Wrong Prepositions in Everyday English: English Grammar Guide

Prepositions are among the smallest words in English, yet they can cause some of the biggest problems for learners. Words like in, on, at, for, and to look simple—but using them correctly requires understanding idiomatic patterns and subtle differences in meaning. Even advanced learners often say things like “discuss about,” “married with,” or “arrive to,” which sound unnatural to native speakers. This guide will help you recognize and correct the most common errors—and replace them with natural, confident English.

Why Prepositions Are Tricky

Prepositions link nouns, pronouns, or phrases to other words:

• I’m interested in music.

• She’s good at swimming.

However, English prepositions are highly idiomatic. They rarely translate one-to-one from other languages, and many depend on fixed collocations (habitual word pairings). The best strategy is to learn verbs and adjectives together with their usual prepositions—chunks, not single words.

Mistake 1: “Discuss about” ❌ → “Discuss” ✅

Wrong: We discussed about the problem.
Correct: We discussed the problem.
Why: Discuss already includes the meaning of “about.”
More examples:

• Let’s discuss your budget tomorrow.

• We need to discuss the timeline with the client.

Mistake 2: “Explain about” ❌ → “Explain” / “Explain to” ✅

Wrong: He explained about the delay.
Correct: He explained the delay. / He explained the delay to us.
Why: Explain takes a direct object; use to for the listener.

Mistake 3: “Married with” ❌ → “Married to” ✅

Wrong: She’s married with a doctor.
Correct: She’s married to a doctor.
Note: “Married with two kids” is fine when describing family status (not the spouse).

Mistake 4: “Depend of” ❌ → “Depend on” ✅

Wrong: It depends of the weather.
Correct: It depends on the weather.
Tip: With nouns, you’ll often see dependence on.

Mistake 5: “Interested about” ❌ → “Interested in” ✅

Wrong: I’m interested about AI.
Correct: I’m interested in AI.
Related: Curious about, passionate about, keen on.

Mistake 6: “Good in” (skills) ❌ → “Good at” ✅

Wrong: She’s good in math.
Correct: She’s good at math.
Related patterns:

• Bad at, great at, terrible at

• Good with people/tools (skill handling): She’s good with children.

Mistake 7: “Listen music” ❌ → “Listen to music” ✅

Wrong: I like to listen music.
Correct: I like to listen to music.
Why: Listen requires to unless it’s intransitive (“We listened carefully”).

Mistake 8: “Wait me” ❌ → “Wait for me” ✅

Wrong: Wait me outside.
Correct: Wait for me outside.
Related: Look for, ask for, pay for—but request (no for) takes a direct object: “request a refund.”

Mistake 9: “Similar with” ❌ → “Similar to” ✅

Wrong: Your idea is similar with mine.
Correct: Your idea is similar to mine.
Related: “The same as,” “different from.”

Mistake 10: “Arrive to” (place) ❌ → “Arrive at/in” ✅

Wrong: We arrived to the airport.
Correct: We arrived at the airport.
Rule of thumb:

• Arrive at small points/venues (station, hotel, office).

• Arrive in cities/countries (arrive in Cebu, in Japan).

Mistake 11: “Responsible of” ❌ → “Responsible for” ✅

Wrong: He’s responsible of the project.
Correct: He’s responsible for the project.
Noun form: responsibility for.

Mistake 12: “Different than” (formal) ❌ → “Different from” ✅

Wrong (formal contexts): This design is different than the old one.
Preferred: This design is different from the old one.
Note: “Different than” appears in American English, but “different from” is safest and most widely accepted.

Mistake 13: “Afraid from” ❌ → “Afraid of” ✅

Wrong: She’s afraid from spiders.
Correct: She’s afraid of spiders.
Related: Scared of, frightened of, terrified of.

Mistake 14: “Participate to” ❌ → “Participate in” ✅

Wrong: They participated to the contest.
Correct: They participated in the contest.

Mistake 15: “Complain for” ❌ → “Complain about” ✅

Wrong: He complained for the noise.
Correct: He complained about the noise.
Related: Complain to (the person/authority): She complained to the manager about the service.

Mistake 16: “Belong in me” ❌ → “Belong to me” ✅

Wrong: This book belongs in me.
Correct: This book belongs to me.
Note: Belong in describes appropriate place: “This book belongs in the library.”

Mistake 17: “Agree with to” ❌ → “Agree with” / “Agree on” ✅

Wrong: I agree with to your opinion.
Correct: I agree with your opinion. / We agree on a plan.
Patterns:

• Agree with someone (person).

