I saw the ATM at the metro station or in the metro station

[ArsalFaisalKhan]

I have a lot of confusion on how to use in and at

* "I saw the ATM at the metro station or in the metro station"?
* "I think you can find the pool noodle at the supermarket or in the supermarket"?
*I'm at the mall in the Levi's store or I'm in the mall at the Levi's store?

 

[Tarheel]

All are possible.

 

[ArsalFaisalKhan]

All are possible.

Thank you so much for the reply.. can you please clarify the difference? Does in or at change the meaning of these sentences

 

[White Hat]

I believe 'in' tends to imply being inside a building.

 

[Tarheel]

Depending on context, they might have the same meaning. (See post #4.)

 

[emsr2d2]

I have a lot of confusion on I am very confused about how to use "in" and "at". Which preposition is correct in the following sentences?

1. I saw the ATM at/in the metro station. or in the metro station"?
2. I think you can find the pool noodle at/in the supermarket. or in the supermarket"?
3. I'm at the mall in/at the Levi's store. or I'm in the mall at the Levi's store?

Please note my corrections and my improvements to the layout above. Also note that I have changed your thread title and moved your "confusion" sentence to the main body of your post. I'm sure you can see how much neater the three sentences look. When you give us more than one sentence to look at, please number them.

1. Both are possible. I'd use "at". Note that it would be more natural to say "I saw an ATM at the Metro station".
2. Both are possible. I'd use "at". Also, I'd use the plural here to refer to pool noodles in general. "I think you can find pool noodles at the supermarket".
3. Both are possible in both positions. I'd change the order of the sentence and say "I'm in/at the Levi's store in/at the mall".

 

[jutfrank]

I believe 'in' tends to imply being inside a building.

If I may correct you slightly: It isn't a tendency—it's always true. And it isn't implication but the literal meaning of the word 'in'.

The preposition 'in' has the sense of there being a boundary. When you're in a building, the boundary is set by the walls.