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I have been studying English with many teachers. Some of them say "See you in the lesson" while others say "See you at the lesson." Yesterday, one of them told me that the correct way of saying it is "See you at the lesson."

Are both of them correct? If one (or both) of them is incorrect, please tell me why.

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  • Please leave a comment, tell me why you voted down this question? :)
    – code4eight
    Commented Jan 11, 2013 at 6:14

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In American usage, both of these phrases are correct grammar, but they don't mean the same thing, and at is probably the intended meaning. At merely implies you and the teacher will be in the same place. In would be acceptable if your lesson were a performance, which in a classroom setting it might be. You might find this easier if we contrast "see you at the movie" with "see you in the movie".

Having said that, prepositions can behave rather arbitrarily and non-American usage may differ.

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  • I want to back up Andrew completely here. In American usage, a lesson is not considered a place, but rather an event. It has no "in" and so only the first one is correct. However, I also have the sense that both would be acceptable in Britain.
    – leoger
    Commented Jan 11, 2013 at 5:09
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    Also @leoger Incidentally, the question is not about lesson, but the preposition use. Try substituting lesson with class, school, or whatever you are more comfortable with.
    – Kris
    Commented Jan 11, 2013 at 6:53
  • Note that the question is not related to "American usage" at all, but the English language.
    – Kris
    Commented Jan 11, 2013 at 6:54
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    @Kris, my knowledge of non-American usage is sometimes not enough to answer an ELU question. Most of the time, I'm aware that my knowledge holds for the English language wherever it is spoken, but in this case, I'm not at all sure. It's not like algebra, where anyone can supply a universal answer. In terms of the English language, both versions are semantically correct. Whether they mean what the speaker intends can not be determined from the parts of speech, but by knowing how the phrase in understood by the people who are speaking.
    – Andrew Lazarus
    Commented Jan 11, 2013 at 15:34
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    @Kris, I read this question as pertaining to the combination of "in/at" and "lesson". Where did you read anything that indicates otherwise? I understand you're trying to be helpful but I'm not sure you're entirely right on this one.
    – leoger
    Commented Jan 11, 2013 at 23:11

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