Practice
Invest in or invest on? Choose the natural phrase
Sign in to saveA business buys better equipment. A learner pays for a course. In both cases, English normally uses the same phrase: invest in.
Use invest in, rather than invest on, when you describe money, time, or effort put into something for a future benefit.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
invest in new equipment /ɪnˈvest ɪn njuː ɪˈkwɪp.mənt/
The short answer
Say invest in something. Use in after invest when you mean putting money, time, or effort into something for a future result.
The company invested in new equipment.
Why it works: New equipment is what the company put money into.
4 more examples
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Rosa invested in a short course to improve her writing.
The course is expected to help Rosa in the future.
Not this:Rosa
spent money ona short course to improve her writing. What changes: Spend money on states the expense. Invest in also suggests an expected benefit. -
The library invested time in planning a quieter study area.
Time is the resource, and planning is the activity that receives it.
Not this:The library
invested time onplanning a quieter study area. What changes: After invested time, use in before the activity. -
They invested in shares in a local company.
Shares are the thing they chose as an investment.
Not this:They
invested in a local companythrough its shares. What changes: In can introduce the shares or the company, depending on what the speaker wants to name. -
Our team invested effort in making the instructions clearer.
Making the instructions clearer is the work that received the effort.
Not this:Our team
spent time onthe instructions last week. What changes: Spend time on is a common alternative when the sentence only reports how time was used.
Read the full guide
Learn invest in as one phrase. Do not choose on simply because the next noun is a thing or an activity. First ask what is receiving the money, time, or effort. That target follows in.
Use invest in for the target
Use in after invest when you name what receives money, time, or effort. The target may be a thing, a person, an activity, or a plan.
The school invested in new computers for the classroom.
New computers are the target of the investment, so they follow in.
Do not use invest on for this meaning
Invest on is not the normal English phrase when you mean putting resources into something. Use invest in whether the target is physical, such as equipment, or less concrete, such as training.
The hospital invested in staff training.
Staff training receives the investment. The usual choice is in, not on.
Name money, time, or effort when needed
You can place the resource before the phrase. This helps when the sentence needs to say exactly what was given. The target still follows in.
Kai invested time in learning how to use the new system.
Time is the resource. Learning how to use the system is the target of that time.
Compare invest in with spend on
Spend money on and spend time on are common phrases. They report an expense or a use of time. Invest in often adds the idea that the choice should produce a later benefit.
Mina spent money on a laptop. She sees it as an investment in her work.
The first sentence reports the purchase. The second sentence presents the laptop as something expected to help her work later.
Keep nearby phrases separate
A sentence may contain on after invest in, but on can belong to another word. Group the words by meaning before you decide which preposition follows invest.
We invested in research on safer building materials.
In completes invest in research. On completes research on safer building materials.
Which word completes the phrase invest in research?
Use in. The later word on belongs with research, not with invest.
Check what the sentence means
Before you choose a phrase, identify the resource and the target. If someone puts money, time, or effort into a target for a future result, use invest in.
The cafe invested in better tables so customers could work there comfortably.
Better tables are the target, and the expected result is a more useful space for customers.
Before you go
Remember this
Use invest in for the target of money, time, or effort. Choose spend money on or spend time on when you only want to state an expense or use of time. When on appears elsewhere in the sentence, check which word it belongs with.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Invest in or invest on? Choose the natural phrase"
Is it invest in or invest on?
Use invest in. Say that a company invests in equipment, a learner invests in a course, or a person invests in a business. Invest on is not the normal phrase for putting money, time, or effort into a target.
The company invested in new equipment.
Can I invest time in something?
Yes. You can invest time in an activity or goal when you expect the time to help later. For example, a team can invest time in planning, and a learner can invest time in building a skill.
The company invested on new equipment.
What is the difference between invest in and spend money on?
Spend money on reports where money went. Invest in often presents the choice as one expected to bring a future benefit. Both phrases can describe a course or a laptop, but they give the reader a different emphasis.
Rosa invested in a short course to improve her writing.
What can follow invest in?
Use a noun or noun phrase that names the target. Common targets include equipment, training, property, a company, a project, or a person's skills. You can also say invest money in or invest effort in before naming the target.
Rosa spent money on a short course to improve her writing.
Why can on appear later in a sentence with invest in?
On may belong to a later phrase. In a sentence about research on a topic, in completes invest in research, while on introduces the topic of the research. Read each phrase as a group.
The library invested time in planning a quieter study area.