• Agree on/about something (topic).

• Agree to a proposal/terms (consent).

Mistake 18: “According with” ❌ → “According to” ✅

Wrong: According with the report…
Correct: According to the report…

Mistake 19: “Prefer than” ❌ → “Prefer to” ✅

Wrong: I prefer coffee than tea.
Correct: I prefer coffee to tea.
Also natural: I prefer drinking coffee to drinking tea. / I prefer coffee over tea (informal).

Mistake 20: “On the weekend” vs. “At the weekend” (variety)

Both exist, but they’re regional:

• American English: on the weekend / on weekends.

• British English: at the weekend / at weekends.
  Choose one variety and be consistent.

Collocation Mini-List (Learn as Chunks)

• interested in, involved in, invested in

• good at, bad at, better at

• famous for, responsible for, ready for

• worried about, curious about, angry about/with (about = reason, with = target)

• similar to, opposed to, allergic to

• focus on, rely on, insist on

• apply for (a job), apply to (a company), apply to (be relevant to)

• pay for (an item), pay someone (no preposition): They paid the contractor.

Quick Reference Table

Ten Quick Diagnostics (Self-Check)

1. Can you remove about after discuss/explain without losing meaning? If yes—remove it.

2. Talking about a spouse? Use married to.

3. Outcome depends on something? Use depends on.

4. Skills or abilities? Use good at.

5. After listen, do you have to before the object?

6. Waiting for someone? Include for.

7. Comparing likeness? Use similar to / different from.

8. Reaching a location? Arrive at (point) or arrive in (city/country).

9. Accountability? Responsible for.

10. Preferences? Prefer A to B.

Short Practice: Fix the Preposition

Rewrite correctly.

1. We will discuss about the budget later.

2. I’m interested about fintech.

3. Please wait me near the lobby.

4. They arrived to Tokyo at 6 p.m.

5. The product is similar with ours.
   Answers: 1) discuss the budget 2) interested in 3) wait for me 4) arrived in Tokyo 5) similar to ours

Learning Strategies That Actually Work

• Study in phrases: Keep a notebook (or digital list) of verb/adjective + preposition pairs with your own example sentences.

• Read and listen widely: Articles, podcasts, and transcripts expose you to natural collocations.

• Use learner dictionaries: Cambridge, Longman, or Oxford show typical prepositions with usage notes.

• Build contrast pairs: married to vs. married with (two kids); complain about vs. complain to.

• Record your voice: When speaking, prepositions slip out fast. Playback helps you spot patterns to fix.

• Drill with substitution: “I’m good at X”—replace X with 20 skills to make the pattern automatic.

Final Thoughts

Prepositions are small but powerful. Misusing them rarely blocks communication, but the wrong choice can make your English sound non-native or imprecise. Focus on high-frequency collocations, practice them in your own sentences, and review them regularly. Over time, your ear will recognize the “right” combination, and choosing the correct preposition will become effortless.

FAQs

What are “wrong prepositions,” and why do learners make them?

“Wrong prepositions” are choices like depend of instead of depend on, or married with instead of married to. English prepositions are highly idiomatic and often don’t translate one-to-one from other languages. Many verbs and adjectives form fixed collocations with particular prepositions—learn them as chunks rather than guessing from meaning alone.

Is “discuss about” ever correct?

No. Discuss already contains the idea of “about,” so you should use a direct object: “We discussed the plan.” If you want a preposition, switch to a different verb: “We talked about the plan.”

What’s the difference between “explain something” and “explain something to someone”?

Explain takes a direct object for the thing and to for the listener: “She explained the rules,” “She explained the rules to me.” Avoid “explain about.”

Should I say “married to” or “married with”?

Use married to for the spouse: “She’s married to a doctor.” Use married with only to describe family status: “She’s married with two kids.”

Why is it “depend on,” not “depend of” or “depend from”?

With the verb, English uses on: “It depends on the weather.” With the noun, it’s dependence on: “There’s heavy dependence on imports.”

When do I use “good at,” “good in,” and “good with”?

Skills and activities take at: “good at math,” “good at negotiating.” Good with indicates handling/relationships: “good with children,” “good with tools.” Good in is rare for ability; it’s more about context: “She’s good in emergencies.”

Is “listen to” always necessary?

Before an object, yes: “Listen to music,” “Listen to your coach.” Without an object, no preposition is needed: “We listened carefully.”

Do I say “wait me” or “wait for me”?

