Hi Helen, In fact, "in a mess" can be used in English. We say that something is "in a mess" when we are referring to a situation that is confusing and littered with problems OR when a place is in a dirty or untidy state. Check out the following URL and look at Point 2: https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/mess When we describe something being "in a mess", we focus on the problematic situation the thing is in. Example: The economy is in a mess. In your case, you are referring to the room itself. We can also use "a mess". That is fine. The room is a mess. Just to share a little more with you, we can also use "a disaster" to describe something that turned out to be a failure. Example: The party was a total disaster. / The room is a disaster! Hope these help! Cheers, Lance

Sure This room is a mess. - ok This room is in a mess. ok Basically the same thing. I don't think there is any distinction for me in most cases. If the room were empty & decorated badly, then I'd be more inclined to say "is a mess", as "in a mess" suggests the arrangement of things being messy. But, that said, "is a mess" does work for the things in a room too. So the exclusion only applies one way round. Empty ugly room - "is a mess" full messy room - either one.

Hi Helen, "This room is a mess" is the correct way to say this. "This room in a mess" does not make sense. "This room is in a mess" would only make sense if the room itself is located in a messy pile of stuff. We can also say "this is a messy room" or "this room is messy." I hope this helps. Please let me know if I didn't answer your question.