Keen on means liking an activity or a subject a lot: keen on football, keen on cooking. It is more common in British English, especially in the negative: I'm not keen on spicy food, meaning I don't really like it.
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be keen on + noun/-ing; be keen to + verb; not keen on + noun
- My dad has always been keen on gardening and grows his own tomatoes.
- I'm not very keen on long meetings, especially on Friday afternoons.
- The new intern is keen to learn and often stays late to ask questions.
What changed
First versionMy brother is really keen in football.
RevisionMy brother is really keen on football.
It is easy to borrow in from interested in: the meanings are close, so the preposition seems the same. But keen needs on. No rule predicts this, so it is best learnt as a whole phrase: keen on.
Keen on is about what you like: I'm keen on cooking. Keen to + verb means you really want to do something, usually soon: I'm keen to try that new restaurant.
Your turn
I'm not ___ horror films, so let's watch a comedy instead.
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keen on — Next comes a noun, horror films, and before it you need on. Keen to needs a verb, for example keen to watch; here to does not attach to a noun.
Write about an activity you love and something you want to try soon. Use both keen on and keen to.
I've been keen on hiking for years, and this summer I'm keen to try a three-day trek in the Alps.
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