Introduction
The phrase spend time (in) doing something is commonly used in English to talk about how someone uses their time.
Both forms — with and without in — are correct, but the version without in is more common in modern usage.
Structure
The basic structure is:
subject + spend/spends/spent + time/money + (in) + verb-ing
Examples:
- She spends a lot of time reading novels.
- They spent the whole afternoon (in) playing chess.
- I don’t want to spend my life (in) complaining.
Key Points
- The word in is optional and often omitted in everyday English.
- You can also use
spend time on + noun: “He spends time on homework.” - The verb after spend time must be in the -ing form (gerund).
Common Mistakes
- ❌ “She spends time to read.” → ✅ “She spends time reading.”
- ❌ “They spent time in watch TV.” → ✅ “They spent time (in) watching TV.”