How to use "in" with dates and time in English

Some English prepositions seem easy until you have to use them. Take "in." When it comes to time, there's a clear pattern: we use it for longer stretches of time, like parts of the day, months, seasons, and years. Let's go through them.

Parts of the day

We use "in" with "the morning," "the afternoon," and "the evening." It works for one-off plans and for habits.

• Let's meet in the morning.
• We usually go for a walk in the evening.
• I always work better in the afternoon.

The big exception is night. It's "at night," not "in the night," at least when you're talking about nighttime in general.

Months, seasons, and years

For anything longer than a day, it's "in."

• My birthday is in May.
• It gets really hot here in summer.
• The trees look amazing in the fall.
• She was born in 1991.

With seasons, you can say "in winter" or "in the winter." Both are correct.

One mistake German speakers make a lot is leaving "in" out with years. In German, Ich bin 1991 geboren sounds perfectly normal, so "I was born 1991" feels right. In English, you need the "in": "I was born in 1991."

The opposite happens with "this," "next," and "last." Here, English doesn't use a preposition at all.

• We're moving next year.
• I saw her last summer.
• Are you free this evening?

How long until something happens

"In" can also tell you how long until something happens.

• I'll be there in ten minutes.
• The course starts in two weeks.

Common time phrases with "in"

You'll hear these all the time:

• I'll be with you in a minute.
• In the meantime, help yourself to some coffee.
• It's more expensive now, but it'll save you money in the long run.
• Don't worry, we'll have this done in no time.

Once you start noticing these patterns, you'll hear them everywhere. Instead of memorizing rules, pay attention to how people use them, and they'll start to feel natural.

Want to see more? Check out our Daily Dose of Denglisch Docs video.