Three relationships: in front, behind, and opposite
In front of, behind, and opposite show where an object or person is IN RELATION TO another named reference point—not the type of location, as in/on/at do, or a vertically lower position, as under does. Here the relationship is always directional: at the front, at the back, or facing something across a gap.
In front of places the subject near the front side of the reference point, often close to it or in someone's line of sight. Behind places the subject near the back side, the directly contrasting position to in front of. Opposite places the subject and reference point on DIFFERENT sides of a space—a street, table, or room—as if facing each other.
The key question is: is the subject on the front side, on the back side, or facing the reference point across a space?
The car is in front of the house.
The car is in front of the house.
The car is near the front side of the house.
The garden is behind the building.
The garden is behind the building.
The garden is near the back side of the building.
The cinema is opposite the restaurant.
The cinema is opposite the restaurant.
The cinema and restaurant are on different sides of the street, facing each other.
In front of: on the front side of a reference point
In front of places the subject near the front side of the named reference point—the side from which people usually approach or look at it. It is a fixed three-word phrase: in + front + of; none of the three words can be omitted.
In front of often also means directly ahead of you, in your path or line of sight: if someone tall sits in front of you at the cinema, they occupy the space between you and the screen.
in front of + (article) + noun
- noun —
- A word naming a person, thing or idea: student, book, happiness.
There's a wooden bench in front of the library.
There's a wooden bench in front of the library.
The bench is on the front side of the library.
A very tall guy sat down right in front of me at the concert, and I couldn't see the stage.
A very tall guy sat down right in front of me at the concert, and I couldn't see the stage.
Here in front of also means in the speaker's line of sight, blocking the view.
Park the car in front of the garage, not inside it.
Park the car in front of the garage, not inside it.
In front of contrasts with inside: the car is outside, on the front side.
Behind: on the back side
Behind places the subject near the back side of the reference point, the directly contrasting position to in front of. Behind is a single word; the noun and its article follow it directly, without an extra preposition.
Behind does not simply mean somewhere farther away or across the road: in this use, it identifies the back side of a particular named reference point.
behind + (article) + noun
- noun —
- A word naming a person, thing or idea: student, book, happiness.
The garden is behind the building.
The garden is behind the building.
The back side of the building.
I was sitting behind a very tall guy at the concert, and I couldn't see the stage.
I was sitting behind a very tall guy at the concert, and I couldn't see the stage.
The same fact as the man sitting in front of the speaker, described from the other perspective.
Leave your bag behind the counter, please.
Leave your bag behind the counter, please.
Here behind identifies the space on the back side of the counter.
Opposite: facing something across a space
Opposite shows that the subject and reference point are on DIFFERENT sides of a space—a street, table, room, or corridor—as if facing each other. It is one word; the noun and its article follow it directly, without of or to.
In front of emphasises a position before the reference point, while opposite emphasises a position facing it, for example across a street or table. In front of does not require contact or the absence of a gap. To understand the difference, imagine the whole scene, not just the distance.
opposite + (article) + noun
- noun —
- A word naming a person, thing or idea: student, book, happiness.
The cinema is opposite the restaurant.
The cinema is opposite the restaurant.
On different sides of the street.
Tom sat opposite Mia at the kitchen table.
Tom sat opposite Mia at the kitchen table.
Two people face each other across the table.
Is your flat opposite the supermarket?
Is your flat opposite the supermarket?
The flat and supermarket are on different sides of a street or square.
Describing the same queue from two perspectives
When people are queuing and facing the same way, their positions can be described reciprocally: Mia is in front of Tom → Tom is behind Mia. We swap the people and name the opposite relationship.
Do not apply this reversal mechanically to every scene: the front of a house, the direction of a car, and the observer's viewpoint may differ. First establish what counts as the front in the situation.
Opposite describes a reciprocal facing relationship: The bank is opposite the park → The park is opposite the bank. Here the preposition stays the same.
Mia is in front of Tom in the queue. → Tom is behind Mia in the queue.
Mia is in front of Tom in the queue. → Tom is behind Mia in the queue.
The people face the same way: the same order in the queue is described relative to the other person.
The taxi is behind the bus. → The bus is in front of the taxi.
The taxi is behind the bus. → The bus is in front of the taxi.
In a line of vehicles travelling in the same direction, this describes the same order of vehicles.
