About This Lesson
Use Buying a train ticket to practice Spanish conversation, pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, and quizzes.
Dialogue
A
¿Ya tienes un billete de tren?
yah TYEH-nehs oon bee-YEH-teh deh TREHN? Do you already have a train ticket?
B
Todavía no. Necesito comprar uno.
toh-dah-VEE-ah NOH. neh-seh-SEE-toh kohm-PRAR OO-noh. Not yet. I need to buy one.
A
Hay máquinas para comprar billetes junto a la entrada.
EYE MAH-kee-nahs PAH-rah kohm-PRAR bee-YEH-tehs HOON-toh ah lah ehn-TRAH-dah. There are ticket machines by the entrance.
B
Yo compraré el mío allí.
yoh kohm-prah-REH ehl MEE-oh ah-YEE. I'll get mine there.
A
Tengo mi billete en mi teléfono.
TEHNG-goh mee bee-YEH-teh ehn mee teh-LEH-foh-noh. I have my ticket on my phone.
B
Entonces me reuniré contigo aquí después de comprar el mío.
ehn-TOHN-sehs meh reh-oo-nee-REH kohn-TEE-goh ah-KEE dehs-PWEHS deh kohm-PRAR ehl MEE-oh. Then I'll meet you back here after I buy mine.
A
Esperaré cerca de las máquinas.
ehs-peh-rah-REH SEHR-kah deh lahs MAH-kee-nahs. I'll wait near the machines.
B
Búscame al lado de las máquinas.
BOOS-kah-meh ahl LAH-doh deh lahs MAH-kee-nahs. Look for me beside them.Word by Word
Ya
In ¿Ya tienes un billete de tren?, Ya asks whether the listener has the ticket already. It is useful at the beginning of a question about whether something has happened or is true by now.
tienes
In ¿Ya tienes un billete de tren?, tienes means that the listener has or possesses the ticket. It is used with the person being addressed and comes before the thing they may have.
un
In un billete, un introduces one ticket or a ticket. It comes before a singular noun when referring to one item, as in the question about having a ticket.
billete
In billete de tren, billete means ticket. This word names the item being bought or already held, and de tren specifies what kind of ticket it is.
de
In billete de tren, de links the ticket with the train and gives the relation “of” or “for.” The pattern noun de noun is useful for identifying what something is connected with.
tren
In billete de tren, tren means train. It identifies the type of ticket being discussed at the station.
Todavía
In Todavía no, Todavía means yet and shows that the situation has not changed up to now. This expression is useful when answering that something has not happened yet.
no
In Todavía no, no makes the answer negative: the speaker does not have the ticket yet. It is placed with the expression for “yet” in this short reply.
Necesito
In Necesito comprar uno, Necesito says that the speaker needs to do something. It is followed here by the action the speaker needs to carry out, and it is useful for stating a practical need.
comprar
In Necesito comprar uno, comprar means to buy. It names the action needed after Necesito and is followed here by the item being bought.
uno
In comprar uno, uno means one, referring to one ticket understood from the conversation. It lets the speaker avoid repeating the item after the action of buying.
Hay
In Hay máquinas para comprar billetes, Hay introduces the information that ticket machines exist at the place. It is useful for pointing out that something is available or present.
máquinas
In Hay máquinas para comprar billetes, máquinas means machines, specifically the machines used for buying tickets. It is the noun that follows Hay and identifies what is available.
para
In máquinas para comprar billetes, para shows the purpose of the machines: buying tickets. It comes before the action that explains what something is intended for.
billetes
In comprar billetes, billetes means tickets. It is the item that can be bought at the machines, and the plural form refers to tickets in general in this description.
junto
In junto a la entrada, junto indicates that the machines are close to the entrance. Together with a, it gives a location next to a named place.
a
In junto a la entrada, a is part of the location expression meaning next to the entrance. It connects junto with the place that follows.
la
In la entrada, la means the and introduces the specific entrance being mentioned. It comes directly before entrada in this location phrase.
entrada
In junto a la entrada, entrada means entrance. It names the place used as the reference point for locating the machines.
