ENGLISH
REFERENCE

be in

phr. v..
A2 Elementary Oxford

phr. v.. to be at home or in your office when someone visits or calls.

phr. v.. to be present at a specific location, typically one's residence or place of work; functions as an intransitive phrasal verb in this sense.


SIMPLE

I'll be in all morning if you want to call.

CONTEXTUAL

The manager won't be in until Tuesday because she is attending a conference.

COMPLEX

Despite the lights being on, nobody seemed to be in when the courier attempted to deliver the package.

Particles
in
Separability
inseparable
Pattern
be + in
Usage

often used in the negative to explain someone's absence.

Teaching tip

contrast with 'be out'; note that 'be in' can also mean 'to be fashionable' or 'to have submitted work', but the 'present' sense is most common for A2 learners.

Pitfall

Is your boss in to his office?Is your boss in?when 'in' means 'present', it does not require a following prepositional phrase like 'to his office'.

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