Overview
Prepositions of time in English, such as at, on, and in, are essential for talking about specific times, dates, and periods. These prepositions help us explain when an event happens. In Kazakh, time expressions are constructed differently, often using case endings instead of prepositions.
Example:
🇬🇧 “We use ‘at’ for specific times, ‘on’ for days and dates, and ‘in’ for months, years, and longer periods.”
🇰🇿 “‘At’ белгілі уақыттарға, ‘on’ күндер мен даталарға, ал ‘in’ айлар, жылдар және ұзақ уақыт кезеңдеріне қатысты қолданылады.”
Explanation
Affirmative Form
Prepositions of time are used in affirmative sentences to indicate when something happens.
Examples:
- 🇬🇧 “I wake up at 7 AM.”
- 🇰🇿 “Мен сағат 7-де оянамын.”
- 🇬🇧 “We met on Monday.”
- 🇰🇿 “Біз дүйсенбі күні кездестік.”
- 🇬🇧 “She was born in 1990.”
- 🇰🇿 “Ол 1990 жылы дүниеге келген.”
Negative Form
In negative sentences, the prepositions of time stay the same, but the verb is negated using “not.”
Examples:
- 🇬🇧 “I do not wake up at 7 AM.”
- 🇰🇿 “Мен сағат 7-де оянбаймын.”
- 🇬🇧 “She does not work on Sundays.”
- 🇰🇿 “Ол жексенбі күні жұмыс істемейді.”
Question Form
Prepositions of time are used in the same way in questions. The structure of the question changes, but the preposition stays the same.
Examples:
- 🇬🇧 “Do you wake up at 7 AM?”
- 🇰🇿 “Сен сағат 7-де оянасың ба?”
- 🇬🇧 “Is the meeting on Tuesday?”
- 🇰🇿 “Жиналыс сейсенбі күні ме?”
Examples
Here are examples of how to use prepositions of time in both English and Kazakh:
- 🇬🇧 “The class starts at 9 AM.”
- 🇰🇿 “Сабақ сағат 9-да басталады.”
- 🇬🇧 “We will meet on Friday.”
- 🇰🇿 “Біз жұма күні кездесеміз.”
- 🇬🇧 “I will visit you in December.”
- 🇰🇿 “Мен сені желтоқсан айында көремін.”
Exceptions
There are a few exceptions with prepositions of time:
- At is used for holidays or specific periods (e.g., “at Christmas”).
- 🇬🇧 “We stay at home at Christmas.”
- 🇰🇿 “Біз Рождествода үйде боламыз.”
- On is used for specific days of holidays (e.g., “on Christmas Day”).
- 🇬🇧 “We open gifts on Christmas Day.”
- 🇰🇿 “Біз Рождество күні сыйлықтарды ашамыз.”
Common Mistakes
Common mistakes when using prepositions of time can occur due to direct translations from Kazakh to English.
- Mistake: 🇬🇧 “I go at school.”
- Correction: 🇬🇧 “I go to school.”
- Explanation: In English, “at” is used for specific times, not for locations like “school.”
Practice Exercises
Try these exercises to test your understanding:
- Fill-in-the-blank: 🇬🇧 “We meet _____ (at/on/in) 7 PM.”
- Multiple choice:
🇬🇧 “The party is _____ Friday.”
- a) at
- b) in
- c) on
- Sentence correction: 🇬🇧 “I study on night.” Correct the preposition.
- Error identification: 🇬🇧 “She goes to school on 8 AM.” Find the error.
- Open-ended sentence creation: Write a sentence using the preposition “in.”
Quiz Section
- 1. The meeting is _____ 10 AM.
- 2. We have a holiday _____ July.
- 3. The event is _____ Friday evening.
Additional Resources
For further practice, check out the following resources:
You Have Learned
After studying this topic, you should have learned:
- How to use the prepositions at, on, and in for time expressions.
- The exceptions and special cases for prepositions of time.
- How to avoid common mistakes when using prepositions of time.
Answer Key
Practice Exercises
- 1. We meet at 7 PM.
- Explanation: “At” is used for specific times of the day.
- 2. The party is on Friday.
- Explanation: “On” is used for days of the week.
- 3. I study at night.
- Explanation: “At” is used for times such as “at night.”
- 4. She goes to school at 8 AM.
- Explanation: “At” is used for specific times, not “on.”
Quiz Section
- 1. The meeting is at 10 AM.
- Explanation: “At” is used for specific times.
- 2. We have a holiday in July.
- Explanation: “In” is used for months.
- 3. The event is on Friday evening.
- Explanation: “On” is used for specific days, including day and evening expressions.