Yo
In Yo compraré el mío allí, Yo identifies the speaker as the person who will buy the ticket. An explicit subject like this is useful when clarifying who will perform the action.
compraré
In Yo compraré el mío allí, compraré means will buy. It expresses the speaker’s future action and is followed here by the ticket and the place.
el
In el mío, el is part of the expression referring to the speaker’s ticket as “mine.” It appears before mío when the possessed item is understood from the conversation.
mío
In el mío, mío means mine and refers to the speaker’s ticket. It is used with el here so the speaker can refer to the ticket without repeating billete.
allí
In compraré el mío allí, allí means there and points to the ticket machines already mentioned. It is placed after the action and object to give the location.
Tengo
In Tengo mi billete en mi teléfono, Tengo means that the speaker has or keeps the ticket. It introduces the item possessed and is useful for saying where something is held.
mi
In mi billete, mi means my and shows that the ticket belongs to or is associated with the speaker. It comes directly before the noun it describes.
en
In en mi teléfono, en shows where the ticket is located: on or in the phone. It connects the item with the place or device where it is kept.
teléfono
In en mi teléfono, teléfono means phone. It names the device where the speaker has the ticket.
Entonces
In Entonces me reuniré contigo aquí, Entonces means then and introduces a consequence or next action based on what was just said. It is useful for linking a decision to the preceding situation.
me
In me reuniré contigo, me marks the speaker’s involvement in the meeting expressed by reuniré. It appears with the verb when the speaker says that they will meet someone.
reuniré
In me reuniré contigo, reuniré means will meet or will get together. It expresses the speaker’s future meeting and is followed here by the person they will meet.
contigo
In me reuniré contigo, contigo means with you and identifies the person the speaker will meet. It is used after the expression for meeting someone.
aquí
In me reuniré contigo aquí, aquí means here and identifies the place where the meeting will happen. It is useful for directing someone to the speaker’s current or stated location.
después
In después de comprar el mío, después means after or later. With de and an action, it places the meeting after the speaker buys the ticket.
Esperaré
In Esperaré cerca de las máquinas, Esperaré means will wait. It states the speaker’s future action and is followed here by the place where the waiting will occur.
cerca
In cerca de las máquinas, cerca means near and indicates a short distance from the machines. It is followed by de and the place used as the reference point.
las
In las máquinas, las means the and introduces the specific machines already mentioned. It comes before the plural noun máquinas in this location phrase.
Búscame
In Búscame al lado de las máquinas, Búscame tells the listener to look for the speaker. The form combines the instruction to look for someone with me, and it is useful when telling someone how to find you.
al
In al lado de las máquinas, al is the contraction of a and el used in the expression meaning beside the machines. This expression is useful for giving a precise location.
lado
In al lado de las máquinas, lado means side and forms part of the location expression meaning beside the machines. The pattern al lado de is used to say that someone or something is next to a place or object.
Grammar Points
Hay + sustantivo
Hay máquinas junto a la entrada.
EYE MAH-kee-nahs HOON-toh ah lah ehn-TRAH-dah.There are machines next to the entrance.
'Hay' means 'there is/there are' and stays the same before singular or plural nouns.
Futuro en primera persona: infinitivo + -é
Esperaré aquí.
ehs-peh-rah-REH ah-KEE.I will wait here.
The first-person future adds '-é' to the infinitive: esperar → esperaré. With reflexive verbs, the pronoun comes first.
Spanish Vocabulary
billete
noun
bee-YEH-teh
ticket
comprar
verb
kohm-PRAR
to buy
entrada
noun
ehn-TRAH-dah
entrance
hay
verb
EYE
there is; there are
junto a
phrase
HOON-toh ah
next to; by
máquina
noun
MAH-kee-nah
machine
máquinas
necesitar
verb
neh-seh-see-TAR
to need
necesito
tener
verb
teh-NEHR
to have
tienes
todavía
adv
toh-dah-VEE-ah
yet
tren
noun
TREHN
train
uno
pron
OO-noh
one
ya
adv
yah
already
Quiz
Word Order
Arrange the words in the correct order.
Do you already have a train ticket?
Show Answer
¿Ya tienes un billete de tren?Not yet. I need to buy one.
Show Answer
Todavía no. Necesito comprar uno.I'll get mine there.
Show Answer
Yo compraré el mío allí.Spelling
Tap the letters to spell the word.
train
Show Answer
trenyet
Show Answer
todavíato need
Show Answer
necesitoto have