Using prepositions

Using prepositions
Trương Văn Ánh
Trường Đại học Sài Gòn


When we use a common English preposition,
we must be careful.
The common prepositions in English and in
Vietnamese have the four following differences
and similarities.


+ Vietnamese has prepositions, but English
doesn’t.
Ex: Hôm qua tôi tiếp xúc với Lan.
Yesterday I contacted Lan.
+ Vietnamese doesn’t have prepositions, but
English does.
Ex: Anh ta đang đợi Lan.
He is waiting for Lan.


+ Vietnamese and English have
prepositions, but they are different.
Ex: Anh ta kết hôn với Lan.
He is married to Lan.
+ Vietnamese and English have the same
prepositions.
Ex: Anh ta sống với Lan.
He lives with Lan.

Be careful!
+ … the market.
1. He is … the market.
2. These goods are … the market.


Going with “market”, “in” means “in the position
of buyers”; however, “on” means “available”.
He is in the market.
These goods are on the market.


Besides, we must learn by heart when we use
phrasal verbs and collocations including nouns
and adjectives.
Ex: He is looking after his sick mother.
We must comply with the laws.
She is good at Spanish.
He is studying a book on physics.


Good luck!