# in/on my face



## blasita

Hello everyone.

My question is about ´in´  vs ´on´: ´in/on somebody´s face´ (not about the idiomatic expressions). I don´t think it´s a question of meaning (´en/a la cara´), but there must a difference.  I´d like to know when to use one or the other, please. Just some examples:

_Mud and debris fell *on/in my face*, splashing all around me. 
I opened the window and the light fell *in/on my face*._

Hice una pregunta en un hilo (que no era sobre esto pero salió este tema) acerca de ´splattered/splashed _on_ my face´ vs ´_in_ my face´, y un amable forero me dio unos ejemplos, pero no conseguimos encontrar una razón para la elección de una u otra preposición.

Gracias. Thank you very much.

Saludos.


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## Masood

Hi

In both your examples, I would use 'on my face'.


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## blasita

Masood said:


> Hi
> 
> In both your examples, I would use 'on my face'.



Thanks, Masood.

So, is ´in´ impossible/not idiomatic there?  When would you use ´in my face´ then?

Un saludo.


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## Lavernock

Si hablamos de algo sobre la piel de la cara, granos, manchas,moratones *"on"* es mejor.

Un golpe en la cara "*in".  *He threw a book and it hit me "*in" *the face. To look  someone "*in*" the face.   He looked me* in* the face and told me I was a liar. To say something *"to" *someone's face.  He told me *to* my face I was a liar.


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## blasita

Lavernock said:


> Si hablamos de algo sobre la piel de la cara, granos, manchas,moratones *"on"* es mejor.
> 
> Un golpe en la cara "*in".  *He threw a book and it hit me "*in" *the face. To look  someone "*in*" the face.   He looked me* in* the face and told me I was a liar. To say something *"to" *someone's face.  He told me *to* my face I was a liar.



Muchas gracias, Lavernock.

Parece que en estos casos sería cuestión de ´collocations´; yo no le puedo encontrar una razón gramatical.

Es que yo he visto que se usan ambas preposiciones muchas veces en contextos iguales/similares; p.ej. "He splashed some water _in/on_ my face." Tampoco veo que haya una posible o clara asociación con las preposiciones ´a´ y ´en´. Y estoy en mi lucha por encontrar una razón para usar ´in´ y ´on´  aquí como es debido.

Saludos.


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## Lis48

*In* expresses more the idea of *movement* e.g. he threw a book in my face, her hair fell in her face, he looked me in the face. 
To these you can ask the question *how?* because the emphasis is on the action.
*On* expresses more the idea of *position* e.g. the light fell on her face, he punched her on the nose, the mud splashed on her face, he put a book on her face. To those you can ask the question _*where?*_ because the emphasis is on the place_._
So to me, you could say both _in_ or _on_ in your examples depending on whether you were emphasising the movement or the position, though as Masood says the more likely is _on._


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## kayokid

This is driving me crazy! I can't figure out a logic to this!

Picture this: You are climbing a mountain and the person in front of you kicks some dirt loose. The dirt falls* on* your head and *in* your face. If you were lying on the ground the dirt would fall either* in* or *on* your face (in my opinion).

Somebody can throw a pie* in* your face (but not on your face). A person can be shot *in *the face, but not on the face. Somebody spit* in* my face once. You put sun tan lotion *on* your face so you don't burn.


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## kayokid

Lis48 said:


> *In* expresses more the idea of *movement* e.g. he threw a book in my face, her hair fell in her face, he looked me in the face.
> To these you can ask the question *how?* because the emphasis is on the action.
> *On* expresses more the idea of *position* e.g. the light fell on her face, he punched her on the nose, the mud splashed on her face, he put a book on her face. To those you can ask the question _*where?*_ because the emphasis is on the place_._
> So to me, you could say both _in_ or _on_ in your examples depending on whether you were emphasising the movement or the position, though as Masood says the more likely is _on._



Very interesting idea/theory. I, however, would punch someone* in* the nose after they splashed mud* in* my face.


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## LhaN999

Recién estoy rindiendo el nivel 1 de ingles, así que si quieren aporrearme por decir una barbaridad háganlo... pero volviendo al meaning of basico de IN y ON... in es dentro de algo y ON sobre la superficie de algo. Por otro lado, la cara si bien es una superficie primero que no hay un adentro de la cara que no este en la superficie de la misma, por el otro lado si tomamos el ejemplo de nose, si hay definido un IN the nose, y es evidente que no se puede pegar dentro de la nariz, por lo tanto es ON. Respecto de la cara como dije es una superficie limitada abstractamente... como por ejemplo a park, y normalmente se dice IN the park y no ON the park. Pero si se quiere decir que algo esta en la cara pero no dentro sino haciendo referencia a la superficie es lógico usar el ON.

