Place and MovementA1–A2

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In, on, at and under say where something is; to, into, out of and through say where it goes. In is inside a space, on touches a surface and at is a point: in the bag, on the table, at the door.

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CheatsheetA1–A2

Point	Rule	Example
in	inside a space, in a town or country	in the bag / in Madrid
on	touching a surface	on the table / on the wall
at	a point or a place for its purpose	at the door / at home
Fixed phrases	without the: at home, at work, in bed, to school	She's at work. / I go to work.
behind, near	go straight before the noun	I live near the park.
to / from	movement to and from a place; home follows go directly	We go to the beach. / I go home.
A2in → into / on → onto / at → to	place becomes movement	She goes into the kitchen. / The cat jumps onto the sofa.
A2along, across, through	the path of the movement	We walk across the bridge. / The train goes through a tunnel.
A2arrive	arrive in a city or country; arrive at a building	We arrive in Paris. / I arrive at the office.
A2Transport	get on a bus, train, plane, bike; get in a car, taxi	I get on the bus. / She gets in the taxi.
Trap	next to and in front of keep to and of	next to the café / in front of the school

Place: where something isA1–A2

Preposition	Example
in	The keys are in the bag.
on	The phone is on the table.
at	She is at the door.
under	The cat is under the chair.
next to	The bank is next to the café.
between	The shop is between the bank and the café.
behind	The garden is behind the house.
in front of	The bus stop is in front of the school.
A2opposite	The hotel is opposite the station.
near	I live near the park.

behind, opposite and near go straight before the noun: near the park.

In, on, at: placeA1

Use	Example
in + room, building, town, country	He lives in Madrid. / It's in the kitchen.
in + bed, hospital	I'm in bed. (US: in the hospital)
on + surface, wall, floor	The picture is on the wall.
at + home, work, school, university	She's at home. / He's at work.
at + point or event	I'm at the bus stop. / We're at a party.

at home, at work, at school and in bed are fixed phrases without the.
in = inside a space. on = touching a surface. at = a point or a place for its purpose.

Movement: where something goesA1–A2

Preposition	Example
to	We go to the beach.
from	She comes from Italy.
A2into	He walks into the room.
A2out of	She gets out of the car.
A2onto	The cat jumps onto the sofa.
A2up	We walk up the hill.
A2down	He runs down the stairs.
A2along	Walk along the river.
A2across	We walk across the bridge.
A2through	The train goes through a tunnel.
A2past	Walk past the bank.
A2towards	The dog runs towards me.

home follows go, come and get directly: go home.
to school, to work and to bed are fixed phrases without the: I go to work.
towards /təˈwɔːdz/ (US: toward).

Arriving and transportA2

Use	Example
arrive in + city, country	We arrive in Paris at noon.
arrive at + building, station, event	I arrive at the office at nine.
arrive home	She arrives home late.
get on / off + bus, train, plane, bike	I get on the bus here. / He gets off the train.
get in / out of + car, taxi	She gets in the taxi. / He gets out of the car.
by + transport	I go to school by bus. / We go on foot.
on + bus, train, plane, bike / in + car, taxi	I'm on the train. / She's in the car.

Compare: place and movementA2

Place	Movement
She is in the kitchen.	She goes into the kitchen.
The cat is on the sofa.	The cat jumps onto the sofa.
He is at school.	He goes to school.

Typical errorsA1–A2

✗	✓	Rule
The school is in front the park.	The school is in front of the park.	in front of needs of
I live at London.	I live in London.	towns and countries → in
A2I get in the bus.	I get on the bus.	bus, train, plane → get on
A2She gets on the taxi.	She gets in the taxi.	car, taxi → get in / out of