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A preposition describes a relationship between other words in a sentence. Prepositions are nearly always combined with other words in structures called "prepositional phrases", which tend to be built the same: a preposition followed by a noun (the object).

The prepositional phrase takes on a modifying role, acting as an adjective or an adverb: it locates something in time or space, modifies a noun, or, in a more general way, tells under what conditions something happens.

Prepositions are sometimes so firmly wedded to other words that they have practically become one "word": that is the case with preposition verbs, but also with nouns or adjectives.

Verbs and prepositions, examples:

apologize for, ask about, ask for, belong to, bring up, care for, find out, give up, grow up, look for, look forward to, look up, make up, pay for, prepare for, study for, talk about, think about, trust in, work for, worry about...

I. NOUNS AND PREPOSITIONS, examples:

approval of, awareness of, belief in, concern for, confusion about, desire for, fondness for, grasp of, hatred of, hope for, interest in, love of, need for, participation in, reason for, respect for, success in, understanding of...

II. ADJECTIVES AND PREPOSITIONS, examples:

afraid of, angry at, aware of, capable of, careless about, familiar with, fond of, happy about, jealous of, proud of, similar to, sorry for, sure of, tired of...

Not only prepositions may change the meaning of a verb, but also its have to be according to the object:

To agree to a proposal, with a person, on a price...
To argue about a matter, with a person, for or against a proposition...
To compare to (likeness), with (differences).
To correspond to smthg, with a person.

III. PARALLEL FORMS

When two words or phrases are used in parallel and require the same preposition, the preposition does not have to be used twice.

You can wear that outfit in summer and (in) winter.

When the idiomatic use calls for different prepositions, we must be careful not to omit one of them.

I apologize for and I worry about my English accent.

IV. CATEGORIES

We can make categories of prepositions, but its will never be totally satisfying.

Prepositions of time:

at/on/in, for/since, about (he came about midnight), after/before, around, by (he'll be back by midnight), during, from/to, over, through (I worked through the night), till/until, upon...

Prepositions of place:

Location: at/on/in, about, above, against, among, behind, below, beneath, between, beyond, down/up, inside/outside, in front of, off (the boat sank five miles off the coast), on/under, opposite, out of, over, round, by/near/beside(s)/close to/next to...

Movement: across, along, as far as, down to, from, into, off, out of (he jumped out of the window), through, to, toward(s)...With the words "home, downtown, uptown, inside, outside, downstairs, upstairs", we use no preposition.

Other prepositions (cause, manner, circumstance...):

about, after, against, at, as/like, because of, by, except, for, from/out of, in, in spite of, instead of, of, on, out of, per, thanks to, through, to, with/without...and many others.

As we can see, most of the most common prepositions can belong to each of these categories.

"At": he is at school; he came at 6 o'clock; he is good at maths...
"In": he is in France; he will do it in June, in a month; he is in his pyjamas...
"On": he lives on the third floor; he will come on Monday; he will come on foot; he lives on love and cool water...

V. AT/ON/IN, IN TIME AND PLACE USES

To designate time or place, "at" is used for specific times or adresses: he arrived at noon; he lives at 12 Wattle tree road.

"On" is used for days and dates, or names of streets, avenues...: he is coming on Monday; he lives on Wattle tree Road.

"In" is used for nonspecific times during a day, a month, a season, a year, or for names of land-areas: he loves to jog naked in winter; he lives in Marseille, in France.

VI. FEW WORDS ABOUT ARTICLES

The only way to know particle verbs is learning and practicing. However, knowing the main particles and its meanings could help, sometimes.

Movement: in/out (entrée, sortie), up/down (vers le haut/bas), away/off (éloignement), on (continuation), back (retour).

Main figurated meanings: on/off (marche/arrêt), over (reprise, fin), out, through (accomplissement), up/down (aboutissement).

So, some verbs are rather easily translated: bring back, call in, come off, get off, get over, get up, give back, grow up, keep on, move on, pay back, pick up, pull down, push back, put on, stand up, switch on, take out, take off, for instance.

Others are hardly deductible: break up (disperser), bring up (élever), carry on (continuer), carry out (mener à bien), make out (comprendre), for instance, are to be known.

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