I can stop a passerby and ask for directions, understand an answer that gives directions, find the stop, and buy a round-trip ticket for the right train at the station.
Directions on the street and the ticket office at the station
Asking for directions and buying a ticket
Two situations in a row: asking the way on the street and buying a ticket at the station.
To get someone's attention: Perdona — to someone your age, with tú; Perdone — with usted (the form from lesson 1). Then the question:
• ¿Dónde está la parada?
• ¿Dónde está la estación?
Short answers have no verb: Todo recto. · A la derecha. · En la esquina. A full answer uses the tú command from module 4: Gira a la derecha. · Toma la segunda calle a la izquierda.
la parada — a bus stop (not a parade); la estación — a train station or a subway station. The same word means a season — the situation tells you which.
Tickets: un billete de ida — one-way, un billete de ida y vuelta — round-trip. The destination takes a: un billete a Toledo; transportation takes en: en autobús, en metro.
el andén — platform. The word próximo (“next”) changes for gender like adjectives you know: el próximo tren, la próxima parada.
Departure time: ¿A qué hora sale el próximo tren?
Common mistakes:
• NOT “el próxima tren” — correct: el próximo tren.
• NOT “¿Dónde es la parada?” — location takes estar: ¿Dónde está la parada?
• NOT “Voy en la estación” — correct: Voy a la estación.
Letters: x in próximo is /ks/; ll in billete is /ʝ/, like y in “yes”; v in vuelta sounds like b, never the English v.
How people will answer you on the street
A short answer has no verb; a full one uses a tú command.
| Short answer | Translation | Full answer |
|---|---|---|
| Todo recto. | Straight ahead. | Todo recto, hasta el hotel. |
| A la derecha. | To the right. | Toma la primera calle a la derecha. |
| A la izquierda. | To the left. | Gira a la izquierda. |
| En la esquina. | At the corner. | La parada está en la esquina. |
A ticket at the station
Direction takes the preposition a; the platform is el andén plus a number.
| In Spanish | What it means |
|---|---|
| un billete de ida | one-way ticket |
| un billete de ida y vuelta | round-trip ticket |
| un billete a Toledo | ticket to Toledo |
| el andén tres | platform three |
Lesson notes
Asking for directions and buying a ticket
Two situations in a row: asking the way on the street and buying a ticket at the station.
To get someone's attention: Perdona — to someone your age, with tú; Perdone — with usted (the form from lesson 1). Then the question:
• ¿Dónde está la parada?
• ¿Dónde está la estación?
Short answers have no verb: Todo recto. · A la derecha. · En la esquina. A full answer uses the tú command from module 4: Gira a la derecha. · Toma la segunda calle a la izquierda.
la parada — a bus stop (not a parade); la estación — a train station or a subway station. The same word means a season — the situation tells you which.
Tickets: un billete de ida — one-way, un billete de ida y vuelta — round-trip. The destination takes a: un billete a Toledo; transportation takes en: en autobús, en metro.
el andén — platform. The word próximo (“next”) changes for gender like adjectives you know: el próximo tren, la próxima parada.
Departure time: ¿A qué hora sale el próximo tren?
Common mistakes:
• NOT “el próxima tren” — correct: el próximo tren.
• NOT “¿Dónde es la parada?” — location takes estar: ¿Dónde está la parada?
• NOT “Voy en la estación” — correct: Voy a la estación.
Letters: x in próximo is /ks/; ll in billete is /ʝ/, like y in “yes”; v in vuelta sounds like b, never the English v.