Chinese phrasebook
Buying a Train Ticket in Chinese
Practise buying a train ticket in Mandarin. You want to visit Tianjin today: choose your ticket, ask about times and find your platform.
Situation: A ticket office at a railway station in Beijing. Your goal: Buy a return ticket to Tianjin.
The whole conversation, line by line
Tap to hear a line. Ticket clerk speaks first; the bold lines are what you can say. To see the lines in your own language, choose it in the language menu at the top.
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Ticket clerk
早上好。您想去哪儿？
zǎoshàng hǎo. nín xiǎng qù nǎr?
Good morning. Where would you like to go?
You
早上好。我想买一张去天津的票。
zǎoshàng hǎo. wǒ xiǎng mǎi yì zhāng qù Tiānjīn de piào.
Good morning. I'd like a ticket to Tianjin, please.
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Ticket clerk
好的。要单程票还是往返票？
hǎo de. yào dānchéngpiào háishi wǎngfǎnpiào?
Certainly. Would you like a single or a return?
You
往返票，谢谢。我今天晚上回来。
wǎngfǎnpiào, xièxie. wǒ jīntiān wǎnshàng huílái.
A return, please. I'm coming back this evening.
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Ticket clerk
一共一百一十块。您现在走还是晚一点走？
yígòng yìbǎi yīshí kuài. nín xiànzài zǒu háishi wǎn yìdiǎn zǒu?
That's one hundred and ten yuan. Are you travelling now, or later today?
You
现在走。下一班车几点开？
xiànzài zǒu. xià yì bānchē jǐ diǎn kāi?
Now, please. What time is the next train?
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Ticket clerk
下一班车十点四十分开，十一点二十分到天津。
xià yì bānchē shí diǎn sìshí fēn kāi, shíyī diǎn èrshí fēn dào Tiānjīn.
The next train leaves at ten forty and arrives in Tianjin at eleven twenty.
You
太好了。在几号站台上车？
tài hǎo le. zài jǐ hào zhàntái shàngchē?
Lovely. Which platform does it leave from?
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Ticket clerk
四号站台。您刷卡还是付现金？
sì hào zhàntái. nín shuākǎ háishi fù xiànjīn?
It leaves from platform four. You can pay by card or in cash.
You
刷卡，谢谢。
shuākǎ, xièxie.
By card, please.
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Ticket clerk
好的，这是您的票。请拿好，下车前不要丢。还需要别的吗？
hǎo de, zhè shì nín de piào. qǐng ná hǎo, xiàchē qián búyào diū. hái xūyào bié de ma?
Thank you. Here is your ticket. Keep it until the end of your journey. Do you need anything else?
You
需要。车站里有咖啡店吗？
xūyào. chēzhàn lǐ yǒu kāfēi diàn ma?
Yes, is there a café at the station?
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Ticket clerk
有，就在二号站台对面。祝您旅途愉快！
yǒu, jiù zài èr hào zhàntái duìmiàn. zhù nín lǚtú yúkuài!
Yes, it's just opposite platform two. Enjoy your trip!
You
非常感谢。再见！
fēicháng gǎnxiè. zàijiàn!
Thank you very much. Goodbye!
Now say it for real.
Play this scene as a conversation: the other person speaks, you pick the right reply, and every wrong one comes with a hint. Free on the web.