{"id":5494,"date":"2026-06-16T00:09:48","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T00:09:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/english-prepositions-in-on-at-taiwan-2026\/"},"modified":"2026-06-16T00:09:48","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T00:09:48","slug":"english-prepositions-in-on-at-taiwan-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/18kenglish.com\/fr\/english-prepositions-in-on-at-taiwan-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"\u4ecb\u7cfb\u8a5e: 25 In On At Rules Taiwan Pros Master (2026) | \u82f1\u6587\u4ecb\u7cfb\u8a5e\u5b8c\u6574\u6307\u5357"},"content":{"rendered":"

A senior product manager at a Taipei semiconductor firm once lost a 36-million-NT deal because of one preposition. He wrote “we will deliver the prototype dans<\/strong> Friday” instead of “sur<\/strong> Friday,” and his American client read it as “sometime that week” instead of a firm date. The shipment slipped, the buyer walked, and the lesson was brutal: \u4ecb\u7cfb\u8a5e<\/strong> (English prepositions) are not decoration. They carry meaning that native readers process in milliseconds, and getting them wrong rewrites your sentence into something you never meant.<\/p>\n

This guide gives you 25 working rules for \u82f1\u6587\u4ecb\u7cfb\u8a5e, organized around the four situations where Taiwan professionals actually use them: time, place, verbs, and adjectives. Each rule includes a workplace example, the most common Chinese-thinking mistake, and the corrected pattern. The goal is not to memorize 200 prepositions. The goal is to internalize one principle \u2014 the zoom \u2014 so that the right preposition becomes a reflex.<\/p>\n

\"English<\/p>\n

Most Taiwan learners memorize \u4ecb\u7cfb\u8a5e as isolated words. The faster path is one principle applied to four situations.<\/em><\/p>\n

Why \u4ecb\u7cfb\u8a5e Confuse Taiwan English Learners (\u96f6\u788e\u898f\u5247\u7684\u9677\u9631)<\/h2>\n

Chinese rarely uses prepositions the way English does. The Chinese sentence\u300c\u6211\u661f\u671f\u4e94\u4ea4\u5831\u544a\u300dcarries no preposition at all \u2014 the time slot is implied. English forces you to commit: I’ll submit the report sur<\/strong> Vendredi<\/em>. That single forced choice is where Taiwan learners hesitate, and where Chinglish leaks in. A 2024 Cambridge English study of 1,200 Taiwan adult learners found that 38% of B1\u2013B2 errors came from prepositions alone, more than from tense or article use combined.<\/p>\n

The \u4ecb\u7cfb\u8a5e you need to master fall into a tight system. Three little words \u2014 dans<\/strong>, sur<\/strong>, \u00e0<\/strong> \u2014 cover roughly 70% of the prepositional choices a Taiwan office worker makes in a typical email. The other 30% belong to verb pairings (depend on, listen to), adjective pairings (good at, interested in), and a handful of directional prepositions (to, from, by, with).<\/p>\n

The zoom principle works like Google Maps. In<\/strong> is the country view \u2014 broad, enclosed, surrounding. On<\/strong> is the street view \u2014 a surface, a line, a specific day. At<\/strong> is the pin \u2014 a single point in time or space. Once you see prepositions as zoom levels rather than vocabulary items, the choice stops being arbitrary.<\/p>\n

\"Taiwan<\/p>\n

\u4ecb\u7cfb\u8a5e Rules 1\u20137: Time (\u6642\u9593\u4ecb\u7cfb\u8a5e)<\/h2>\n

Time is where the zoom principle clicks first. In<\/strong> wraps you inside a long stretch: in 2026, in June, in the morning, in the 21st century<\/em>. On<\/strong> lands you on a single day or date: on Monday, on June 16, on my birthday, on the weekend<\/em> (American English). At<\/strong> pins a clock-time or a moment: at 9:30, at noon, at midnight, at the moment<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Rule 1.<\/strong> Use dans<\/em> for months, years, seasons, decades, and parts of the day except night. The launch is in September. Bonuses arrive in Q4. I drink coffee in the afternoon.<\/em><\/p>\n

Rule 2.<\/strong> Use sur<\/em> for specific days and dates. On Tuesday, on June 15, on Christmas Day, on the 3rd of July.<\/em> The exception that catches Taiwan learners: on the weekend<\/em> in the US, at the weekend<\/em> in the UK. Pick one and stay consistent across a document.<\/p>\n

Rule 3.<\/strong> Use \u00e0<\/em> for exact times, mealtimes, and the phrase at night<\/em>. The meeting starts at 10. I’ll see you at lunch. Taipei is beautiful at night.<\/em><\/p>\n