The bank is opposite the park. → The park is opposite the bank.
The bank is opposite the park. → The park is opposite the bank.
Opposite stays the same: the relationship is symmetrical.
Sentence structure: be, articles, questions, and negatives
In the simple pattern with be, do not omit is/are: The café is opposite the bank. Other verbs can also describe location: The café stands opposite the bank.
A specific reference point that is clear from context usually takes the definite article the: in front of THE house, behind THE building, opposite THE bank.
For a negative, use isn't/aren't (is not/are not) directly after the subject: The bank isn't opposite the park. For a question, move is/are before the subject: Is the bank opposite the park?
subject + be (+ not) + in front of / behind / opposite + reference point
- subject / S —
- The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
The café is opposite the bank.
The café is opposite the bank.
Is is required as the linking verb in this sentence.
Is the taxi in front of the hotel?
Is the taxi in front of the hotel?
Is moves before the subject taxi.
The garden isn't behind the house — it's in front of it.
The garden isn't behind the house — it's in front of it.
The negative isn't and a correction using the appropriate preposition appear in one sentence.
Common sources of confusion
In front of and opposite can describe similar situations but emphasise different relationships: a position before something or a position facing it. My chair is in front of the teacher’s desk describes a position before the desk; My house is opposite the school places the house across from the school. Neither sentence specifies an exact distance.
Keep of in the basic pattern in front of. Behind the house and opposite the park do not need an extra preposition. Other constructions with opposite, such as the opposite of, meaning the contrary of something, have a different structure.
A third mistake is confusing the directions expressed by in front of and behind: if unsure, consider the side from which people approach the reference point—that is its front; the other side is behind it.
The chair is in front of the desk. / The chair is opposite the desk.
The chair is in front of the desk. / The chair is opposite the desk.
The first sentence places the chair before the desk; the second places it facing the desk. The distance must be established from context.
The garden is behind the house, not behind of the house.
The garden is behind the house, not behind of the house.
Behind does not take of.
The school is opposite the park.
The school is opposite the park.
In this basic pattern, the reference point the park follows opposite directly.
The limits of the rule and using it in speech
This rule does not cover vertical comparisons such as higher or lower than something; above and below express those relationships and are outside this lesson. Nor does it cover movement, such as walking past or driving behind something: here we focus on static location, when something is already in a place. Under, next to, between, and in/on/at are also separate neighbouring rules in this topic, with their own exercise sets.
Opposite can be followed by one reference point or a group: opposite the bank, opposite the bank and the café, opposite them. The meaning remains a position facing something across a space. Between the bank and the café means something different: in the space separating the bank and café.
In speech, these three prepositions often appear together when helping someone locate things: describing a room, street, photograph, or the positions of people in a queue. It is natural to combine in front of, behind, and opposite in one description rather than use just one of them.
The lamp is above the desk, not in front of it.
The lamp is above the desk, not in front of it.
Above means vertically higher; it is a separate word outside this rule.
Excuse me, is the bank opposite the park or in front of the park?
Excuse me, is the bank opposite the park or in front of the park?
A clarification question typical of finding your way in an unfamiliar place.
In the photo, Mia is standing in front of her brother, and their dog is behind both of them.
In the photo, Mia is standing in front of her brother, and their dog is behind both of them.
Three participants in one description: positions in front and behind, and an indirect comparison.
Common mistakes
Incorrect:The car is on front of the house.
Correct:The car is in front of the house.
In front of is a fixed three-word phrase; using on instead of in is a common form error, not a separate meaning.
Incorrect:The car is in front the house.
Correct:The car is in front of the house.
In front of is a fixed three-word phrase; of cannot be omitted.
Incorrect:The garden is behind of the building.
Correct:The garden is behind the building.
Behind is a single word; the noun follows it directly, without an unnecessary of.
Incorrect:The cinema is opposite of the restaurant.
Correct:The cinema is opposite the restaurant.
Opposite as a preposition of place also does not take of. The opposite of is a different construction in which opposite is a noun meaning the contrary of something; that is not the use here.
Incorrect:The pharmacy is opposite park.
Correct:The pharmacy is opposite the park.
The specific reference point, clear from context, needs the definite article the; opposite park without an article is incorrect here.
Incorrect:The bank in front of the park.
Correct:The bank is in front of the park.
A complete sentence in this pattern is missing is: it links the bank to the location in front of the park.