Common Mistakes
10 Common English Mistakes with Prepositions
Published on September 07, 2026
Prepositions can be confusing even for advanced English learners. Learn 10 common mistakes and the natural expressions you should use instead.
Prepositions are small words, but using the wrong one can make your English sound unnatural. Some expressions simply need to be learned as fixed combinations.
Here are 10 common preposition mistakes.
1. Depend of
Incorrect: “It depends of the situation.”
Correct: “It depends on the situation.”
2. Interested on
Incorrect: “I'm interested on photography.”
Correct: “I'm interested in photography.”
3. Good in
Incorrect: “She is good in mathematics.”
Correct: “She is good at mathematics.”
4. Afraid from
Incorrect: “He is afraid from dogs.”
Correct: “He is afraid of dogs.”
5. Listen music
Incorrect: “I like to listen music.”
Correct: “I like to listen to music.”
6. Arrive to the airport
Incorrect: “We arrived to the airport early.”
Correct: “We arrived at the airport early.”
7. Married with
Incorrect: “She is married with a businessman.”
Correct: “She is married to a businessman.”
8. Different than
Incorrect: “This is different than what I expected.”
Correct: “This is different from what I expected.”
“Different than” is also used in some varieties of English, but “different from” is the standard choice for learners.
9. Explain me
Incorrect: “Can you explain me this?”
Correct: “Can you explain this to me?”
10. Discuss about
Incorrect: “We need to discuss about the problem.”
Correct: “We need to discuss the problem.”
Learning prepositions through complete phrases is often easier than memorizing individual rules. Pay attention to how native speakers naturally combine verbs, adjectives, and prepositions.
Here are 10 common preposition mistakes.
1. Depend of
Incorrect: “It depends of the situation.”
Correct: “It depends on the situation.”
2. Interested on
Incorrect: “I'm interested on photography.”
Correct: “I'm interested in photography.”
3. Good in
Incorrect: “She is good in mathematics.”
Correct: “She is good at mathematics.”
4. Afraid from
Incorrect: “He is afraid from dogs.”
Correct: “He is afraid of dogs.”
5. Listen music
Incorrect: “I like to listen music.”
Correct: “I like to listen to music.”
6. Arrive to the airport
Incorrect: “We arrived to the airport early.”
Correct: “We arrived at the airport early.”
7. Married with
Incorrect: “She is married with a businessman.”
Correct: “She is married to a businessman.”
8. Different than
Incorrect: “This is different than what I expected.”
Correct: “This is different from what I expected.”
“Different than” is also used in some varieties of English, but “different from” is the standard choice for learners.
9. Explain me
Incorrect: “Can you explain me this?”
Correct: “Can you explain this to me?”
10. Discuss about
Incorrect: “We need to discuss about the problem.”
Correct: “We need to discuss the problem.”
Learning prepositions through complete phrases is often easier than memorizing individual rules. Pay attention to how native speakers naturally combine verbs, adjectives, and prepositions.