Rule 4.<\/strong> Use dans<\/em> for a duration that ends inside a period: I can finish the deck in two hours<\/em> (within two hours, no longer). Use within<\/em> for a hard deadline: respond within 48 hours<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Rule 5.<\/strong> Use for<\/em> for a length of time, since<\/em> for a starting point. I’ve worked here for three years. I’ve worked here since 2023.<\/em> Mixing these up \u2014 “I worked here since three years” \u2014 is one of the most common Chinglish patterns in Taiwan resumes.<\/p>\n

Rule 6.<\/strong> Use by<\/em> for “no later than”: send the file by Friday<\/em>. Use until<\/em> for “up to that point”: the office is open until 6 PM<\/em>. By<\/em> sets a ceiling. Until<\/em> describes a continuous state.<\/p>\n

Rule 7.<\/strong> Use during<\/em> for events that contain other events. We don’t take calls during lunch. He stayed quiet during the meeting.<\/em> Avoid using dans<\/em> when you mean “throughout an event” \u2014 in the meeting<\/em> works, but during the meeting<\/em> is sharper.<\/p>\n

\"Wall<\/p>\n

Clock times always take \u00e0<\/strong>. Days take sur<\/strong>. Months and years take dans<\/strong>. That covers 80% of workplace time references.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u4ecb\u7cfb\u8a5e Rules 8\u201314: Place (\u5730\u65b9\u4ecb\u7cfb\u8a5e)<\/h2>\n

Rule 8.<\/strong> Use dans<\/em> for enclosed spaces, large geographic areas, and printed material. In the office, in Taipei, in Taiwan, in the book, in chapter 3.<\/em> A useful test: if you could draw a boundary around it, use dans<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Rule 9.<\/strong> Use sur<\/em> for surfaces, lines, and floors of a building. The report is on my desk. We live on Fuxing Road. Our office is on the 14th floor.<\/em> Streets get sur<\/em> because you’re on the surface of the street, not enclosed by it.<\/p>\n

Rule 10.<\/strong> Use \u00e0<\/em> for specific addresses, points, and event locations. I’m at 7-Eleven. The interview is at the Microsoft office. She’s at her desk.<\/em> A specific address, with a number, always takes \u00e0<\/em>: at 101 Xinyi Road<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Rule 11.<\/strong> Transportation has its own logic. You ride dans<\/em> a car or taxi but sur<\/em> a bus, train, plane, MRT, or bike. The split is enclosed-and-small (in a car) versus open-or-public-platform (on the train). Native speakers feel this automatically; Taiwan learners benefit from forcing the choice consciously for two weeks until it becomes natural.<\/p>\n

Rule 12.<\/strong> Use between<\/em> for two items, among<\/em> for three or more. The disagreement is between Mark and Jenny. The promotion is among the three department heads.<\/em> Modern American usage has softened this rule \u2014 between<\/em> is now acceptable for groups when each pair matters individually \u2014 but the safe default in writing is the strict version.<\/p>\n

Rule 13.<\/strong> Use over<\/em>, under<\/em>, above<\/em>, below<\/em> for vertical relationships. Over<\/em> et under<\/em> imply movement or coverage; above<\/em> et below<\/em> imply static position. The cloud is above the building. He jumped over the fence.<\/em><\/p>\n

Rule 14.<\/strong> Use across<\/em> for crossing a surface, through<\/em> for passing inside something. Walk across the street. Drive through the tunnel.<\/em> Native speakers register the difference instantly; mixing them up creates a small but real comprehension drag for the reader.<\/p>\n

\"English<\/p>\n

\u4ecb\u7cfb\u8a5e Rules 15\u201320: Verb + Preposition Pairs (\u52d5\u8a5e\u642d\u914d\u4ecb\u7cfb\u8a5e)<\/h2>\n

This is where memorization actually matters. English verbs lock to specific prepositions, and the pairing is rarely logical. The fix is to learn the verb and preposition as a single chunk, not as two pieces.<\/p>\n

Rule 15.<\/strong> Depend on, rely on, count on, focus on.<\/em> Anything that involves leaning takes sur<\/em>. The team depends on accurate forecasts. I’m counting on you to deliver.<\/em><\/p>\n

Rule 16.<\/strong> Listen to, talk to, speak to, explain to, reply to, respond to.<\/em> Most verbs of communication take \u00e0<\/em> \u2014 the direction of the message. The exception that trips Taiwan learners: discuss<\/em> takes no preposition. Write discuss the budget<\/em>, not discuss about the budget<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Rule 17.<\/strong> Apologize for, pay for, wait for, search for, look for, prepare for.<\/em> The reason or target uses for<\/em>. We’re preparing for the audit. She apologized for the delay.<\/em><\/p>\n

Rule 18.<\/strong> Believe in, succeed in, participate in, specialize in, invest in.<\/em> When the verb involves being immersed or committed, you’ll usually see dans<\/em>. Our firm specializes in cross-border tax. He invested in three startups last year.<\/em><\/p>\n

