🇪🇸 SpanishA1–A2

Spanish Public Transport Phrases

This page helps you handle a real public-transport trip in Spain: find the right bus, train, platform, or stop; ask about tickets and fares; check departure times and transfers; and react when something is delayed or you miss a stop. The phrases use everyday Spanish as spoken in Spain, including transport words like andén, billete sencillo, and transbordo.

Useful in real conversations

Essential Spanish phrases

Finding the right service

Ask whether you are on the right bus or train and find the correct stop, station, or platform.

¿Es este el autobús para [place]?
Is this the bus for [place]?
¿Es este el tren para [place]?
Is this the train for [place]?
¿Dónde está la parada de autobús?
Where is the bus stop?
¿Dónde está la estación?
Where is the station?
¿En qué andén sale el tren para [place]?
Which platform does the train to [place] leave from?

Buying tickets and fares

Buy a ticket, ask the price, and check how payment works.

Quiero un billete sencillo, por favor.
I'd like a single ticket, please.
Ida y vuelta, por favor.
A return ticket, please.
¿Cuánto cuesta?
How much does it cost?
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?
Can I pay by card?
¿Dónde saco el billete?
Where do I get the ticket?
¿Tengo que validar el billete?
Do I need to validate the ticket?

Times, stops, and transfers

Ask when a service leaves or arrives, whether it stops somewhere, and whether you need to change.

¿A qué hora sale?
What time does it leave?
¿A qué hora llega?
What time does it arrive?
¿Hace parada en [place]?
Does it stop at [place]?
¿Tengo que hacer transbordo?
Do I have to make a transfer?
¿Cuánto tarda?
How long does it take?
¿Cuál es la siguiente parada?
What's the next stop?

Delays and help

Handle delays, a missed stop, and asking someone to help you get off in the right place.

¿Va con retraso?
Is it delayed?
Creo que me he pasado de parada.
I think I missed my stop.
¿Me puede ayudar?
Can you help me?
¿Dónde tengo que bajar?
Where do I have to get off?
¿Puede avisarme cuando lleguemos a [place]?
Could you let me know when we get to [place]?

Example conversations

Buying a train ticket at the station

You are at a station in Spain and want to check the right train, buy a ticket, and pay by card.

You
Hola, ¿es este el tren para Madrid?
Hi, is this the train for Madrid?
Other person
Sí, sale del andén 4.
Yes, it leaves from platform 4.
You
Gracias. ¿Dónde saco el billete?
Thanks. Where do I get the ticket?
Other person
En la máquina, al lado de la taquilla. ¿Quiere ida y vuelta?
At the machine, next to the ticket office. Do you want a return ticket?
You
No, quiero un billete sencillo, por favor.
No, I'd like a single ticket, please.
Other person
Perfecto. ¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?
Perfect. Can I pay by card?

Missing a stop on the bus

You are on a bus, notice a delay, and realize you may have missed your stop.

You
Perdón, ¿va con retraso?
Sorry, is it delayed?
Other person
Sí, hoy lleva unos diez minutos.
Yes, today it's about ten minutes late.
You
Creo que me he pasado de parada.
I think I missed my stop.
Other person
¿Dónde tenía que bajar?
Where did you need to get off?
You
En [place]. ¿Puede avisarme cuando lleguemos a [place]?
At [place]. Could you let me know when we get to [place]?
Other person
Claro, le aviso.
Of course, I'll let you know.

A few things to know

polite by default

With staff and strangers in Spain, start with polite forms such as ¿Puede...? and ¿Me puede...?; neutral information questions like ¿Dónde está...? are also normal. Use informal tú only if the other person uses it first.

grammar

Recent problems are often said with the present perfect in Spain

In es_ES, speakers commonly use the present perfect for something that has just happened, which is why "Creo que me he pasado de parada." sounds natural here. In many other Spanish varieties, the simple past is also common in this kind of situation.

usage

Ticket names on Spanish transport

In Spain, "billete sencillo" is the usual way to ask for a one-way ticket, and "ida y vuelta" means a return ticket. These are the labels you will commonly hear at counters and ticket machines.

regional

Parada and andén are different transport words

Use "parada" for a bus stop and "andén" for a train platform, as in "¿Dónde está la parada de autobús?" and "¿En qué andén sale el tren para [place]?". On some station displays, "vía" refers to the track number, not the platform.

Try it yourself

Choose the right phrase

Pick what you would say in each situation.

Question 1 of 3

Question 1
Question 2
Question 3

You are at a station and want to know which platform the train to Valencia leaves from.

¿En qué andén sale el tren para [place]?¿Dónde saco el billete?¿A qué hora llega?

Keep building your everyday vocabulary

Spanish Introductions: Essential PhrasesSpanish phrases for greeting someone, introducing yourself, asking basic personal questions, and closing a first conversation naturally in Spain.Spanish Restaurant and Café PhrasesSpanish (Spain) phrases for restaurant and café visits: getting a table, ordering, checking ingredients, handling a problem, paying, and leaving politely.How to Ask for Directions in SpanishSpanish phrases for asking where a place is, understanding street directions, and checking or thanking someone who helps you find it.Spanish Hotel and Accommodation PhrasesSpanish hotel phrases for checking in, asking about services, reporting room problems, and checking out in Spain.Essential Spanish Shopping PhrasesEssential Spanish phrases for shopping in Spain: asking for help, checking price and size, trying items on, understanding basic replies, paying, and handling a simple exchange or return.

Put the phrases in context