Learn English – differences between in one day & one day

word-usage

What's the differences between "in one day" and "one day"?

Does the sentence "I need to change eight pieces of clothing in one day" sound natural to you?

Thank you very much!

Best Answer

"in one day" means "all in one day". It refers to a single day, whereas "per day" might be an average over multiple days.

"one day" can either mean "one day", or "sometime in the indefinite future". Depending on the context, it could also mean "sometime in the past".

"I need to change eight pieces of clothing in one day" does not sound natural to me. The "in one day" part of the sentence sounds natural, but the use of "change" is unclear. You might mean:

  • "I need to mend eight pieces of clothing in one day" (as in repairing clothing), or
  • "I need to change clothes eight times in one day" (as in partially or completely undressing, and then dressing in different clothing), or
  • "I need to alter eight pieces of clothing in one day" (as in changing the size or shape of the pieces of clothing).

If you were to say "I need to mend eight pieces of clothing one day", it would imply that some time in the future, you might get around to fixing eight pieces of clothing. The amount of time it might take to fix the clothes is just as unspecified -- it might be a day, or a week, or a year.

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