboard the ship. |
| About | This movie is about cowboys. |
| Above | He lives above a supermarket. |
| According to | According to the instructions, we have to wait for an hour. |
| After | We can go to the beach after lunch. |
| Ahead of | He has a long flight ahead of him. |
| Amid | I saw my friend amid the busy crowd. |
| Among | Tonight we are among friends. |
| Around | She wore a belt around her waist. |
| As | He works as a manager. |
| As of | The course was finished as of July 1st. |
| As per | They were too early, as per usual. |
| Astride | She sat astride the horse. |
| At | I will wait for you at the library. |
| Athwart | A chair was placed athwart the exit. |
| Atop | They sat atop of the roof, waiting for the sun to rise. |
| Across | My best friends live across the street. |
| Against | She voted against the new president. |
| Along | We love long walks along the beach. |
| Around | They will come to our house around 1 o'clock. |
| Barring | Barring bad weather, we will be able to go to the beach. |
| Because of | I was late because of the traffic in town. |
| Beyond | They went out beyond midnight. |
| Before | She can not wake up before 9 in the morning. |
| Behind | The cat is sitting behind the door. |
| Beneath | Can you get the book beneath the bed for me? |
| Beside | Laura sat beside Claudia at the party. |
| Below | This country is below sea level. |
| Between | There was an empty space between the kitchen and the living room. |
| By | I would like to live by the sea. |
| Close to | He lives close to London. |
| Despite | Despite her hard work, she failed the exam. |
| Down | The book fell down the stairs. |
| During | You can't talk during the speech. |
| Due to | Due to the rain, the game was cancelled. |
| Except | Everyone is at the beach right now, except me. |
| Following | Following dinner, they went out for a drink. |
| For | This gift is for my sister. |
| From | I work from 9 to 5. |
| Given | Given the fact that it rains, we will not go to the beach now. |
| In | He puts the dishes in the dishwasher. |
| In front of | She is waiting for you in front of the office. |
| Including | Can you fill out this form, including your name and date. |
| Inside | The cookies are inside the box. |
| Into | I want to go into the sea today. |
| Like | Martina looks like her mother. |
| Near | He would like to live near the city centre. |
| Next to | We live next to the beach. |
| Past | I walk past the supermarket every day. |
| Of | The restaurant is a mile west of here. |
| Off | They jump off a cliff into the sea. |
| On | He sits on the chair. |
| Onto | The cat jumped onto the chair. |
| Opposite | The restaurant is opposite the river. |
| Out | She walked out the door. |
| Out of | I want to get out of this place. |
| Over | They ran over the bridge. |
| Past | We walked past the restaurant. |
| Per | The changes were made per my instructions. |
| Plus | Two plus three is five. |
| Prior to | They had dinner prior to the event. |
| Regarding | The letter regarding your application. |
| Since | I have been working here since January. |
| Than | He is taller than he is. |
| Through | My dad is going to walk through the city centre. |
| Till | Yesterday I worked till 3 o'clock. |
| To | You walked to the supermarket. |
| Towards | We walk towards the horses. |
| Up | They ran up the stairs in the cinema. |
| Unlike | He is unlike the rest of his family. |
| Under | They sit under the bridge. |
| Underneath | Frank sits underneath the tree. |
| Until | They have to wait until Christmas Day to get their gifts. |
| Upon | Put the groceries upon the table, please. |
| With | I go to school with my friends. |
| Without | He went out without a jacket. |
Examples of English prepositions in context:
- He goes with his girlfriend to London in the summer.
- We walked home from the centre and it took us only 20 minutes
- She is outside, can you open the door for her?
- I'm not going home without you.
- They were talking until late last night.
- Where is the shop? It's near the train station.
- When the kid saw his mom, he ran towards her.
Test your knowledge of the prepositions in English with the exercises below.
Practise with a private teacher on Skype!
- Private Skype lessons
- Learn any topic
- Flexible appointments
German lessons and learning materials included
I teach: English, French, German
My name is Christina and I provide fun German and French language lesson for children and adult beginners or intermediate who want to... strengthen their language skills, improve the grammar knowledge, enrich the vocabulary and get into the German culture! I can teach in English or French!I had experince in teaching German, English and French to foreign people so I do have a lot of useful learning material I can provide you to make it easier! Read more
Very experienced teacher!
This teacher is one of our premium members. A premium teacher is very motivated to provide an excellent learning experience.
Welcome to my class!
I teach: Bulgarian, English
Hi there,I am glad to meet you.First of all, let me congratulate you on the decision to learn or improve a new language. In your case this is... Bulgarian.My country, Bulgaria, is a beautiful country with nice and hospitable people. It is an ancient land with a great history and rich culture. Having learned our language you will be able to get in touch freely with our good people and country.I come from the town of Vidin, Bulgaria. I am a qualified English and Bulgarian teacher. I graduated back in 1972 from Sofia University with an MA in English Philology and Bulgarian Philology as a second subject. Since then I have spent most of my professional career teaching Bulgarian students.First of all, we will have a 20-30-minute trial lesson during which we can get to know each other, set expectations towards the lessons and schedule the timetable. The next step is simple - we start learning the language of your choice!Cannot wait to meet you and help you on your journey to learn Bulgarian. Read more
Hello, I offer personalized one-on-one lessons for all levels
I teach: Dutch, English, French, Italian
Hello,I would love to help you improve your knowledge of English.I adapt the lessons following your wishes : are you a beginner and need to get... some basic knowledge with grammar and easy texts or do you want to improve your conversation skills. I can help you either way.Looking forward to meeting you ! Read more
Very experienced teacher!
