Hoy vamos a repasar algunos de los usos más habituales de las preposiciones en el trabajo.
Parece algo muy elemental, ¿verdad?
Pues sí, y tal vez por eso considero que es tan necesario.
Muchas veces escucho a compañeros hispanohablantes equivocarse a la hora de usarlas.
Confundir IN por ON, o AT por IN, …
Y lo peor de todo es que es algo que podemos evitar fácilmente si nos aprendemos, de una vez por todas, la forma correcta de usarlas.
Porque la buena noticia es que son preposiciones que usamos constantemente en el trabajo y casi siempre de la misma forma, lo que hace que, si entendemos el contexto en el que deben usarse, siempre que se repita el mismo contexto sabremos perfectamente qué preposición debemos usar.
Por eso, en este cuaderno te traigo las preposiciones más usadas en el trabajo, en sus contextos más habituales, con ejemplos, explicaciones y consejos para que entiendas cómo usarlas y que no vuelvas a dudar nunca más 🙂
Espero que te sirva.
Let’s do this!
– Kate
1) When talking about the company you work for
AT
Ejemplos:
✍️ I work AT at a real estate company.
✍️ Trabajo en una empresa inmobiliaria
AT suggests a physical location (place of employement), but also the specific company you work for.
IN
Ejemplos:
✍️ I work IN ACME Inc.
✍️ Trabajo en ACME Inc.
IN is also correct, but it suggests that you are part of a bigger organisation. For example:
✍️ I work IN the Marketing Department.
✍️ Trabajo en el Departamento de Márketing.
2) When talking about your experience
IN
Ejemplos:
✍️ I have experience IN the sales field.
✍️ Tengo experiencia en el ámbito de las ventas.
IN is used to indicate that someone’s experience or expertise lies within a particular field or area of study.
✍️ I developed skills IN managing operations.
✍️ Desarrollé habilidades en gestión de operaciones.
3) When talking about deadlines
BY
Ejemplos:
✍️ The report needs to be completed BY Friday.
✍️ El informe debe estar terminado para / como muy tarde el viernes.
BY is used to define deadlines.
FOR
Ejemplos:
✍️ The report needs to be completed FOR Friday.
✍️ El informe debe estar terminado para el viernes.
FOR might imply that you have to use the report on Friday, rather than emphasising the deadline.
4) When talking about the time at which an event is scheduled
FOR
Ejemplos:
✍️ The event is scheduled FOR 3 pm.
✍️ El evento está programado para las 3 pm.
FOR is used to indicate the time at which the event is scheduled to occur.
In this context, FOR is used to specify a particular point in time when the event is planned or arranged to take place.
5) When talking about days, months, and years
ON (days)
Ejemplos:
✍️ The meeting with John is ON Thursday.
✍️ La reunión con John es el jueves.
For days, we use the preposition ON.
IN (months & years)
Ejemplos:
✍️ The meeting with John is IN February.
✍️ La reunión con John es en febrero.
✍️ The meeting with John was IN 2023.
✍️ La reunión con John fue en 2023.
For months and years, we use the preposition IN.
6) When talking about the origin of the action
FROM
Ejemplos:
✍️ We received feedback FROM several colleagues.
✍️ Recibimos comentarios de varios compañeros.
FROM is used to indicate the place or the person that originates the action.
7) When talking about things that move from the outside to the inside
INTO
Ejemplos:
✍️ Can you please introduce the information INTO the system?
✍️ ¿Puedes por favor introducir la información en el sistema?
It implies movement from the outside to the inside.
In this case, we are referring to information that is not currently IN the system, and that’s why we are putting it INTO the system. Once it is already inside the system you can use the preposition IN.
8) When talking about things that are already inside something else
IN
Ejemplos:
✍️ The document you are looking for is IN the folder.
✍️ El documento que estás buscando está en /dentro de la carpeta.
The preposition IN is used to indicate location or position.
It shows that the document is located inside or within the folder.
This use of IN implies containment or enclosure, indicating that the document is physically inside the folder.
9) When talking about a task we are carrying out
ON
Ejemplos:
✍️ I am working ON a new project.
✍️ Estoy trabajando en un proyecto nuevo.
It is very common to see the verb ”to WORK” incorrectly followed by other prepositions when referring to a task we are carrying out.
Please remember that WORK + IN is used to refer to the company you work for, and WORK + AT is used to refer to the company you work for and to your physical place of employment.
In this context, ON suggests that the work or effort of the speaker is directed towards the development or completion of the new project.