De todas formas en su momento esta reglita no me soluciono lo que alguien escribió sobre el IN/ON respecto de vehiculos, no recuerdo donde lo leí, pero decía que para indicar que alguien esta dentro del auto se usa el IN pero para indicar que alguien esta dentro del tren o del autobus se usa ON.


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## blasita

Thank you very much, Lis. 

Kayokid, you must hate me by now , but I hope you understand my insistence on this matter.

I´m getting depressed; I´ll never master prepositions in English. But all explanations and examples are very useful. Thanks so much for your help; I really appreciate it.

Y gracias, LhaN.  Pero es que sí que se puede decir ´in the nose´ (como en el ejemplo de Kayokid).  Y no sé, quizá sea yo, pero no entiendo este razonamiento bien con respecto a ´in/on the face´.

Saludos.


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## LhaN999

Bueno, entonces si se analiza bien el tema de la nariz, quizás sea por que la nariz ademas de tener un adentro tiene una superficie no estrictamente definida, igual que la cara. Es decir que si la superficie no esta estrictamente definida se puede usar IN, mientras que si la superficie esta estrictamente definida como por ejemplo un techo, una pared, el piso, etc... se usa ON. Es decir... generalmente se usa IN y no ON, pero llegado el caso puede que IN/ON sean indistintos como por ejemplo The nose is IN/ON the face.


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## kayokid

Querida blasita,

I find this extremely interesting and I love thinking and sharing ideas about language and its translations, etc. As you can see, even the native speakers don't always agree on how to say things and particularly on the use of these troublesome prepositions! They seem to always be one of the hardest things to master when learning a foreign language. All the general rules of usage eventually break down and things just have to be learned/accepted/memorized as expressions.

P.S. I burst out laughing when I read your note!


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## blasita

kayokid said:


> Querida blasita,
> 
> I find this extremely interesting and I love thinking and sharing ideas about language and its translations, etc. As you can see, even the native speakers don't always agree on how to say things and particularly on the use of these troublesome prepositions! They seem to always be one of the hardest things to master when learning a foreign language. All the general rules of usage eventually break down and things just have to be learned/accepted/memorized as expressions.
> 
> P.S. I burst out laughing when I read your note!



I can´t possibly learn all collocations here! You _must_ give a rule. 

Un saludo.


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## kayokid

blasita,
Getting back to one of the earlier sentences...
I don't want to complicate the issue even further, but I think another very good possibility is to use "upon" in the following sentence: He opened the curtains and light fell upon his face. (This does seem to be a bit more poetic/formal, however.)


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## kayokid

I can´t possibly learn all collocations here! You _must_ give a rule. 

I'm still trying to find it!


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## Masood

blasita said:


> Thanks, Masood.
> 
> So, is ´in´ impossible/not idiomatic there?  When would you use ´in my face´ then?
> 
> Un saludo.


Hm, good question. Nunca me he parado a pensar en este asunto.

To me, in those 2 specific examples, only 'on my face' sounds right. I wish I could explain it. 

I'll check my tried and trusted grammar book later, but I bet the author found this one tough, too.


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## blasita

Thank you again, Masood.

Well, anyway, I´d appreciate it if you/any forero could give me a few more examples (and sure it will help some others too) where ´in´ and  ´on´ (+someone´s face)  may be interchangeable/not. 

Saludos.


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## Masood

Well, I checked my grammar reference and there is an answer (of sorts) regarding ON and IN (a place). I suppose a 'face' could be considered a 'place'.

ON: used for position on a surface.
_Hurry up - supper's on the table!
There's a big spider on the ceiling._

IN: used for position inside large areas and in 3-dimensional space (when something is surrounded on all sides).
_Let's go for a walk in the woods.
I last saw her in the car park._

As for the 'face' example:
A ladybird landed on my face. 
A ladybird landed in my face.


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## blasita

I really appreciate it, Masood, but I still can´t see it clear.  What about e.g. ´splashed mud/water _in_ my face´/´rain splashed _in_ my face´?  I understand you would never say ´_in_ my face´?

