Commonly confused

Be in vs Be through

Be in” and “Be through” look alike but pull in different directions. Here is the quick way to tell them apart — with examples, the mistake to avoid, and a check.

Which one do you mean?

Be in means be present at home or at work. Be through means have finished something.

Be in

Be present at home or at work

Be through

Have finished something

be in

  1. 1

    Be present at home or at work

Correct use

Is your dad in?

Is your dad present at home?

Full meaning of be in

be through

  1. 1

    Have finished something

Correct use

I'm through with the report.

I have finished the report.

Full meaning of be through

Test yourself

Is your dad in? What does it mean?

Sink In app icon

Sink In — iOS & Android

Stop mixing them up

Sink In turns confusable pairs like this into quick contrast drills, so the right particle becomes automatic instead of a guess.

  • Learn the pattern behind dozens of verbs at once — not one-off translations.
  • Spaced repetition (SM-2) brings each meaning back right before you forget.
  • Four practice modes train recall and discrimination, not just recognition.
1,300+ phrasal verbs26 particle patternsBuilt for B1–C2
Sink In sense-discrimination practice