7.3 Prepositions of place

The basic prepositions of place are in, on and at.

We use in to relate to volumes and closed spaces,e.g.:

She works in an office/a shop/a factory.
(Treballa en una oficina/una botiga/una fàbrica.)

He had his hands in his pockets/the water.
(Tenia les mans a les butxàques/a l'aigua.)

There are some tennis courts in the park.
(Hi ha unes pistes de tennis al parc.)

We use on to relate to surfaces and lines, e.g.:

There's a fly/picture on the wall/floor/door.
(Hi ha una mosca/un quadre a la paret/a terra/a la porta.)

Feltham lies on a river/the coast/a main road.
(Feltham es troba sobre un riu/la costa/una carretera principal.)

We use at when the size or volume is unimportant, e.g.:

Mary is at school/work/home
(La Mary és a l'escola/la feina/casa.)

We had lunch at a restaurant.
(Vam dinar a un restaurant.)
Compare:
It was cool in the restaurant compared with the street outside.
(Estava més fresc dins del resaurant que al carrer fora.)

Other common prepositions of place are: above, below, over, under, beside, between, behind, in front of, opposite.

Notice the difference between in front of and opposite.

If A is in front of B, then B is behind A.
If A is opposite B, then B is opposite A.

The red car is in front of the bus.
(El cotxe vermell és davant de l'autobús.)

The bus is behind the red car.
(L'autobús és darrere el cotxe vermell.)

In St James Square, the Barcelona Town Hall is opposite the Generalitat.
(A la plaça de Sant Jaume, l'Ajuntament de Barcelona es troba davant de la Generalitat.)

The Generalitat is opposite the Town Hall.
(La Generalitat es troba davant de l'Ajuntament.)

Notice also the difference between outside, out and away, e.g.:

Mary's outside. (Not in the building itself but in the garden, car park, etc.)

Mary's out. (Not in the building, but perhaps visiting someone or at a restaurant or in a shop, etc.)

Mary's away. (On a business trip, holiday, etc.)