Lo siento, soy una pesada.


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## Masood

blasita said:


> I really appreciate it, Masood, but I still can´t see it clear.  What about e.g. ´splashed mud/water _in_ my face´/´rain splashed _in_ my face´?  I understand you would never say ´_in_ my face´?
> 
> Lo siento, soy una pesada.


Both could be used in certain cases, for example:
_He splashed water on my face!
He splashed water in my face!_

I think both of these sound OK, but I don't know if others agree.
I don't know if there is a specific rule. It all seems very ambiguous, unfortunately!


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## duvija

People, people! Still trying to find rules for prepositions?  Ha, ha, ha...
Blasita, learn the collocations. It's much easier. And never ask 'why' when trying to figure out the meaning of a preposition, and even worse, its translation...


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## k-in-sc

duvija said:


> People, people! Still trying to find rules for prepositions?  Ha, ha, ha...
> Blasita, learn the collocations. It's much easier. And never ask 'why' when trying to figure out the meaning of a preposition, and even worse, its translation...


Sad but true


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## gringuitoloco

Lis48 said:


> *In* expresses more the idea of *movement* e.g. he threw a book in my face, her hair fell in her face, he looked me in the face.
> To these you can ask the question *how?* because the emphasis is on the action.
> *On* expresses more the idea of *position* e.g. the light fell on her face, he punched her on the nose, the mud splashed on her face, he put a book on her face. To those you can ask the question _*where?*_ because the emphasis is on the place_._
> So to me, you could say both _in_ or _on_ in your examples depending on whether you were emphasising the movement or the position, though as Masood says the more likely is _on._



I think this describes it best....


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## k-in-sc

But "in" tends to have more of a meaning of "into" or "within." "On" is on the surface.
But the prepositions are different in BrE and AmE, as has been said. Here you punch someone *in* the nose.


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## gringuitoloco

perhaps in this case, the motion is of the fist?


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## k-in-sc

Obviously the action is no different here or there. Only the preposition is


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## gringuitoloco

I say we make a new word "oin" that is used for both...


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## k-in-sc

The non-natives can use it. We natives already know which one to use when


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## gringuitoloco

k-in-sc said:


> The non-natives can use it. We natives already know which one to use when



There needs to be a "like" button here like on facebook lol


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## k-in-sc

You can use the "tick" (check mark):


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## blasita

> Blasita, learn the collocations. It's much easier. And never ask 'why' when trying to figure out the meaning of a preposition, and even worse, its translation...



Thanks, Duvija.  De hecho soy bien conocida ya por ir en contra de las traducciones ... .  La verdad es que nunca antes había comparado idiomas, pero creo que es interesante y le estoy cogiendo el gustillo.  ¿Y lo bien que nos lo pasamos intentando encontrar reglas, eh, Duvija? Y, a veces, incluso las hay...  Un abrazo.



> I say we make a new word "oin" that is used for both...





> The non-natives can use it. We natives already know which one to use when



So, should we make up some in Spanish too? I´m ready to do that.  Wait!! No, it´s not necessary because they´re so easy that anyone can master them, right? 


Now, seriously, what Lis said sounds good to me. I actually didn´t know there was a difference between BrE and AmE also here. Anyway, I repeat, my question was about contexts where both prepositions may be possible, not about the difference in general/translation of ´in´/´on´.

Muchas gracias a todos.  Un saludo.


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## Lavernock

blasita said:


> Muchas gracias, Lavernock.
> 
> Parece que en estos casos sería cuestión de ´collocations´; yo no le puedo encontrar una razón gramatical.
> 
> Es que yo he visto que se usan ambas preposiciones muchas veces en contextos iguales/similares; p.ej. "He splashed some water _in/on_ my face." Tampoco veo que haya una posible o clara asociación con las preposiciones ´a´ y ´en´. Y estoy en mi lucha por encontrar una razón para usar ´in´ y ´on´  aquí como es debido.
> 
> Saludos.



El uso de las preposiciones en inglés es un poco anárquico, y de los "phrasal verbs" ni hablemos. No les tengo nada de envidia a los pobres  estudiantes que pretenden aprenderlas bien.

