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Which one is correct and what's the difference?:

I was in a shop yesterday.

I was at a shop yesterday.

Community
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masterkomp
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  • Related: How do I answer 'Where do you work?'?. – Edwin Ashworth Dec 26 '15 at 19:52
  • As they stand, 'at' would not be the normal choice. However, 'I was at the butcher's' and 'I was in the butcher's' are both idiomatic. – Edwin Ashworth Dec 26 '15 at 19:57
  • I'm not satisfied with your answer. Could someone else explain the difference to me? – masterkomp Dec 26 '15 at 20:01
  • "At the xxx shop" and "in an xxx shop", mostly. Depends a lot on the type of shop, though. – Hot Licks Dec 26 '15 at 20:01
  • Let's say that I went to a shop yesterday to buy some food like two apples, a chocolate bar and some ham. My friend is asking me: "Where were you yesterday?" I want to answer him with one of these structures but I don't know what to choose. – masterkomp Dec 26 '15 at 20:05
  • An introductory 'I was at a shop yesterday' sounds quite odd, and Google Ngrams confirm that it is a far less common choice. If you wish to make your enquiry broader (as I suggested, 'I was at/in the butcher's yesterday), you need to make this clear in your question. // Your new constraint (which should be in the original question) makes 'at the convenience store (etc)' the preferred choice. – Edwin Ashworth Dec 26 '15 at 20:06
  • In Poland we just say a shop if it's a small one. That's why it's important to me to use "at" or "in" correctly. I'm waiting for someone from Great Britain to explain to me what's correct but thank you for your answer. – masterkomp Dec 26 '15 at 20:33

2 Answers2

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Both are grammatical.

"At the shop" tells the listener you are in or close enough to the shop to be considered on the premises.

"In the shop" is more specific and tells the listener you are within the walls of the shop.

Using at puts you at that location.

Using in puts you within the location and is a more specific description of your current location.

CDM
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  • What would you say to a friend if you should tell him where you were yesterday? I was in a shop or I was at a shop? – masterkomp Dec 26 '15 at 21:58
  • I would say I was at home with my family celebrating X-mas. I would only use in, if the situation calls for me to specifically state that I am within a location. – CDM Dec 26 '15 at 22:01
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The answers by CDM and in How do I answer “Where do you work?” inspire me. You can say "I am sitting at the table" because you are actually close to the table. You can say "I work in a bank" because you are working in the building of a bank. You can also say "I get some money at a bank" because some ATMs are not in a bank.

I think it's reasonable to say "I am waiting in the departure lounge" or "I am at the airport". So it depends on what you want to emphasize.

Joseph WANG
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