Grammar book · Words and sentences
Prepositions of time
የጊዜ መስተዋድዶች (prepositions of time)
at for clock times, on for days and dates, in for months, years and parts of the day. for, since, during, by and until say how long, when, and up to when.
at, on, in
Amharic uses one prefix for most of these (በሰኞ, በሦስት ሰዓት, በ2020), but English chooses between at, on and in by the size of the time. Small and exact (a clock time): at. A day or date: on. Longer periods (months, years, seasons, parts of the day): in. Remember also that Ethiopian time and US time are counted differently: 7 a.m. here is 1 in the morning in Ethiopian time (ከጠዋቱ 1 ሰዓት).
In Amharic
አማርኛ ለአብዛኞቹ አንድ ቅድመ ቅጥያ ይጠቀማል (በሰኞ፣ በሦስት ሰዓት፣ በ2020)፤ እንግሊዝኛ ግን በጊዜው መጠን at, on እና in መካከል ይመርጣል። ትንሽና ትክክለኛ (ሰዓት)፦ at። ቀን ወይም ቀን (date)፦ on። ረዘም ያሉ ጊዜያት (ወራት፣ ዓመታት፣ ወቅቶች፣ የቀኑ ክፍሎች)፦ in። የኢትዮጵያ አቆጣጠርና የአሜሪካ ሰዓት በተለያየ መንገድ እንደሚቆጠሩም ያስታውሱ፦ እዚህ 7 a.m. በኢትዮጵያ አቆጣጠር ከጠዋቱ 1 ሰዓት ነው።
| at | on | in |
|---|---|---|
| at 8:30, at noon, at midnight | on Monday, on Fridays | in May, in 2019 |
| at night | on May 5th, on my birthday | in the morning / afternoon / evening |
| at the weekend (UK) / on the weekend (US) | on Christmas Day, on New Year's Eve | in (the) summer, in winter |
| at Christmas, at lunchtime | on Monday morning | in the 1990s, in the 21st century |
- No preposition before this, next, last, every, today, tomorrow, yesterday: I'll see you next Friday (not on next Friday).
- in the morning, but on Monday morning (a particular day takes on), and at night.
- In American English, say on the weekend.
- My shift starts at 6 a.m.
- The office is closed on Sundays.
- We moved to Las Vegas in 2018.
- I'll call you on Tuesday afternoon.
- It gets very hot here in July.
- See you next week!
for, since, during
for + a length of time answers How long?: for two hours, for ten years. since + a starting point, usually with the present perfect: since 2015, since Monday. during + a noun says when something happens inside a period: during the meeting, during Ramadan. Amharic ለ…, ከ… ጀምሮ, በ… ጊዜ cover these, so match them carefully.
In Amharic
for + የጊዜ ርዝመት How long? የሚለውን ይመልሳል፦ for two hours, for ten years። since + መነሻ ጊዜ፣ ብዙ ጊዜ ከአሁን ፍጹም ጋር፦ since 2015, since Monday። during + ስም አንድ ነገር በአንድ ጊዜ ውስጥ መቼ እንደሚሆን ይናገራል፦ during the meeting, during Ramadan። በአማርኛ ለ…፣ ከ… ጀምሮ፣ በ… ጊዜ እነዚህን ይሸፍናሉ፤ ስለዚህ በጥንቃቄ ያዛምዱ።
| Word | Followed by | Example |
|---|---|---|
| for | a length of time | I waited for 40 minutes. |
| since | a starting point | She has worked here since March. |
| during | a noun (an event or period) | My phone rang during the interview. |
| while | a subject + verb | My phone rang while I was in the interview. |
| ago | after a length of time | I came here five years ago. |
- during + noun; while + subject + verb: during the flight / while we were flying.
- since needs the present perfect when the situation continues: I have lived here since 2020 (not I live here since 2020).
- ago goes after the time and uses the past simple: two years ago.
- We have been married for twelve years.
- I haven't seen him since the wedding.
- Please turn off your phone during the service.
- He slept during the whole movie.
- My mother arrived three days ago.
by and until
until (or till) means the situation continues up to that time and then stops: The store is open until 9. by means at that time or before, a deadline: Pay the rent by the 5th. Amharic እስከ can mean both, so ask yourself: does it continue (until) or is it a deadline (by)?
In Amharic
until (ወይም till) ሁኔታው እስከዚያ ጊዜ ቀጥሎ ይቆማል ማለት ነው፦ The store is open until 9። by በዚያ ጊዜ ወይም ከዚያ በፊት ማለት ነው፣ የመጨረሻ ቀን፦ Pay the rent by the 5th። የአማርኛው “እስከ” ሁለቱንም ሊያመለክት ይችላል፤ ስለዚህ ራስዎን ይጠይቁ፦ ይቀጥላል (until) ወይስ የመጨረሻ ቀን ነው (by)?
| until: continues, then stops | by: not later than (deadline) |
|---|---|
| I work until 5. | I'll finish the report by 5. |
| We'll wait until you arrive. | Please arrive by 9:45. |
| The pool is closed until Monday. | Send the form by Monday. |
| She stayed until midnight. | I'll be home by midnight. |
- from … to / until: The clinic is open from 8 to 5.
- by the time + clause: By the time we got there, the store was closed.
- You have to apply by October 31.
- The baby slept until seven this morning.
- Can you send me the photos by tonight?
- I'm working from 3 until 11 today.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| I start work at 7 o'clock. | Clock times take at. | |
| See you next Monday. | No preposition before next, last, this, every. | |
| I was born in 1990. | Years take in. | |
| I have lived here for five years. | A length of time takes for, with the present perfect. | |
| Pay the bill by Friday. | A deadline takes by. | |
| She called while I was cooking. | during + noun; while + subject + verb. |
Practice
Each answer is checked as you go, with the reason. Nothing here is saved.
The meeting is ___ 10:30.
My daughter's birthday is ___ June 12th.
We arrived in the US ___ 2016.
I usually read ___ night. (one word)
I've known her ___ ten years.
He has worked at the casino ___ 2019.
Don't talk ___ the movie.
Please return the form ___ Friday.
The store is open ___ 10 p.m.
Correct it: “I'll see you on tomorrow.” → I'll see you ___.
We have a party ___ Saturday evening.
I came here three years ___. (one word)