Un saludo


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## blasita

Lavernock said:


> El uso de las preposiciones en inglés es un poco anárquico, y de los "phrasal verbs" ni hablemos. No les tengo nada de envidia a los pobres  estudiantes que pretenden aprenderlas bien.
> 
> Un saludo



Gracias por tu comentario y ayuda, Lavernock.  Sí, me temo que yo soy una pobre de esas.  Un saludito.


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## Lis48

k-in-sc said:


> But "in" tends to have more of a meaning of "into" or "within." "On" is on the surface.
> But the prepositions are different in BrE and AmE, as has been said. Here you punch someone *in* the nose.


We in Britain say _you punch someone *in* the nose _too when we are emphasing the *action* _punch_. 
e.g. What did he do to you? He punched me *in* the nose!
But we also say_ punch someone *on* the nose_ when we are emphasising the* position* where the punch landed. 
e.g. Where did he hit you? He punched me *on *the nose!


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## Lavernock

I would personally never say "He splashed water in my face", because to splash water is often an involuntary action or if voluntary then benign. For example I fainted and someone splashes water* on* my face to revive me. But he threw water *in (or into) my face.* An agression.

Saludos


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## Wreybies

Lis48 said:


> *In* expresses more the idea of *movement* e.g. he threw a book in my face, her hair fell in her face, he looked me in the face.
> To these you can ask the question *how?* because the emphasis is on the action.
> *On* expresses more the idea of *position* e.g. the light fell on her face, he punched her on the nose, the mud splashed on her face, he put a book on her face. To those you can ask the question _*where?*_ because the emphasis is on the place_._
> So to me, you could say both _in_ or _on_ in your examples depending on whether you were emphasising the movement or the position, though as Masood says the more likely is _on._



This explanation is perhaps the best and most precise.  There will be exceptions, as there will _always_ be concerning grammar and syntax.  Thank goodness for the exceptions!  Were it not for them, computer programs would have replaced interpreters by this point.  

The concept of goal of motion taking the preposition _in_ in these phrases is correct.  it applies even unto more colloquial and abstract terms as in the phrase _"In your face!"_ to express disdain or the concept that the person on the receiving end of that phrase was woefully wrong on some point.  What is meant by the phrase is that an unpretty or unwanted truth has just been _thrown_ at you.


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## blasita

Thank you very much again, Lis and Lavernock.  Very interesting and useful.

And thanks, Wreybies, for your contribution.


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## k-in-sc

Agree with Lavernock that the main difference between "splashed water in my face" and "splashed water on my face" is intent. "In" implies aggression or at least being taken by surprise. "On" implies that you did it on purpose, like to wake yourself up.


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## duvija

k-in-sc said:


> Agree with Lavernock that the main difference between "splashed water in my face" and "splashed water on my face" is intent. "In" implies aggression or at least being taken by surprise. "On" implies that you did it on purpose, like to wake yourself up.


 

So, if a child at the beach, when you're tiptoeing to slowly enter the frigid waters, splashes around with no intent to harm you, and without even thinking of the result, (remember, you are IN the water by your own volition, up to your, let's say 'knees', so the surprise part is kinda irrelevant) splashes your face, would you more likely use 'in' than 'on'?


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## ribran

duvija said:


> So, if a child at the beach, when you're tiptoeing to slowly enter the frigid waters, splashes around with no intent to harm you, and without even thinking of the result, (remember, you are IN the water by your own volition, up to your, let's say 'knees', so the surprise part is kinda irrelevant) splashes your face, would you more likely use 'in' than 'on'?



In my opinion, splashing water in/on someone's face always implies intent. The difference is that "in someone's face" usually means that it was not the SPEAKER's intent. 

I would say something like:

_The child was splashing around. All of a sudden, I got some water in my face._

_On_ could be appropriate if you were simply saying that there was water on your face when you emerged from the water. If someone asked me why my face was wet, and assuming I had the good sense not to respond, "Because I was just in the water, you bozo!", I would say something like, "When I got in the water, there was a child splashing around, so naturally I got some water on my face."

EDIT: If I made _water_ the subject of the clause, I would definitely say, "...some water got on my face," not, "some water got in my face."


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## duvija

EDIT_: If I made water the subject of the clause, I would definitely say, "...some water got on my face," not, "some water got in my face_." 

Interesting! any idea of why? or it should be another thread?


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## ribran

Don't most English grammars describe _on_ as the preposition used for "support" and _in_ as the preposition for "containment"?

