Lesson 4: 'At' or 'in' with buildings

We can say either 'I'll meet you at the cinema / bank / theatre / restaurant / hotel' or 'I'll meet you in the cinema / bank / theatre / restaurant / hotel'. Both are correct. We can think about the cinema as a point (in this case we use 'at') or we can think about the cinema as a building (in this case we use 'in').

However, in normal speech, we generally use 'at', unless we want to make certain that we're going to meet the person really inside the cinema building and not in the street outside.

  • I'll meet you at the cinema.
  • I saw him at the cinema.
  • We had our first kiss at the cinema.

For all of these, it could be by the door of the cinema but still in the street, inside the cinema, where you have to pay, or right inside where the seats and the screen are.


  • I'll meet you in the cinema.
  • I saw him in the cinema.
  • We had our first kiss in the cinema.

For all of these, it could be inside where you pay, or right inside where the seats and the screen are, but it's not in the street.

This is the same with other buildings, like the bank, or the supermarket, or the library, or the theatre, or the restaurant.

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