#782 前置詞のレッスン：at, on, in

皆さん、こんにちは！今週のレッスンで少し難しそうに感じた方がいたので、今日は前置詞の「at」「on」「in」の使い方について、詳しくお話ししたいと思います。

Prepositions like "at," "on," and "in" are small words, but they are very important in English! They can be a bit confusing, so let's break it down.

Think of "at" as a specific point. We use it for a specific time (at 3:00 PM) or a specific location (at the corner of the street). It's like a single dot on a map. We use "on" for a surface or a line. We use it for days of the week (on Tuesday) or dates (on September 19th). You can think of it as something placed on a flat surface. Finally, we use "in" for larger spaces or containers. We use it for months (in September), seasons (in the summer), and cities or countries (in Japan). This is like being inside a big box.

There is also a very important use of "in" when talking about time. When we say "in five minutes," it means five minutes from now. It's a way of talking about a future point in time. For example, "The train will arrive in five minutes" means the train will arrive five minutes from now.

(「at」「on」「in」のような前置詞は、小さな単語ですが英語ではとても大切です！少し混乱しやすいので、詳しく見ていきましょう。)

(「at」は特定の点を表すと考えてください。特定の時間（at 3:00 PM）や特定の場所（at the corner of the street）に使います。まるで地図上の1つの点のようなものです。「on」は表面や線に使います。曜日の場合（on Tuesday）や日付の場合（on September 19th）、通りを表す場合に使います。平らな表面の上に置かれているものをイメージしてください。そして「in」は、より大きな空間や容器に使います。月の名前（in September）、季節（in the summer）、都市や国（in Japan）に使います。大きな箱の中にいるようなものです。)

(「in」には、時間について話すときにもう一つ非常に重要な使い方があります。「in five minutes」と言うと、今から5分後という意味です。これは、未来のある時点について話す方法です。例えば、「The train will arrive in five minutes」は、電車が今から5分後に到着するという意味です。)

Studying prepositions can be difficult, but learning them correctly will help you communicate much more clearly in the long run!

(前置詞の勉強は難しいかもしれませんが、正しく学ぶことは長い目で見れば、より明確なコミュニケーションに役立ちます！)

Here's a little story to help you learn prepositions.

I went to a small cafe on a side street in Yokohama. I arrived at 10:00 AM. I sat at a table and ordered a cup of coffee. I looked at my phone and saw I had a message from my student. It was about our lesson scheduled for Tuesday, September 16th. We decided to meet on another day. The cafe was full of happy people. I really enjoyed my time in the cafe.

(前置詞を学ぶのに役立つ短いお話です。)

(私は横浜の裏通りにある小さなカフェに行きました。午前10時に到着しました。テーブルで席に着き、コーヒーを1杯注文しました。スマートフォンを見て、生徒さんからのメッセージがあるのを見ました。それは9月16日火曜日に予定されていた私たちのレッスンのことでした。私たちは別の日に会うことにしました。カフェは幸せな人々でいっぱいでした。カフェでの時間を本当に楽しみました。)

Key Vocabulary

(重要な単語)

 * preposition: a word that connects a noun or pronoun to other words in a sentence.

   (前置詞)

 * specific: clearly defined or identified.

   (特定の、具体的な)

 * surface: the outside layer of something.

   (表面)

 * enclosed: surrounded or closed off on all sides.

   (囲まれた、閉鎖された)

 * duration: the length of time that something lasts.

   (期間、継続時間)

Key English Phrase

(重要な英語フレーズ)

The phrase is "in the long run." (イン・ザ・ロング・ラン)

This means after a long period of time; eventually. It is used to talk about how an action or a choice will have a good result in the future, even if it is difficult now.

(これは、長い時間が経った後、最終的には、という意味です。今が難しくても、将来的にその行動や選択が良い結果をもたらすことを話すときに使われます。)

How to Use It in Conversation

(会話での使い方)

 * "Eating healthy food might be difficult now, but in the long run, it will make you feel better."

   (「健康的な食事は今は難しいかもしれないが、長い目で見れば、気分が良くなるだろう。」)

 * "Studying English is hard, but in the long run, it will be very useful."

   (「英語の勉強は大変だが、長い目で見れば、とても役に立つだろう。」)

 * "In the long run, making small changes can have a big impact."

   (「長い目で見れば、小さな変化が大きな影響を与えることがある。」)

 * "The company is losing money now, but in the long run, it will be successful."

   (「その会社は今は赤字だが、長い目で見れば、成功するだろう。」)

 * "It's important to think about what is best in the long run, not just for today."

   (「今日だけでなく、長い目で見れば何が一番良いかを考えることが大切だ。」)

Quiz Time!

1. We use "at" for a __ point.

a) long

b) vague

c) specific

2. The word "surface" is related to which preposition?

a) in

b) at

c) on

3. Fill in the blank: "I live __ Yokohama."

4. Fill in the blank: "My lesson is __ 10:00 AM."

5. Fill in the blank: "The book is __ the table."

6. Fill in the blank: "I was born __ October."

7. Fill in the blank: "She lives __ 102 First Street."

8. Fill in the blank: "He lives __ a house __ the city."

9. Fill in the blank: "The meeting is __ Tuesday."

10. Fill in the blank: "__ the long run, it will be worth it."

11. Fill in the blank: "The dog is sleeping __ the floor."

12. Fill in the blank: "My birthday is __ March 1st."

13. Fill in the blank: "We will meet __ the station."

14. Fill in the blank: "I saw a movie __ 2024."

15. Fill in the blank: "The keys are __ my pocket."

16. Fill in the blank: "I like to read __ the bus."

17. Fill in the blank: "He works __ a big company."

18. Fill in the blank: "The picture is __ the wall."

19. Fill in the blank: "Let's meet __ the corner."

20. Fill in the blank: "The cat is __ the garden."

21. Fill in the blank: "The class will start __ ten minutes."

22. Fill in the blank: "The pizza will be ready __ half an hour."

23. We use "in" to talk about a future time after a specific __ has passed.

a) point

b) day

c) duration

24. Fill in the blank: "I will call you __ a moment."

25. Fill in the blank: "We are going on vacation __ two weeks."

Ask your teacher if you are not sure of the correct answers!

Which of these prepositions do you find most difficult? I look forward to hearing your comments!

Miami Eikaiwa Blog: https://miamieikaiwa.blogspot.com/?m=1

Quiz Answers

1. c) specific

2. c) on

3. in

4. at

5. on

6. in

7. at

8. in / in

9. on

10. in

11. on

12. on

13. at

14. in

15. in

16. on

17. at

18. on

19. at

20. in

21. in

22. in

23. c) duration

24. in

25. in