Prepositions

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 2

Welcome!

Grammar time!

Doel:

Aan het einde van deze les, 

kun jij een aantal voorzetsels van plaats en tijd  (Prepositions of Place and time) gebruiken in zinnen. 

 Prepositions/ Voorzetsels

• Prepositions of time: zeggen iets over wanneer iets gebeurt.
• Prepositions of place: zeggen iets over waar iets gebeurt.

We also have: prepositions of movement (across, through) - means (by) - instrument (with) - purpose (for), and many more.

Prepositions of place

Between vs.  among

over v.s above (over= in a higher position, but close or touching) : Put a cover over the furniture before you paint the room) - The sign over the board saying "entrance"

Above: Refers to being higher than something but not directly over or without the sense of covering.

Example: There’s a lamp above the table.

Example: The helicopter flying round above the city.

En= In

🇳🇱 = In

My book is in my bag.

I am in my room. 

I live in the Kardinaal de Jongweg.

We live in the Netherlands.

En= On 

🇳🇱 = Op

My book is on the table.

I found this article on internet 

En = At 

🇳🇱 = Op

We are at school.

I live at the Kardinaal de Jongweg 20.

En= In

🇳🇱 = In

My book is in my bag.

I am in my room. 

👆🏻 Afgesloten ruimtes

I live in the Kardinaal de Jongweg.

👆🏻 Wegen

We live in the Netherlands.

👆🏻 Landen/grote gebieden

En= On 

🇳🇱= Op

My book is on the table.

👆🏻 Oppervlaktes

I found this article  on internet 

👆🏻 Technology or Devices

En= At 

🇳🇱 = Op

We are at school.

👆🏻 Gebouwen

I live at the Kardinaal de Jongweg 20.

👆🏻 Straatnummers

"in" and "on" with means of transportation 

 "In" /  "out" 

Used for smaller, enclosed vehicles where you sit inside.

• Get in the car.
• They got out of the taxi.
• We were in a small boat. 
• We were in a yacht enjoying the view.

Same with: van, truck, taxi, boat (rowing boat, kayak), yacht

"in" and "on" with means of transportation 

 "on" /  "off" 

Used for larger vehicles, where you can move freely

• Get on the bus.
• I'll call you when I get off the plane.  

Same with: ferry, ship, train, cruise

Special Cases

Motorcycles, bikes, and scooters: Always use "on" because you sit on top of them.

Horseback or animals: Similarly, use "on".

• She is on a horse/ camel 

To recap: 

"In" = Inside small vehicles.

"On" = Larger vehicles or anything you sit on top of it

Prepositions of time

in

maanden, jaren, eeuwen, lange periodes

on

dagen en datums

at

precieze tijd

for

hoe lang

since

sinds wanneer

during

tijdens

in

maanden, jaren, eeuwen, lange periodes

on

dagen en datums

at

precieze tijd

for

hoe lang 

since

sinds wanneer

during

tijdens

Prepositions of time

on time

op de geplande tijd

in time

met genoeg tijd over

from...till / until

van...tot (dat)

around

rond

by

tegen

before / after

voor / na

On Time:  This means arriving or completing something at the expected or scheduled time—neither early nor late. 

She arrived on time for the meeting. (She arrived exactly when she was supposed to.) The train was on time. (The train arrived as scheduled, without delay.)

In Time:  This means arriving or completing something before a deadline or just before something important happens. It suggests there is enough time to avoid being too late.

Example:

I finished the report in time for the meeting. (I finished it before the meeting started.)

He got to the airport in time to catch his flight. (He arrived before the flight took off.)

When we use "during", we are referring to a specific moment or event that happens within a larger period of time. It highlights something that occurred at one or more points within that period but not for the entire duration of it.

Example:

"I fell asleep during the movie."

Here, "the movie" is the larger period, and the action of falling asleep happened at one point within that time.

IN the History Book

Imagine IN as a magnificent history book, when you open the book, you’ll find chapters about entire centuries, years, and long periods of time. It covers big-picture events and trends, where the focus isn’t on a single day but on the flow of time over many years or even centuries.

IN is like the big sections of the book, where you read about:

In the 18th century

In the 2000s

In the summer of 2024

In the Middle Ages

ON the Page 

When you need more specific information, you flip to a particular page in the book—like ON a page with exact details about a specific day or date. This page zooms in on what happened on a particular day, month, or holiday.

ON is the page where you’ll read about:

On Monday

On January 1st, 2024

On Christmas Day

AT the Exact Moment

Finally, if you need to know the exact moment something happened, you turn to a detailed entry in the book that states the precise hour or moment. AT is like that exact timestamp.

AT is for:

At 3 PM

At midnight

At noon

Here, you're not looking at a broad or specific day anymore, but at an exact point in time—down to the minute or hour.

Kies het juiste voorzetsel
I am ____ school on Monday.

1. in
2. on
3. at
4. between

Kies het juiste voorzetsel
John walked ____ the room.

1. on
2. at
3. over
4. into

Kies het juiste voorzetsel
We are exactly ____ just as planned.

1. on time
2. in time
3. during
4. since

Kies het juiste voorzetsel
I got my homework done ____ for the lesson, I even had some time left.

1. on time
2. in time
3. between
4. during

Kies het juiste voorzetsel
I am ____ my friend's house.

1. by
2. at
3. over
4. up

Kies het juiste voorzetsel
You need to go ____ the stairs.

1. up
2. under
3. above
4. over

Exercise

Type the missing preposition

Only use 'in' 'on' and 'at' and only type the missing word

___ the kitchen

1. In
2. At
3. On

___ the floor

1. In
2. At
3. On

___ Japan

1. In
2. At
3. On

___ work

1. In
2. At
3. On

___ Christmas

1. In
2. At
3. On

___ the evening

1. In
2. At
3. On

___ Christmas eve

1. In
2. At
3. On

___ home

1. In
2. At
3. On

___ the first of January

1. In
2. At
3. On

There's some coffee __ the shelf in the cupboard.

1. In
2. At
3. On

My friend works ___ a chemist's in the town centre.

1. In
2. At
3. On

There's a cinema ___ the end of the street.

1. In
2. At
3. On

On Sundays Mr. Smith stays ___ home.

1. In
2. At
3. On

She's going to a conference in Spain ___ a week.

1. In
2. At
3. On

Do you enjoy driving ____ night?

1. In
2. At
3. On

I'm taking my driving test at ten to four ____ September first.

1. In
2. At
3. On

Did he send you a card ____ your birthday?

1. In
2. At
3. On

Good job!