Perhaps it's easier for English speakers (fine, easier for me ) to conceptualize a face as something that contains when the focus of the sentence is the person to whom the face belongs. I find it much more natural to interpret a face as a surface when _water_ is the subject, perhaps because I imagine the water traveling through the air and landing on my face. In other words, it's easier for me to think of the face as just an endpoint.


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## k-in-sc

I would say "That kid splashed water in my face," because splashing water *on* your or somebody else's face is usually intentional. But obviously there's leeway here.
The fact that "in your face" is an expression that means "aggressive(ly), provocative(ly), over the top" also enters into it.


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## Lavernock

duvija said:


> So, if a child at the beach, when you're tiptoeing to slowly enter the frigid waters, splashes around with no intent to harm you, and without even thinking of the result, (remember, you are IN the water by your own volition, up to your, let's say 'knees', so the surprise part is kinda irrelevant) splashes your face, would you more likely use 'in' than 'on'?




It's very difficult to give a complete rule which covers all cases. Remember the advertisment where the weakling on the the beach gets sand kicked *in* his face? 

At best we can give guidelines, but if you sit and think about it, you may well come up with examples which justify the use of one or the other. It would extremely difficult to get complete agreement in every case even among native speakers.


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## blasita

Thanks everybody again.

OK, so just an easy one: _When I got home this afternoon,  I splashed cold water on my face._ ´On´ is fine,  but ´in´ may also be possible (intentional, idea of movement), isn´t it?


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## Lavernock

blasita said:


> Thanks everybody again.
> 
> OK, so just an easy one: _When I got home this afternoon,  I splashed cold water on my face._ ´On´ is fine,  but ´in´ may also be possible (intentional, idea of movement), isn´t it?




*On *is much better.


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## blasita

Lavernock said:


> *On *is much better.



Thank you. So, if I were to say ´in my face´ here, how would be your reaction?  I mean, would you think it´s a grammatical mistake or interpret it in a different way?


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## LhaN999

Por lo que pude entender yo hasta el momento, en esa frase en particular realmente es lo mismo, pues poner el énfasis en el echo de que te echaste agua (ON), o poner el énfasis en el hecho de que lo hiciste en tu cara (IN) no reporta mucha diferencia. El énfasis dependerá del contexto... si por alguna razon no tenias que mojarte ninguna parte del cuerpo pero lo tuviste que hacer y para colmo fue en la cara a mi entender correspondería mejor el IN, pero para algo que pasa sin cuidado el ON.


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## k-in-sc

"I splashed cold water in my face": by accident, unintentionally.


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## blasita

k-in-sc said:


> "I splashed cold water in my face": by accident, unintentionally.



Thanks, K!  But I´ve found it in writing (I mean with ´in´ ) not meaning accidentally, that´s why my question.

Saludos.


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## ribran

blasita said:


> Thanks, K!  But I´ve found it in writing (I mean with ´in´ ) not meaning accidentally, that´s why my question.
> 
> Saludos.



Well, I don't entirely agree that _in_ must always imply that it was an accident or a surprise.


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## Lavernock

blasita said:


> Thank you. So, if I were to say ´in my face´ here, how would be your reaction?  I mean, would you think it´s a grammatical mistake or interpret it in a different way?



He threw a glass of water *in* my face.
*In* my face sounds agressive. 
The raindrops fell *on *(or onto) my face. 
The children tried to catch the snowflakes *on *their tongue. 
I was hit *in* the face by a snowball.
I was dazzled by the headlights  that shone *in  *my face. 
I recognised her when the soft moonlight shone *on* her face.
The heavy wind  whipped the sand *in* (or into) my face.
 There was sand *on* my face when I came home from the beach.

There no universal rule. It's question of feeling. In the above examples *in *creates a feeling of agression, whereas *on* is often more circumstantial


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## blasita

Oof, thanks.  Sorry, this is getting too long but I think it can help others too.

So, I came home after work and went to the bathroom: _When I got home this afternoon, I splashed cold water *in* my face._ Can I say this, please?


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## gringuitoloco

What if we say that in is more "invasive," rather than "intentional" or whatever. Whereas on is used more like "happened upon." It was not there, then it was. Rain falls on one's face, because it just happens upon and is usually not intrusive. It's just rain. If a kid is splashing a the water touches your face, normally one would say that the kid "splashed water on my face." Any act of aggression automatically makes it intrusive. So if I were to purposefully splash water at you, you would say that I splashed water "in my face."