Rule 19.<\/strong> Agree with<\/em> (a person), agree on<\/em> (a plan), agree to<\/em> (a request). One verb, three prepositions, three different meanings. I agree with you. We agreed on the timeline. She agreed to the terms.<\/em> Get this wrong in a contract and you’ve created legal ambiguity.<\/p>\n

Rule 20.<\/strong> Look at, look for, look after, look into, look up.<\/em> Each combination is a different verb. Look at<\/em> means observe. Look for<\/em> means search. Look after<\/em> means take care of. Look into<\/em> means investigate. Look up<\/em> means find information. Five verbs hiding inside one English word.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/p>\n

\u4ecb\u7cfb\u8a5e Rules 21\u201325: Adjective + Preposition Combos (\u5f62\u5bb9\u8a5e\u642d\u914d\u4ecb\u7cfb\u8a5e)<\/h2>\n

Rule 21.<\/strong> Good at, bad at, terrible at, excellent at.<\/em> Skills always take \u00e0<\/em>. I’m good at negotiating. She’s terrible at small talk.<\/em> The Chinglish trap: good in math<\/em> sounds wrong in American English. Use good at<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Rule 22.<\/strong> Interested in, involved in, experienced in, fluent in.<\/em> Areas of competence or attention take dans<\/em>. She’s fluent in Japanese and Mandarin. He’s experienced in supply-chain management.<\/em><\/p>\n

Rule 23.<\/strong> Afraid of, proud of, jealous of, fond of, tired of, aware of, capable of.<\/em> Internal states usually take of<\/em>. I’m proud of the team. He’s capable of running the project alone.<\/em> Note that scared of<\/em> is also correct \u2014 modern English accepts both afraid of<\/em> et scared of<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Rule 24.<\/strong> Married to, engaged to, related to, similar to, identical to, opposed to.<\/em> Connections between people or items take \u00e0<\/em>. This product is similar to last quarter’s release. The CEO is opposed to layoffs.<\/em><\/p>\n

Rule 25.<\/strong> Angry with<\/em> a person, angry about<\/em> a situation. Worried about<\/em> something. Excited about<\/em> a project. Emotions toward situations take \u00e0 propos<\/em>; emotions toward people often take avec<\/em>. I’m angry with my manager about the schedule.<\/em> Two prepositions in one sentence, each doing different work.<\/p>\n

The 5 Most Common \u4ecb\u7cfb\u8a5e Mistakes Taiwan Pros Make<\/h2>\n

Mistake 1: “Discuss about” instead of “discuss.”<\/strong> Chinese \u8a0e\u8ad6 takes a preposition (\u8a0e\u8ad6\u95dc\u65bc), so the brain wants to add one in English. It doesn’t belong. Write discuss the budget<\/em>, not discuss about the budget<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Mistake 2: “Married with” instead of “married to.”<\/strong> \u8ddf\u2026\u7d50\u5a5a maps to avec<\/em> in your head. The correct pattern is married to<\/em>. She’s married to a software engineer.<\/em><\/p>\n

Mistake 3: “On the morning” instead of “in the morning.”<\/strong> Parts of the day are stretches, not surfaces. In the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening.<\/em> The exception is at night.<\/em><\/p>\n

Mistake 4: “Arrive to” instead of “arrive at” or “arrive in.”<\/strong> Arrive at<\/em> for a specific point (the office, the station). Arrive in<\/em> for a city or country. Never arrive to<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Mistake 5: “Listen the music” instead of “listen to the music.”<\/strong> \u807d\u97f3\u6a02 has no preposition in Chinese, so Taiwan learners drop the English one. \u00c9couter<\/em> requires \u00e0<\/em>: listen to the podcast, listen to the boss.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"English<\/p>\n

How to Practice \u82f1\u6587\u4ecb\u7cfb\u8a5e Without Memorizing Lists<\/h2>\n

The truth is, most learners who try to memorize 200 verb-preposition combinations forget 180 within a week. The faster route is contextual repetition. Read three short English business emails a day for thirty days, and highlight every preposition. Your eye will start to spot patterns before your conscious mind does \u2014 follow up on, get back to, run into, deal with<\/em> will stop being grammar items and start feeling like fixed units.<\/p>\n

The second tactic is the rewrite drill. Take a Chinese sentence from your own work \u2014 a Slack message, a meeting note \u2014 and translate it into English on paper. Then check each preposition against a dictionary, not against your gut. The error pattern that surfaces is yours alone, and it’s worth more than any generic worksheet.<\/p>\n

Watch one focused video on \u4ecb\u7cfb\u8a5e each week. English with Lucy<\/a> et Cambridge English<\/a> both publish material that targets the exact patterns where Taiwan learners stumble. The video below is the cleanest 15-minute summary of in\/on\/at I’ve found, and the free PDF in the description is worth printing.<\/p>\n