Bagaimana penggunaan preposisi at, on dan in untuk menyatakan waktu dan tanggal dalam kalimat bahasa Inggris?

Patokan yang mudah adalah berdasarkan skala durasi waktu,

• at digunakan untuk waktu jam, morning, midnight, periode durasi waktu yg pendek.
• on digunakan untuk hari dan tanggal.
• in digunakan untuk bulan, musim, tahun, abad, periode durasi waktu yang panjang.

*Tentu ada beberapa pengecualian. Nanti akan kita bahas diakhir.

Contoh penggunaan 'at':

• at 6 o'clock
• at 5:00pm
• at midnight
• at bedtime
• at lunchtime
• at sunset
• at the moment
• Let's meet at 5:00.
• He has a work to do at 7am.
• The cinema opens at midnight.
• My brother came home at dinnertime.

Contoh penggunaan 'on':

• on Sunday (= pada hari Senin)
• on Sundays (= setiap hari Minggu)
• on 17 August
• on 17 August 2015
• on Independence Day
• on her birthday
• on New Year's Eve (= pada malam tahun baru)
• When is your sister birthday? Her birthday is on 25 December.
• I usually have dinner at 7:30 pm.
• He was born on 1 January 2000.
• I will go to Japan on 1 Syawal.

Contoh penggunaan 'in':

• in June
• in Ramadhan
• in winter
• in the winter
• in 2015
• in the 2015s
• in the next year
• in the Modern Era
• in the future
• Do you have a vacation in this summer?
• There will be a victory in the next year.
• I like to play snow in the winter.
• His arrival is in November in the fall.

Pengecualian, perhatikan bedanya:

• We have to go to bed at 9:00 at night.
• We have to go to bed at 9:00 in the evening.

Preposisi at memiliki standar dalam penggunaan:

• at night --> The bats fly at night.
• at the same time --> We come home at the same time.
• at present --> She's with the client at present. Please call back.
• at the moment --> He is still busy at the moment. Do not disturb.
• at the weekend* --> We go out for dinner at the weekend.
• at Christmas*/Iedul Fitri --> I stay with my family at Iedul Fitri.

*Penggunaan "on the weekend" dan "on Christmas" juga diperkenankan.

Kesimpulan:

• I met her at night.
• I met her at 7:00 pm.
• I met her on Monday.
• I met her on 17 August.
• I met her in the summer.
• I met her in August.
• I met her in 2015.
• I met her in the evening. (in the night tidak umum dipakai)

Panduan Praktis:

• at untuk jam
• on untuk hari
• in untuk bulan dan tahun

*dengan beberapa pengecualian.