So, for the waves splashing at the beach, if the tide pushes the water to your knees when you are quite obviously "tiptoeing" because of the cold water, and water splashed would be intrusive and thus "in your face." Whereas going to the beach, one expects to get wet. So heading straight into the water, the waves would splash water onto your face. It happened upon you as a result of that which was obviously going to happen, and therefore is not intrusive.

To get "in one's face" is to get into his "personal space" and is intrusive.

Anyone agree?


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## ribran

blasita said:


> Oof, thanks.  Sorry, this is getting too long but I think it can help others too.
> 
> So, I came home after work and I went to the bathroom: _When I got home this afternoon, I splashed cold water *in* my face._ Can I say this, please?



To me, this sounds fine. My general choice would be _on_, but _in_ doesn't seem wrong. Let's assume someone is trying to stay awake for four days straight (why? Who knows?) and feels himself dozing off on the second day. Delirious and disappointed in his own weakness, he may stumble over to the nearest source of water and punish himself with freezing cold water *in* the face. 

There, that's a common, everyday situation, right?


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## Lavernock

blasita said:


> Oof, thanks.  Sorry, this is getting too long but I think it can help others too.
> 
> So, I came home after work and went to the bathroom: _When I got home this afternoon, I splashed cold water *in* my face._ Can I say this, please?



Again I would say *On*


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## blasita

OK, thanks a lot for your help.  It´s not easy at all!

Un saludo.


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## inib

I think Gringito's theory about "invasiveness" seems the safest so far. I've also had another idea, but it's only an idea and the rest of you will have to say if you think it there's anything to it.
It seems to me that the *quantity* of water might have something to do with it. If somebody splashes water *in* my face I seem to get a faceful of water, whereas if they splash water* on* my face, I get the impression of a few drops.


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## gringuitoloco

inib said:


> I think Gringito's theory about "invasiveness" seems the safest so far. I've also had another idea, but it's only an idea and the rest of you will have to say if you think it there's anything to it.
> It seems to me that the *quantity* of water might have something to do with it. If somebody splashes water *in* my face I seem to get a faceful of water, whereas if they splash water* on* my face, I get the impression of a few drops.



I don't think that has to do with it. I think the verb would determine the amount: Splash vs Pour/dump for example.


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## Wandering JJ

Hi fellow foreros!

I've just spent an enjoable ten minutes reading this thread and, as far as the in/on my face example goes, I concur 100% with Lavernock. Had I not read his comments, I would have said early on in the thread that _he splashed water in my face_ was an act done agressively on purpose, while _he splashed water on my face_ could be either accidental or in order to revive me or refresh me - certainly not agressive. 

For other parts of the body, it seems to be that area and protrusion have a bearing. _He hit me on the nose, on the chin, on the cheek, on the knee, on the arm, on the head; he hit me in the eye, in the stomach, in the groin, in the kidneys._ These latter parts of the body are essentially below the surface - I think.

Inib's suggestion that quantity of water (in the 'splashed' discussion) may have a bearing stands up to a degree, but I think it's because large quantity = agression. For example, I wouldn't accept Blasita's_ when I got home, I splashed cold water in my face_, but would say 'on' even if it were a bucketful. 

I'm as confused as most people here! Prepositions are fiendish things.


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## blasita

¡Y yo soy la culpable de todo esto !

No iba a dar las gracias otra vez (por no alargar más el hilo), pero valoro mucho (y seguro que otros que lean este hilo también) vuestra ayuda.  Gracias a las últimas aportaciones: Ribran, K, Gringito, Inib y Wandering, y a _todos_.


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## Lecword

Hola a todos

¿Y si quisiera decir "Tengo lunares en la cara"? ¿Sería correcto decir _"I have beauty marks in my face_" o mejor "_...on my face"_?

Muchas gracias


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## Wreybies

Lecword said:


> Hola a todos
> 
> ¿Y si quisiera decir "Tengo lunares en la cara"? ¿Sería correcto decir _"I have beauty marks in my face_" o mejor "_...in my face"_?
> 
> Muchas gracias




In this case it would be _on my face_.


