Learn about buying a train ticket
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| INTRODUCTION |
| In Spain, riding the rails is one of the best ways to get around, not only locally, but also for long-distance destinations. In fact, traveling by train is one of the best ways to see everything Spain has to offer. |
| GRAMMAR POINT |
| In Spain, one can buy train tickets at ticket gate windows and of course, on the internet. |
| When traveling long distances, there are several types of trains and services you can choose, which vary in speed and number of staffs. We’ll review a bit later in this lesson different long-distance lines that you can use in Spain. Let’s work on getting the ticket. This is why we’ll probably on the internet, so open your web browser, type, www.renfe.es, click on the English flag on the left and surf the site. |
| Now, to get a ticket from a gate window, we can accomplish this by asking “Ticket to (destination), please” where the destination is your desired destination. In today’s lesson, we’ll use Cordoba Station. |
| In Spanish, “station” is estación. |
| Let’s break it down by syllable: es-ta-ción. |
| Now, let’s hear it once again, estación. |
| So our location is Cordoba Station, which in Spanish is estación de Córdoba. |
| So, “Ticket to Cordoba Station, please” would be, Billete para la estación de Córdoba por favor. |
| Billete para la estación de Córdoba por favor. |
| Once we have established the destination, it is time to tell him the type of seat you want. |
| In Spanish, “One first class seat” is Un asiento de primera clase. |
| Un asiento de primera clase. |
| Let’s break it down by syllable: Un a-sien-to de pri-me-ra cla-se. |
| Now, let’s hear it once again, Un asiento de primera clase. |
| The first word, un, is the indefinite article “a” for masculine singular. |
| un |
| This is followed by asiento, which means “seat.” |
| Let’s break it down by syllable: a-sien-to. |
| And one more time, a-sien-to. |
| Then we have de, which means “of.” |
| de |
| This is followed by primera, which means “first.” |
| Let’s break it down by syllable: pri-me-ra. |
| And let’s hear it once again, primera. |
| Finally, we have clase, which means “class.” |
| Syllable break down: cla-se. |
| And once again, clase. |
| So, all together, we have Un asiento de primera clase. |
| For more than one seat, simply replace the word for “one” un with the verb for “two” dos. |
| Dos asientos de primera clase. |
| For a different type of seat, simply replace the type. |
| In the above example, replace “first class” primera clase with clase turista, which means “tourist class.” |
| Un asiento de clase turista. |
| If traveling with children, you can get cheaper prices if you buy children seats. For this, you just have to add para niños after the type of seat. In the first class sample, the phrase would become Un asiento de primera clase para niños. |
| Un asiento de primera clase para niños. |
| Okay, let’s reveal now some lines and services you can get from Renfe, which by the way is the railway’s company in Spain. |
| AVE |
| It’s the high-speed trains in Spain. Unfortunately, the number of destinations is very limited, so if you plan to travel to Seville or Zaragoza, for example, this could be the best option. |
| Talgo |
| It’s a Spanish technology train with destination to most important cities in Spain. It’s fast and comfortable, so it’s an option to take into account. |
| Estrella |
| It’s a comfortable night train designed to travel on the night and reach your destination in the morning. You can choose a sleeping car, bed, or sitting. |
| Trenhotel “Train Hotel” |
| It’s a comfortable night train designed to travel on the night and reach your destination in the morning. All seats are sleeping car or bed and the services intend to be similar to the ones you can get in a hotel. Trenhotel for international destinations. You can travel to some cities in Europe like Lisbon, Paris, Zurich, Montpellier, or Milan in exclusive train hotel lines. |
| But if you feel adventurous and want to travel all over Spain or even all over Europe, the Interrail Passes is surely what you are looking for. |
| Let’s review the options: |
| Interrail Global Pass |
| For traveling all countries in Europe, available for continuous periods of 22 days or 1 month. There is a flexible option that lets you use trains 5 days in a period of 10 days or 10 days in a period of 22 days. |
| Interrail One Country Pass |
| It’s new in 2007 and allows you to use trains in one European country with just one pass. It’s always advisable to study all information in that website to learn if there is any restriction in the use of the pass. For latest information, for in-depth details, or even if you want to purchase One Pass, visit the Interrail site at www.interrailnet.com. |
| The purchase process is really, really simple. |
| 1. Enter the site and click on “buy now.” |
| 2. Click on the option that better fits you (number of days, first/second class, adult/youth, country). |
| 3. Enter the personal information required. |
| 4. Enter the delivery address. It’s necessary because your pass will be shipped to the address you enter. It’s important that someone in this address can sign when receiving the pass. |
| 5. Enter payment information. |
| 6. Confirm your order. |
| Okay, so you can now enjoy your trip to Spain or all over Europe. |
Outro |
|---|
| Okay, to close out today’s lesson, we'd like for you to practice what you've just learned. I'll provide you with the English equivalent of the phrase and you are responsible for saying it aloud. You’ll have a few seconds before I give you the answer, so buena suerte, that means “good luck” in Spanish. |
| Ok, here we go! |
| “Ticket to Cordoba Station, please.” - Billete para la estación de Córdoba por favor. |
| Billete para la estación de Córdoba por favor. |
| Billete para la estación de Córdoba por favor. |
| “One first class seat.” - Un asiento de primera clase. |
| Un asiento de primera clase. |
| Un asiento de primera clase. |
| “Two tourist class seats for children.” - Dos asientos de clase turista para niños. |
| Dos asientos de clase turista para niños. |
| Dos asientos de clase turista para niños. |
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