Collocations with Prepositions in English (PDF)
A collocation is a natural combination of words that native speakers commonly use together. Instead of choosing words separately, English speakers prefer fixed word partnerships like depend on, believe in, or focus on. Learning collocations with prepositions helps you sound more natural, fluent, and confident in English.
In this post, you will learn the most common collocations with prepositions in English, along with clear example sentences to help you understand how they work in real life.
What Are Collocations with Prepositions?
Collocations with prepositions are verb + preposition combinations that always go together. You cannot change the preposition freely because it is part of the expression. For example, we say depend on, not depend to. We say listen to, not listen at.
Mastering these combinations improves your grammar, writing, speaking, and exam performance (IELTS, TOEFL, etc.).
Collocations with Prepositions – Examples
| Collocation | Preposition | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| depend on | on | I depend on my parents for financial support. |
| dream about | about | I often dream about winning the lottery. |
| talk to | to | I need to talk to my boss about my schedule. |
| listen to | to | I love listening to music on my way to work. |
| look at | at | Can you look at this picture and describe it? |
| laugh at | at | We all laughed at the funny story. |
| arrive at / in | at / in | I arrived at the airport early. |
| believe in | in | I strongly believe in hard work. |
| participate in | in | She will participate in the competition. |
| concentrate on | on | Please concentrate on your homework. |
| object to | to | Many people object to unfair rules. |
| apologize for | for | I apologized for being late. |
| agree with | with | I completely agree with you. |
| pay attention to | to | Please pay attention to the instructions. |
| complain about / of | about / of | He always complains about his job. |
| consist of | of | The team consists of five players. |
| deal with | with | I have to deal with many problems. |
| excel in | in | She excels in mathematics. |
| fight against | against | We must fight against injustice. |
| get along with | with | I get along with my coworkers. |
| live on / off | on / off | He lives off his savings. |
| rely on | on | You can rely on me. |
| succeed in | in | She hopes to succeed in business. |
| focus on | on | You should focus on your goals. |
| take part in | in | They will take part in the event. |
| think about / of | about / of | I’m thinking about changing my job. |
Collocations with Prepositions
Check Also:
Prepositions Tests for English Learners (PDF)
Complete List of English Prepositions A–Z (PDF)
Prepositions of Location: At, In & On (PDF)
Collocations with Prepositions – List Only
| Collocation | Preposition |
|---|---|
| depend on | on |
| dream about | about |
| talk to | to |
| listen to | to |
| look at | at |
| laugh at | at |
| arrive at / in | at / in |
| believe in | in |
| participate in | in |
| concentrate on | on |
| object to | to |
| apologize for | for |
| agree with | with |
| pay attention to | to |
| complain about / of | about / of |
| consist of | of |
| deal with | with |
| excel in | in |
| fight against | against |
| get along with | with |
| live on / off | on / off |
| rely on | on |
| succeed in | in |
| focus on | on |
| take part in | in |
| think about / of | about / of |
