About "in" and "inside"
I wonder if there's a difference between "I was trapped inside the building" and "I was trapped in the building". They seem interchangeable here, but do they really?

Question

About "in" and "inside" 
I wonder if there's a difference between "I was trapped inside the building" and "I was trapped in the building". They seem interchangeable here, but do they really?

Answer

"In" and "inside" usually mean the same thing when "inside" is a preposition. When "inside" is used as an adverb, the situation is completely different.

Answer

Hello Hailey,

In your example both "in" and "inside" are interchangeable indeed.
They both mean within the building , inside the enclosed space of the building.
However "in" and "inside" are not always or absolutely interchangeable.

Answer

'In' and 'inside' mean the same when 'inside' is used as a preposition of place.
Examples:
- There are some people in/inside the cafe.
- It was cold in the library. (= inside the building)
- I'll be back within/inside an hour. (= in an hour or less)
- The bird is in/inside the cage.
- What's inside/in the box?

Ne manquez pas cette occasion d'apprendre une langue depuis chez vous. Découvrez notre sélection de professeurs de langues expérimentés et inscrivez-vous dès maintenant à votre premier cours !