Preposition UNDER — When and How to Use It

ByKhamis Maiouf
🌱 A1 · BEGINNER
Not sure where to start?
Try 12 grammar questions for a suggested starting level.
Try the check →

Quick Answer

Use under when something is below something else — a chair, a table, a bed. The thing on top is higher; the thing under is lower.

Example: The cat is under the chair.

UNDER in Action — See the Pattern

Read these three sentences. Look at how under works:

  • The shoes are under the bed. (The shoes are below the bed.)
  • The dog is under the table. (The dog is below the table.)
  • There is a box under my desk. (The box is below the desk.)

When to Use UNDER

In these place examples, under means lower than something that is above or covers it. The things do not need to touch. It is not interchangeable with below in every expression.

  • Below something physical: “The slippers are under the bed.”
  • Below a roof or cover: “We sat under a tree.”
  • Below a layer: “The note was under the book.”

Easy way to remember: Think of a roof. Anything that is below the roof is under it. Bed, table, chair, umbrella — they all act like roofs for the things below them.

The Rule in One Line: Use under when one thing is below another.

Real-Life Examples With UNDER

Here are examples you might say or hear in everyday life:

  • My socks are under the bed again. (Below the bed.)
  • We waited under the roof of the bus shelter in the rain. (The roof was above us and kept off the rain.)
  • The cat is hiding under the sofa. (Below the sofa.)
  • There is dust under the carpet. (Below the carpet.)
  • The keys fell under the car. (Below the car.)

Now compare the examples below. Check the location described before you choose a preposition.

Compare UNDER With Other Location Words

Compare the meaning of each sentence. A different location word is not automatically a mistake.

Using down instead of under

✗ The cat is down the bed.
✓ The cat is under the bed.

UNDER and BELOW can both be correct

Below is used in speech as well as writing. Under the table is a common way to describe something directly below the table.

Inside a desk or below it?

The box is in the desk. This can be correct if the box is inside a drawer or compartment. The box is under the desk. This puts the box below the desk instead.

How to remember: Picture a roof. Anything below the roof is under it.

Other common “under” spots: under the bed, under the table, under the chair, under a tree, under an umbrella.

Test Yourself: UNDER

Choose an answer to see your feedback immediately. Your first answer counts towards your score.

Question 1 of 5

1. The dog is on the floor directly below the table. The dog is sleeping _______ the table.

2. The pen is on the floor below the sofa. I found the missing pen _______ the sofa.

3. Our picnic blanket is below a tree’s branches. We had a picnic _______ a big tree.

4. My slippers are on the floor below my bed. There is a pair of slippers _______ my bed.

5. The bag is on the floor directly below the chair. The bag is _______ the chair.

Keep Going — You Are Building Something

You just learned under. Now you can describe things that are above, on, inside, and below — a big jump in just three words.

Imagine two shops side by side. One is next to the other. Practise that location in the next lesson.

Next lesson: Preposition NEXT TO — When and How to Use It

Further reference: Cambridge: under.

Spread the love