Predlozi su reči koje označavaju mesto (prostor), vreme i pravac. Uvek stoje ispred imenice ili zamenice, nikad ispred glagola. Tri osnova predloga u engleskom jeziku su at, on i in. U daljem tekstu ćemo pokušati da objasnimo koja je razlika između njih.

Predlozi za vreme:
Uporedimo at, on i in:
They arrived at 5 o’clock.
They arrived on Friday.
They arrived in October.

Iz priloženih primera vidimo da se At upotrebljava za određeno doba dana: at 13.45, at midnight, at sunset.
On se upotrebljava za dane u nedelji i određene datume: on Friday, on 15 May 1997, on my birthday.
In se upotrebljava za duže periode ( mesece/godine/sezonu) i doba dana koje nije tačno precizirano : in the evening, in October, in the 18th century, in the past, in the spring.

At koristimo u sledećim izrazima: at night, at the weekend, at Christmas, at the moment, at the same time.
Reći ćemo: In the morning (s) but on Friday morning (s)
In the afternoon (s) but on Sunday afternoon (s)
In the evening (s) but on Monday evening (s)

At/on/in ne koristimo pre izraza last/next/this/every : They got married last March.
In se koristi u izrazima : In a few minutes/ In six months. Takođe i kada želimo da iskažemo koliko je vremena potrebno da se nešto uradi: I learnt to drive in four weeks.

Razlika između izraza On time i In time :
– On time se koristi da se iskaže da nešto treba da se dogodi u tačno dogovoreno vreme: I will meet you at 7.30. Ok, but please be on time. Suprotno od izraza On time je Late: Be on time. Do not be late.
– In time se koristi za nešto što je vremenski dovoljno blizu, tj. u okvirima nekog određenog događaja: Will you be home in time for dinner? Suprotno od izraza In time je Too late: I got home too late to see the game on television.

Razlika između izraza At the end i In the end :
– At the end se koristi kada se nešto završi: at the end of the month, at the end of the film, at the end of January, at the end of the concert. Primer: At the end of the concert, there was great applause. Ne možete nikako reći „in the end of..“ Supotno od At the end (of) je At the beginning (of) : I am going away at the beginning of January.
– In the end koristimo kada govorimo o tome koji je krajnji rezulat određene situacije: We had a lot of problems with our car. We sold it in the end. Suprotno od In the end je obično At first: At first we did not get on very well, but in the end we became good friends.

Predlozi za mesto:
In: koristi se ako je nešto u zatvorenom ili širokom prostoru: in a room, in a building, in a box, in a garden, in a town/country, in the city centre, in a pool, in the sea, in a river. Primeri:
– What have you got in your hand?
– When we were in Italy, we spent a few days in Venice.
– There were some people swimming in the pool.

At: koristi se ako je nešto u određenoj tački u prostoru: at the bus station, at the door, at the window, at the roundabout, at reception:
– Do you know that man standing at the door?
– We have to get off the bus at the next stop.
– When you leave the hotel, please leave your key at reception.

On: koristi se za nešto što se nalazi na nekoj površini :on the ceiling, on the door, on the table, on the floor, on the wall, on a page, on an island:
– Have you seen the notice on the notice board?
– The hotel is on a small island in the middle of the lake.

Uporedimo In i At:
There were a lot of people in the shop. but Go along this road, then turn left at the shop.
Poređenje In i On:
There is some water in the bottle. but There is a label on the bottle.
Poređenje At i On:
There is somebody at the door. Shall I go and see who it is?
There is a notice on the door. It says „ Do not disturb“.

Kažemo da je neko in hospital/in prison/in jail: Ann ‘s mother is in hospital. Ali kažemo da je neko at home/at work/at school/at university/at college: Julia is studying chemistry at university.

Uporedimo izraze at sea i in the sea:
It was a long voyage. We were at sea for 30 days. but I love swimming in the sea.
Kažemo da je neko na nekom događaju – at a party/ at a concert: I saw Steve at a football match on Saturday.
In i at za zgrade
You can eat in a restaurant ili at a restaurant; You can buy something in a supermarket or at a supermarket.
At obično koristimo kada želimo da iskažemo gde se održava neki događaj: We went to a concert at the Royal Festival Hall.
Kažemo at the station/ at the airport:
Do not meet me at the station. I can get a taxi.
Kažemo at somebody’ s house ( kod nečije kuće):
I was at Sue’ s house last night. ili I was at Sue’ s last night.
In koristimo kada govorimo o samoj zgradi. Uporedimo:
We had dinner at the hotel. but All the rooms in the hotel have air conditioning.
In i at za gradove
Obično koristimo In za gradove i sela: The Louvre is a famous art museum in Paris.
Ali možemo koristiti at ili in kada mislimo o mestu kao o tački ili stanicu na putovanju:
Does this train stop at (or in) Nottingham?
On i in za vozila
Obično kažemo on a bus/on a train/on a plane/on a ship but in a car/in a taxi: The bus was very full. There were too many people on it.
Ali reći ćemo: Mary arrived in a taxi.
Takođe koristimo on i u izrazima poput : on a bike/on a motorbike/on a horse : Jane passed me on her bike.