Prepositions of time and place
Zaman və yer önlükləri
After this lesson you can
- Can use in, on and at correctly with times, days, months and years.
- Can use in, on, at and other basic prepositions (next to, between, opposite, under) to describe where things are.
- Can avoid common errors caused by translating Azerbaijani case endings directly.
Explanation
Time
- at for exact times and some phrases: at 5 o'clock, at night, at the weekend
- on for days and dates: on Monday, on 28 May, on my birthday
- in for months, years, seasons and parts of the day: in May, in 2024, in summer, in the morning
No preposition with next, last, this, every: next Friday.
Place
- in = inside an area: in the box, in Baku
- on = on a surface: on the table, on the wall
- at = a point or a place for an activity: at the bus stop, at home, at work
Other useful prepositions: next to, between, opposite, in front of, behind, under, above.
Say at home (not in home) and arrive in Baku / arrive at the airport (not arrive to).
Azərbaycan dilində ətraflı izah
Azərbaycan dili ilə fərq
Biz "səhər**də ", "bazar ertəsi", "saat beşdə **", "evdə", "masanın üstündə" deyirik, hamısı şəkilçi və ya qoşma ilə. İngilis dilində isə isimdən əvvəl önlük gəlir və üç əsas önlük var: in, on, at.
Zaman önlükləri
| at | on | in |
|---|---|---|
| dəqiq vaxt: at 5 o'clock, at noon | günlər: on Monday, on Fridays | aylar: in May |
| at night, at the weekend | tarixlər: on 28 May | illər, əsrlər: in 2024, in the 21st century |
| bayramlar (müddət): at Novruz | xüsusi günlər: on my birthday | fəsillər: in summer |
| günün hissələri: in the morning, in the evening |
Qayda: kiçik nöqtə → **at **, gün → **on **, uzun müddət → in.
Diqqət: in the morning, amma on Monday morning (konkret gün olduğu üçün). next, last, this, every ilə önlük işlənmir: next Friday, last year, every day (✗ on next Friday).
Yer önlükləri
- in, içində, qapalı və ya böyük ərazi: in the box, in the kitchen, in Baku, in Azerbaijan
- on, səthin üstündə: on the table, on the wall, on the second floor
- at, nöqtə, ünvan, fəaliyyət yeri: at the bus stop, at home, at work, at school, at 15 Nizami Street
Digər faydalı önlüklər: next to (yanında), between (arasında), opposite (qarşısında), in front of (önündə), behind (arxasında), under (altında), above (yuxarısında).
Tipik səhvlər
- ✗ in Monday → ✓ on Monday
- ✗ at the morning → ✓ in the morning
- ✗ I am in home → ✓ I am at home
- ✗ I arrived to Baku → ✓ I arrived in Baku (arrive at + bina: arrive at the airport)
Examples
The lesson starts at nine o'clock.
Dərs saat doqquzda başlayır.
We don't have classes on Sundays.
Bazar günləri dərsimiz olmur.
My birthday is in April.
Ad günüm apreldədir.
I usually read in the evening.
Adətən axşamlar kitab oxuyuram.
Your keys are on the table, next to the lamp.
Açarların masanın üstündədir, lampanın yanında.
The pharmacy is opposite the bank.
Aptek bankın qarşısındadır.
She's not at home. She's at work.
O, evdə deyil. İşdədir.
Common mistakes
I was born at 2008.
I was born in 2008.
İllərlə 'in' işlənir.
See you in Monday!
See you on Monday!
Həftənin günləri ilə 'on' işlənir.
I'm in home now.
I'm at home now.
'evdə' = at home. Bu sabit ifadədir.
We'll meet on next Tuesday.
We'll meet next Tuesday.
next, last, this, every ilə önlük işlənmir.
We arrived to Baku at night.
We arrived in Baku at night.
arrive in + şəhər/ölkə, arrive at + bina/yer. 'to' işlənmir.
Vocabulary
- above preposition
- higher than somethingyuxarısında, üstündə (toxunmadan)“There's a picture above the sofa.”
- behind preposition
- at the back ofarxasında“The car park is behind the building.”
- between preposition
- in the space in the middle of two thingsarasında“The bank is between the shop and the school.”
- floor noun
- a level of a building; the surface you walk onmərtəbə; döşəmə“I live on the fifth floor.”
- in front of preposition
- close to the front of somethingqarşısında, önündə“There's a tree in front of our house.”
- next to preposition
- very close to; besideyanında“Sit next to me.”
- noon noun
- twelve o'clock in the middle of the daygünorta (saat 12)“Let's meet at noon.”
- opposite preposition
- on the other side of a street or room, facing somethingqarşısında, qarşı tərəfdə“The café is opposite the park.”