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## echinocereus

Hi, Masood and Blasita, I believe I would say "He splashed water in my face." I think I get the impression mentioned by Lis48 of motion toward my face. If I were lying down, I might say "He splashed water on my face," but even then the "in my face" would be possible because that "motion toward" idea is compelling. At least, in my mind. _(Yes, that's in my mind.) _

I would also say "He splashed mud in my face." Still motion toward. But "The speeding car passed me and splashed mud on my shoes." 

“Rain splashed in my face.” _(That would mean that a heavy rain hit the pavement and splashed upward into my face – a lot of rain.) _If I were standing outside under a partly-protective overhang on a rainy day I would say "Some water dripped on my head, on my hair, on my forehead..." But still “Some water dripped in my face.” I think if I said “Some water dripped on my face,” again I would have the impression of a horizontal, not vertical face. By the way, with "head" there doesn't seem to be quite the problem as with "face." I would only say "in my head" if I meant "in my brain, in my thoughts." 

Blasita, I conclude that a preposition with "face" is the problem here. With many other objects the usual observations seem to apply, "in" for "inside" and "on" for "atop." We seem to have a lot of figurative as well as literal uses of prepositions with "face." 

Some other “face” problems: "Don't say that behind my back; say it to my face!" and "The llama spit at my face." _(That would mean that the animal aimed his flying saliva at my face, but that he did not necessarily achieve his goal.)_

_I hope some of all of our contributions have helped a little, Blasita. You know, I have always been aware that our verb/preposition combinations __(turn in, on, up, down, around, etc.) __must be truly painful for students of English, but I didn’t realize until I started participating in WR forums that some of our choices of prepositions in ordinary phrases could be so confusing. We English speakers should not complain about por/para. Or even ser/estar. Ever. _

_Un saludo.  

Extra thought:  That could be:  "He splashed mud on my face," if I am thinking of the mud sticking to the surface of my skin.  _


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## echinocereus

Indeed, Lecword and Wreybies, one would say "beauty marks on my face" because they are a part of the surface of the skin; they would seem to be "atop" the face.

Blasita, I think I have a cowardly “rule,” with 99% probability of accuracy, for you in the choice of in/on with “face”:  If you have to guess, use “in.”


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## BrooklynBoy

Wow. This is interesting. I don't know the grammatical rules, but here are some impressions.

There seems to be something unique about referring to the human body (or by analogy, an animal's body). When referring to something happening to the body, we use "in". For example:

He kicked me. He kicked me in the shin. (not "on the shin")
He spit on/at me. He spit in my face.
She punched me. She punched me in the ribs.
The rain fell on me. It fell in my face.

Yet, one would not say:

He kicked his car. He kicked it in the door.
She punched the door. She punched it in the dooknob.

Even with the body, often you can use "in" or "on":

"The rain fell on my face" has a subtly different feel than "The rain fell in my face," though both are correct. I think Lis48 was getting at this with "movement" versus "position." "On my face" emphasizes the physical impact of the rain on my face, wheeras "in my face" emphasizes the "direction," the "movement" of the rain towards and then upon my face.

Hope this is helpful.


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## blasita

That's great, Echi. A very detailed explanation. Many thanks for your help.

Yes, BrooklynBoy, that helps a lot. Thank you very much.

Un saludo a ambos.

And thanks for the additional question.


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## Mydelight

Y si quisiera decir que ves en mi cara que estoy mintiendo? "In" o "on" my face?
Gracias


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## Wandering JJ

En este caso dirías 'in' o 'from' my face. _I see in your face that you're lying._


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## k-in-sc

I can *tell by* your face that you're lying.
I can *see from *your face that you're lying.
You're lying -- I can *see it in *your face.


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## gringuitoloco

k-in-sc said:


> I can *tell by* your face that you're lying.
> I can *see from *your face that you're lying.
> You're lying -- I can *see it in *your face.


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## Picazo

blasita said:


> Muchas gracias, Lavernock.
> 
> Parece que en estos casos sería cuestión de ´collocations´; yo no le puedo encontrar una razón gramatical.
> 
> Es que yo he visto que se usan ambas preposiciones muchas veces en contextos iguales/similares; p.ej. "He splashed some water _in/on_ my face." Tampoco veo que haya una posible o clara asociación con las preposiciones ´a´ y ´en´. Y estoy en mi lucha por encontrar una razón para usar ´in´ y ´on´  aquí como es debido.
> 
> Saludos.


Espero y respondas, y, bueno, ¿Encontraste la forma de saber como usar "in" y "on"


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## Picazo

Soooo, could a coconut fall in and on your head?


