Basic prepositions of time

prepositions of time

PREPOSIZIONI PRINCIPALI

AT

ON

IN

BEFORE

AFTER

DURING

AGO

UNTIL

FROM - TO

AT

ORARI + ESPRESSIONI FISSE

The film starts at 9 p.m. We are having a staff meeting at the end of the month

con BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER, NOON, WEEKEND etc.

Italians usually eat pasta at noon They rarely have tea at breakfast I normally go out at the weekend

NIGHT

It gets dark at night

PERIODI DI VACANZA

People usually buy presents at Christmas

AT

ORARI + ESPRESSIONI FISSE

The film starts at 9 p.m. We are having a staff meeting at the end of the month

con BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER, NOON, etc.

Italians usually eat pasta at lunch They rarely have tea at breakfast I normally go out at the weekend

NIGHT

It gets dark at night

PERIODI DI VACANZA

People usually buy presents at Christmas

IN

PARTI DEL GIORNO

We never check our e-mails in the afternoon The sun rises in the morning

MESI, ANNI e STAGIONI

Christmas is in December Flowers bloom in spring Columbus discovered America in 1492

DECADI & SECOLI

The French Revolution took place in the 18th century

ON

GIORNI DELLA SETTIMANA

Our weekly English class is on Thursday Few students go to school on Saturday

DATE

Thanksgiving is on 28th NovemberValentine's Day is on 14th February

VACANZE / GIORNI PARTICOLARI

Their relatives are planning to have a barbecue on Easter Monday

PARTI DI GIORNI SPECIFICI

My friends and I are leaving on Sunday morning

DURING

Si usa davanti ai nomi. Indica qualcosa che avviene in un periodo completo di tempo o in un momento temporale generico, non specificato: What was that noise I heard during the night? (non sappiamo in che momento preciso della notte) When I was a kid, our cousins often came to stay with us during the summer.

BEFORE

= Prima: Can you pick me up before 10 pm, please? They usually do their homework before they go to the football training. ATTENZIONE! Nella lingua scritta, quando ci riferiamo ad una cosa che abbiamo scritto in precedenza, utilizziamo above. Do you mind reading aloud the article above?

AFTER

= DOPO How about going for a drink after work? I'll call you back after I get on the train. After I left him a message, he turned up.

FROM

• Indica il momento temporale in cui qualcosa inizia:

Tickets for the concert are on sale from Monday. The finals take place from 1.30 pm on Sunday.

• Lo utilizziamo anche per esprimere origine e distanza:

Julia comes from New Zealand. The Metro station is nearby and we are only five minutes from the motorway.

FROM - TO

= DA - A: Queen Elizabeth II reigned from 1952 to 2022. They’re only open from Monday to Friday. The river flows from east to west. Per parlare di un cambiamento di stato di qualcuno o qualcosa: He’s moved from Wimbledon to Leeds. (= si è trasferito da Wimbledon a Leeds)

UNTIL

Significa "FINO A" We played board games until midnight. The ticket is valid until March. É spesso abbreviato in TILL o 'TIL --> più informali The film didn’t end till 11 pm. (quindi il film è continuato fino alle 23) Significa anche "DALLE - ALLE" (con gli orari): I worked out at the gym from 6 pm till 7.30 pm. The road outside our house will be closed from 6 am until 6 pm tomorrow.

AGO

Esprimere un periodo completo di tempo, dal passato ad ora --> italiano "FA"Segue le espressioni di tempo: It happened a long time ago. (= è successo molto tempo fa) They arrived in Madrid two weeks ago. (= sono arrivati a Madrid due settimane fa)