Preposizioni di luogo e tempo

Preposizioni di tempo

AT (orari precisi)

• at 5 PM (alle 17:00)
• at midnight (a mezzanotte)
• at noon (a mezzogiorno)
• at the weekend (nel weekend - UK; on the weekend - US)
• at Christmas (a Natale)
• at the moment (in questo momento)

ON (giorni, date)

• on Monday (lunedì)
• on Tuesday morning (martedì mattina)
• on July 5 (il 5 luglio)
• on Christmas Day (il giorno di Natale)
• on my birthday (il giorno del mio compleanno)

IN (mesi, anni, periodi)

• in July (a luglio)
• in 2024 (nel 2024)
• in the morning (di mattina)
• in the afternoon (di pomeriggio)
• in the evening (di sera)
• in summer (d'estate)
• in the 21st century (nel 21° secolo)

Eccezioni / casi speciali

• at night (di notte) — eccezione
• in the night (durante la notte) — uso specifico
• at the weekend (UK) / on the weekend (US)

Tabella riassuntiva

Preposizioni di luogo

AT (punti specifici)

• at the door (alla porta)
• at home (a casa)
• at school (a scuola)
• at work (al lavoro)
• at the bus stop (alla fermata)
• at the station (alla stazione)
• at the corner (all'angolo)

ON (su superficie)

• on the table (sul tavolo)
• on the wall (sul muro)
• on the street (sulla strada)
• on the floor (sul pavimento)
• on the right/left (a destra/sinistra)

IN (dentro)

• in the box (nella scatola)
• in the room (nella stanza)
• in Italy (in Italia)
• in Rome (a Roma)
• in the car (in macchina)
• in the office (in ufficio)

Differenza tra AT, ON, IN

Altre preposizioni di luogo

UNDER (sotto)

• The keys are under the chair.
• The cat is under the table.

OVER / ABOVE (sopra)

• The lamp is above the table.
• A bird flew over the building.

Differenza OVER / ABOVE

• OVER: copertura, movimento sopra;
• ABOVE: posizione superiore, di norma senza contatto.

NEXT TO / BESIDE (vicino a)

• The bank is next to the post office.
• Sit beside me.

BETWEEN (tra due)

• The shop is between the bank and the school.

AMONG (tra molti)

• He was among the witnesses.

IN FRONT OF (davanti)

• The car is parked in front of the school.

BEHIND (dietro)

• The garden is behind the house.

NEAR / CLOSE TO (vicino)

• The hotel is near the station.

FAR FROM (lontano)

• We are far from Rome.

Preposizioni di tempo (oltre at/on/in)

BEFORE (prima)

• before lunch (prima di pranzo)
• before Monday (prima di lunedì)
• before the accident

AFTER (dopo)

• after dinner
• after the meeting

DURING (durante)

• during the day
• during the trial
• during the inspection

FOR (per — durata)

• for 2 hours
• for a long time

SINCE (da — punto inizio)

• since 2010
• since Monday
• since the accident

UNTIL / TILL (fino a)

• until 5 PM
• until the police arrive

FROM ... TO (da ... a)

• from 9 AM to 5 PM
• from Monday to Friday

Preposizioni di movimento

TO (a, verso)

• Go to the police station.
• I'm driving to Rome.

FROM (da)

• I'm coming from the office.
• The flight is from New York.

INTO (dentro - movimento)

• He went into the shop.
• The driver fell into the river.

OUT OF (fuori da - movimento)

• He came out of the shop.

THROUGH (attraverso)

• We drove through the tunnel.

ACROSS (attraverso - superficie)

• Cross the street across the bridge.

Per la Polizia Locale

Descrivere posizioni in sopralluogo

• The car was parked in front of the school.
• The witness was standing at the bus stop.
• There is a camera above the door.
• The keys were on the table.
• The wallet was in the bag.
• The driver was sitting next to the passenger.

Descrivere tempi

• The accident happened at 8 PM.
• The crime was committed on Saturday.
• We were patrolling in the morning.
• He was at the bar before midnight.
• We arrived after the ambulance.
• The car was there for 2 hours.

Indicazioni stradali

• Go straight ahead.
• Turn left at the corner.
• The bank is on the right.
• The hotel is across the street.
• The hospital is between the school and the church.

Esempio di dialogo

• Officer: "Where exactly was your car?"
• Driver: "It was in front of the supermarket, on the right side of the road."
• Officer: "At what time did you see the other car?"
• Driver: "Around 7 PM, at the intersection."

Errori comuni

1. Confondere AT, ON, IN per tempo

• ❌ At Monday → ✅ On Monday
• ❌ In 5 PM → ✅ At 5 PM
• ❌ At July → ✅ In July

2. Confondere AT, ON, IN per luogo

• ❌ On home → ✅ At home
• ❌ At the table → spesso ✅ On the table (sopra)
• ❌ In the door → ✅ At the door

3. Confondere FOR / SINCE

• ❌ I have lived here since 5 years → ✅ for 5 years
• ❌ I have lived here for 2010 → ✅ since 2010
• FOR + durata; SINCE + punto di inizio.

Quiz mentale

Choose the correct preposition:

1. The accident happened _____ Monday. (in/on) → on
2. We will meet _____ 8 PM. (at/in) → at
3. The book is _____ the table. (in/on) → on
4. I live _____ Rome. (in/at) → in
5. The bank is _____ the school and the post office. (between/among) → between

Per il concorso

Domanda tipica

"How do you use AT, ON, IN with time and place?"

Risposta:

Tempo:

• AT: orari precisi (at 5 PM, at midnight, at the moment);
• ON: giorni e date (on Monday, on July 5, on my birthday);
• IN: mesi, anni, parti del giorno (in July, in 2024, in the morning).

Luogo:

• AT: punti specifici (at the door, at home, at school);
• ON: su superficie (on the table, on the wall);
• IN: dentro un contenitore/area (in the box, in Rome, in the office).

Altre preposizioni di luogo:

• under, over, next to, between, in front of, behind, near, far from.

Per la PL: descrivere posizioni in sopralluoghi (The car was in front of the school), tempi (at 8 PM, on Monday, in July), indicazioni (turn left at the corner, on the right side).