Uses of "in"

[AMG]

Hello all.
I'm really confused with the uses of in, sometimes I think that I must use it but it happens that I mustn't, so, I need a little help with this.
Thank you all :D

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

Explaining the uses of a preposition can be rather long and almost impossible to make just like that... do you have any specific questions or examples where you need explanations?

[AMG]

Well, my doubt is when I have to talk about places :( (I know that "in" comes from "inside", but I know I don't use "in home" but I'm "inside" of it, and I know I have to use "at").

Explaining the uses of a preposition can be rather long and almost impossible to make just like that... do you have any specific questions or examples where you need explanations?

[Rusty]

You can be 'in the house'. 'At home' is a set phrase. It can mean much more than being 'in the house'.

The kids are in the school. (They are not outside at play.) They are at school. (This doesn't rule out recess (they may be playing outdoors).)
'At' can mean near or nearby.
'In Jerusalem' means inside the city. 'At Jerusalem' can mean inside the city, too, but doesn't rule out being in Bethlehem, just six miles away.

The following sets of words do not have the same meaning.
at play (location)
at the recital (location)
at the store (location)

in play (event, motion, interval)
in (the) recital (event, interval)
in (the) store (event)

It's difficult to explain these without more context.

[poli]

In is en. Sometimes it's a dentro de. There are probably exceptions that I cannot think of now, Prepositions are difficult sometimes. I'm sure I get the Spanish ones wrong now and then. If you have any examples that puzzle you, present them here, and someone will help you.

[Rusty]

'Adentro de' is the modern spelling.

[AngelicaDeAlquezar]

@Poli: The problem is that all "in", "on" and "at" can mean "en", depending on the situation... that's what makes it more confusing. :D

@Rusty: Thank you... your answered clarified some things for me too. :)

[poli]

@Poli: The problem is that all "in", "on" and "at" can mean "en", depending on the situation... that's what makes it more confusing. :D

@Rusty: Thank you... your answered clarified some things for me too. :)
I assure you it's the same for me when speaking Spanish. I will never get it right, but nevertheless I am confident that people will understand my chapurreo.

[AMG]

Ok, so "at university" is when I'm there studying and "in the university" is when I'm there and not studying, for example, right? And whenever I use "in", is it necessary to use "the" after all the times? or what are the exceptions?

[wrholt]

Ok, so "at university" is when I'm there studying and "in the university" is when I'm there and not studying, for example, right? And whenever I use "in", is it necessary to use "the" after all the times? or what are the exceptions?

When you are talking about physical location inside of something, most of the time one must say "in a/the X" (using an article).

The challenge is with expressing figurative meanings; sometimes one must say "in X" for a figurative meaning, sometimes one must say "in a/the X" for a figurative meaning, and sometimes one can choose either way.


You're right, "I am at university" means I am currently taking classes (even if I am not in class or on campus right now), and "I am in the university" = "I am inside the university (probably inside a building or within a walled or fenced area; I may or may not be attending a class or studying on my own)".


(Rusty's comments in his follow-up message are correct. AmE does not allow "I am at/in university". It's possible that some other regional variety allows it, but I cannot confirm that.)

The second problem is that there are regional variations in usage.

For example, in both UK and US English one can say "in school" = "is a student", "at school" = "attending classes", "in the school" = "inside the school's building", and "at the school" = "somewhere on or near the school property and possibly inside the school building".

However, in UK English "in the hospital" = "inside the hospital building, but not confined as a patient" and "in hospital" = "confined as a patient in the hospital", while US English requires "in the hospital" for both meanings.

[Rusty]

In AmE, we never say 'at university'. It's always 'at the university'.
We say 'at the hospital' and 'in the hospital'. We don't drop the article.