Always “wait for someone/something.” Examples: “Wait for me at the lobby,” “We’re waiting for the bus.”

“Similar with” vs. “similar to” — which is correct?

Use similar to: “Your idea is similar to mine.” Related contrasts: “the same as,” “different from.”

Should I say “arrive at” or “arrive in” (and never “arrive to”)?

Use arrive at for specific points/venues (hotel, station, office) and arrive in for cities and countries. “Arrive to” is generally wrong for places. Examples: “We arrived at the airport,” “We arrived in Tokyo.”

Why is “responsible for” correct, not “responsible of”?

English pairs responsible with for: “She’s responsible for payroll.” The noun also takes for: “Responsibility for safety.”

Is “different than” wrong?

In careful or international English, prefer different from: “This model is different from the old one.” Different than appears in American English, especially before clauses (“different than I expected”), but from is the safest choice globally.

“Afraid from” or “afraid of”?

Use afraid of: “I’m afraid of heights,” “She’s afraid of spiders.” Related: “scared of,” “frightened of,” “terrified of.”

Is it “participate to” or “participate in”?

Participate in is standard: “They participated in the contest.”

How do I use “complain about” vs. “complain to”?

Use complain about for the issue and complain to for the target person/authority: “She complained to the manager about the noise.” Avoid “complain for” in this sense.

“Belong to” vs. “belong in” — what’s the distinction?

Belong to indicates ownership: “This book belongs to me.” Belong in indicates appropriate place: “This book belongs in the library.”

How do “agree with,” “agree on/about,” and “agree to” differ?

Agree with a person: “I agree with you.” Agree on/about a topic: “We agree on the budget.” Agree to a proposal/terms: “They agreed to the contract.” Avoid “agree with to.”

“According with” or “according to”?

Use according to: “According to the report, costs will rise.”

How do I express preferences correctly: “prefer to” or “prefer than”?

Use prefer A to B: “I prefer coffee to tea.” Informally, over can work: “I prefer coffee over tea.” Avoid “prefer than.” With verbs, parallel the forms: “I prefer drinking coffee to drinking tea.”

“On the weekend” or “at the weekend” — which should I use?

Both are correct depending on variety: American English favors on the weekend / on weekends; British English favors at the weekend / at weekends. Choose one variety and stay consistent.

Are there reliable patterns I can memorize?

Yes—high-frequency collocations are your best friends. Examples: interested in, famous for, ready for, worried about, similar to, opposed to, allergic to, focus on, rely on, insist on, apply for (a job), apply to (a company), pay for (an item), pay someone (no preposition).

What’s a quick test to catch redundant prepositions?

Ask: “Does the verb already include the ‘about’ meaning?” If yes, remove the preposition. This fixes discuss about → discuss, and explain about → explain. Another test: “Am I naming a person or a topic?” Use agree with (person) vs. agree on/about (topic).

Can a preposition change meaning with the same base word?

Often, yes. With angry, angry about refers to the cause (“angry about the delay”), while angry with targets a person (“angry with the driver”). With apply, apply for is the thing sought (a job), and apply to is the destination (a company) or relevance (“applies to you”).

What are the most frequent “wrong preposition” swaps to avoid?

• depend of → depend on
• married with (spouse) → married to
• interested about → interested in
• good in (skill) → good at
• listen music → listen to music
• wait me → wait for me
• similar with → similar to
• arrive to → arrive at/in
• responsible of → responsible for
• prefer than → prefer … to …

Could you give a mini practice set?

1. We will discuss about the budget tomorrow.
2. I’m interested about fintech regulation.
3. Please wait me near Gate 3.
4. They arrived to London at noon.
5. The sample is similar with ours.

Answers: 1) discuss the budget 2) interested in 3) wait for me 4) arrived in London 5) similar to ours

How can I build long-term accuracy with prepositions?

Create a collocation notebook or spaced-repetition deck for verb/adjective + preposition pairs with your own example sentences. Read and listen widely to reinforce patterns, and record yourself speaking to catch habitual errors. When in doubt, check a learner’s dictionary that lists typical prepositions with usage notes.

Can you show a compact reference table I can bookmark?

Final tip: what quick heuristics help under pressure?

• After discuss or explain, drop “about.”
• Skills → at; relationships/handling → with.
• Locations reached → arrive at (point) / arrive in (city/country).
• Preferences → prefer A to B (or “A over B” informally).
• Ownership vs. place → belong to (owner) / belong in (right place).

English Grammar Guide: Complete Rules, Examples, and Tips for All Levels