想说某样东西在哪里时,英语会用一些小词,叫做地点介词。它们通常放在名词短语或代词前面,描述一个位置——在某物内部、在某物表面,或者相对于它的某个位置。

简单说: 封闭空间用 in,表面用 on,具体地点用 atIn the box, on the table, at the door.

In、on、at:三个最重要的介词

这三个介词涵盖了大多数日常情况,但每个词对“哪里”的理解都不一样:

介词 含义 例子
in 里面,封闭空间内 in the box, in the room, in the car, in the garden
on 接触着表面 on the table, on the wall, on the floor, on the shelf
at 具体的一个点或地方 at the door, at the bus stop, at school, at home

中文表达位置时,常在名词后加“里”“上”“旁边”等方位词,比如“教室里”“桌子上”。英语则要把地点介词放在名词前面:in the classroomon the table。注意 at 很多时候不对应某个固定的中文词,而是表示“在某个具体地点/点位”,如 at the doorat the bus stop

  • The keys are in my bag.
  • There's a picture on the wall.
  • She's waiting at the bus stop.

at 也用于完整地址:at 25 Green Streetat the cornerin 用于城市、国家这类较大的地点或范围:in Londonin Italy,但仅街道名称通常用 onon Green Street

on 通常表示“接触着表面”,但有些固定说法即使没有平面也用 onon the buson the trainon the left/right

其他常见的地点介词

除了 in/on/at,还有几个介词描述更具体的位置:

介词 含义 例子
under 在某物下面 The cat is under the table.
over 在某物上方,常常指从一侧到另一侧 There's a bridge over the river.
above 比……高,不接触 The clock is above the door.
below 比……低 The valley is below the mountain.
next to / beside 就在旁边 She's sitting next to me.
between 在两个东西之间 The bank is between the café and the shop.
behind 在某物后面 The garden is behind the house.
in front of 在某物前面 There's a car in front of the house.
near 靠近 The hotel is near the station.

Between 和 among

between 通常表示“在两个东西之间的空间里”:between the bank and the shopamong 表示“被……包围”或“在一群东西当中”,在这个阶段不太常用:The house is among the trees.

  • The book is between the lamp and the clock.
  • The house is among the trees.

在大多数 A1 阶段的场景里,你最常用到的是 between

用 "where" 提问和回答

问位置的问题通常以 where 开头,回答时用地点介词:

  • Where's the remote control? — It's on the sofa.
  • Where are my glasses? — They're under the newspaper.
  • Where's the nearest pharmacy? — It's next to the supermarket.

常见错误

  • I live at London. → ✅ I live in London.(城市和国家用 in,不用 at
  • The book is in the table. → ✅ The book is on the table.(表面用 on,不用 in
  • She's in home. → ✅ She's at home.(固定说法是 at home,不是 in home
  • The cat is under of the table. → ✅ The cat is under the table.under 后面不加 of
  • He's sitting next the window. → ✅ He's sitting next to the window.(要用 next to,不能只用 next
  • The shop is among the bank and the hair salon. → ✅ The shop is between the bank and the hair salon.(两个东西之间要用 between,不用 among

小测验

哪个介词正确?

  1. The toy is ____ the box.(in / on)
  2. There's a lamp ____ the desk.(on / at)
  3. She's waiting ____ the bus stop.(in / at)
  4. The pharmacy is ____ the bank and the café.(between / among)
查看答案
  1. in   2. on   3. at   4. between

要点回顾

  • in = 在封闭空间内部;on = 接触着表面;at = 一个具体的点。
  • under/overbehind/in front ofnext to/between 描述更精确的位置。
  • between 描述两个东西之间的空间;among 表示被一群东西包围。
  • 这篇文章讲的是固定位置。表示移动时常常会用到相关的形式,比如 tointoontoacross(这是一个单独的主题,即将推出)。