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## antropólogo

Picazo, a coconut could only fall *on* your head. 

Es interesante comparar head y face, porque al leer todas las preguntas y respuestas de este hilo, no se me ocurre ningún ejemplo en el que se note la diferencia entre _in my face _y _on my face. _ 

En cambio, nunca se dice fall in my head (para referirse a la caída de un objeto que acaba golpeándole la cabeza a una persona). 

Pero sí se dice: She bumped me on the head tanto como She bumped me in the head, sin ningún cambio de significado.


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## Picazo

Vaya que las preposiciones son raras en ciertos casos, lo mejor sería usarlas aleatoriamente jaja, gracias!!


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## Campanillita

Some examples:

The light shone in his eyes.

The light shone on his face.

He splashed some water on his face.

That guy threw water in my face.

I put some cream on my face to help with my acne.

Don't get in my face about it! (Confrontation)

He punched me in my nose.

He put his hand on my cheek.

***********************

As a native speaker, I use these without thinking about them... but looking at them and trying to find a logic, I notice that the cases that use ''on'' tend to be ones that deal with something sitting/resting on the surface of the facial skin, such as a hand, water, or light shining on the surface of the skin, whereas the cases that use ''in'' tend to be ones dealing either with something entering one of the orifices of the face (light shone in my eyes), or a quick motion directed straight at the face in an aggressive or negative way (a punch, water being thrown, dirt being kicked, etc...)... an exception would be "He slapped me on my cheek'' which perhaps is because it is flat and openhanded.


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## Magazine

Campanillita said:


> That guy threw water in my face.


I guess even that depends on the situation. 

If you had an accident and are lying on floor, wouldn't you rather say_ on my face_?


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## Campanillita

Magazine said:


> I guess even that depends on the situation.
> 
> If you had an accident and are lying on floor, wouldn't you rather say_ on my face_?



Hm... very true.  Perhaps it depends on the direction the water is coming from? Or is it the positive, helpful connotation of the action?  I splash water on my face while standing, but I do it for the purpose of cleaning... So I guess the question would be, what would we say if one were standing and someone threw water on one's face for a kind or helpful purpose?  Actually, I just answered my own question, because I wrote ''on'' without even thinking about it =)... But then, if I were lying on the floor, and someone threw water for the purpose of hurting me.... I'm actually unsure what I would say. I think if the water were poured slowly, I would say it was poured on my face, but if the water were thrown with force.... I might say either but I'd still be leaning towards saying on... yeah.... I'd say on in that case too..... English is weird =P.


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## Picazo

Wooo sure it is! hahaha
Well but, what about the forehead, do you hit/slap someone in or on the forehead? The forehead is a flat surface just like the cheeks.
And like, when people say "I punched him in the nose" would it make sense if I added "into" instead of "in"? I feel this would mean someone put their fist into someone's nose and started to hit him, which makes no sense. And one last question, sorry for being too stubborn about this matter, but thanks to this thread now I know a bit more how to use those 2 prepostions, but, could I actually also say " I punched him over the nose"?


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## Campanillita

Picazo said:


> Wooo sure it is! hahaha
> Well but, what about the forehead, do you hit/slap someone in or on the forehead? The forehead is a flat surface just like the cheeks.
> And like, when people say "I punched him in the nose" would it make sense if I added "into" instead of "in"? I feel this would mean someone put their fist into someone's nose and started to hit him, which makes no sense. And one last question, sorry for being too stubborn about this matter, but thanks to this thread now I know a bit more how to use those 2 prepostions, but, could I actually also say " I punched him over the nose"?



If someone were talking about a slap or a smack that had been targeted directly at the forehead, I'd say "hit him on the forehead." ... However, if something were to just whack into him, like a baseball or something, I'd say "he got hit in the forehead,'' although it wouldn't sound wrong to say ''on'' there as well. I've never heard anyone say ''punched him into the nose''... that would sound terrible to my ear.  I punched him over the nose also sounds very odd to me... but if someone said it, I'd think they were specifying that they had punched him directly above the nose, in the space between the eyebrows.  It would sound odd, and I would have expected them to say '' I hit him right between the eyes'' which interestingly enough is an actual set phrase/idiom =)


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## Picazo

Thanks!!


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## Wandering JJ

Eight years on and 82 posts to date: we still don't have consensus!


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