When you travel or live in an English-speaking country, you will use trains, buses and the metro a lot. This article teaches short, natural phrases for three situations: buying a ticket, asking about routes, and dealing with delays. All the examples are A2 level, so you can learn them as they are.
Buying a ticket
At a station you can buy a ticket from a machine or from a person at the ticket window. The easiest polite patterns are Can I have… please? and I’d like… please. Both sound better than I want, which can feel too direct.
- Can I have a ticket to Oxford, please?
- I’d like two tickets to the city centre, please.
- Can I pay by card?
- Do you take cash?
Remember that ticket is a countable noun: a ticket, two tickets. We usually say a ticket to a place.
Single or return?
The clerk may ask: Single or return? This is British English. In American English people say one-way and round-trip. The table shows the differences.
| Meaning | British | American |
|---|---|---|
| one direction only | a single | a one-way ticket |
| there and back | a return | a round-trip ticket |
| city underground train | the Underground / the Tube | the subway |
| list of times | timetable | schedule |
| people waiting in order | queue | line |
Examples: A single to Bath, please. A return to Bath, please. One round-trip ticket to Boston, please.
Asking about routes and stations
Before you get on, check that you are going the right way. These questions are very useful:
- Which bus goes to the museum?
- Does this train stop at Leeds?
- Which platform is it for the train to York?
- Where do I change?
- How many stops is it to the airport?
- What time is the next bus?
Watch the word order. After question words such as what time or where, we put the helping verb before the subject: What time does the train leave? We do not say What time the train leaves?
On the platform and on the bus
We say get on the bus and get off the bus. We use on the bus and on the train, but in a taxi and in a car. When you want to leave the bus, say: Excuse me, I’d like to get off here. If you are not sure about your stop, ask: Is this the right stop for the hospital? or Can you tell me when we get to Station Road?
If you want to sit down, you can ask: Is this seat free? It is polite and very common.
Delays and cancellations
Delays are normal in public transport. You will hear these words at the station:
- The train is delayed.
- The bus has been cancelled.
- The next train is ten minutes late.
- We are sorry for the delay.
And here are questions you can ask: How long is the delay? Is there another bus to the centre? Can I get a refund?
If you arrive late for an appointment, you can say: Sorry I’m late. My train was delayed. Notice that late is an adjective after be: The train is late. We do not say The train is delay.
Common mistakes for Arabic speakers
Some mistakes come from translating an Arabic sentence word for word. Compare the wrong and the correct forms.
| Wrong | Correct | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| I want ticket to London. | Can I have a ticket to London, please? | we need a before a countable noun, and a polite form |
| I go to work by the bus. | I go to work by bus. | no the after by |
| The train is late twenty minutes. | The train is twenty minutes late. | the length of time comes before late |
| Where I can take the bus? | Where can I get the bus? | question word, helping verb, then subject |
| What time the train leaves? | What time does the train leave? | use does and the base verb with no s |
| I want to descend here. | I’d like to get off here. | descend is not the natural word for a bus |
Journey phrase table
Keep this table on your phone and read it before you travel. Every phrase is short and ready to use.
| Situation | English phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Buying a ticket | A single to the airport, please. | a one-way ticket |
| Paying | Can I pay by card? | asking about payment |
| Asking about the route | Which bus goes to the centre? | finding the right bus |
| Platform | Which platform is it? | finding the train |
| Changing | Where do I change? | changing line or train |
| Getting off | I’d like to get off here. | leaving the bus |
| Delay | How long is the delay? | asking about waiting time |
| Cancellation | Is there another train? | asking for an alternative |
A short conversation at the ticket window
Read this dialogue aloud twice.
You: Hello. Can I have a return to Cambridge, please?
Clerk: Of course. Today?
You: Yes, today. Which platform is it?
Clerk: Platform four. But the train is ten minutes late.
You: Thank you. Does it stop at the airport?
Clerk: No, you need to change at the next station.
This dialogue uses most of what you learned: a polite request, a question about the platform, news about a delay, and a question about stops. Try to change the city and the platform number and make a new dialogue.
Tips for practice
- Start with Excuse me when you ask a stranger at the station.
- End your request with please and answer with Thank you.
- If you do not understand, say: Sorry, could you say that again, please?
- Write the eight phrases from the table on cards and review them every day.
With these few phrases you can move around a city with more confidence and ask for help politely when the timetable suddenly changes.