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TravelSpeaking roleplay

Buying a train ticket in English

Buy a one-way or return ticket, find your platform and sort out a cancelled train or a missed connection, out loud, with a ticket clerk who reacts to what you say.

Your level

  • Kateticket office
  • 3 levels
  • Speak, or type

Kate, ticket office

Morning. Where are you heading?

Your goal Your train is cancelled: ask about the next one and a cheaper ticket.

Example conversation: buying a train ticket

How the roleplay can go at each level, with answers that work. In the roleplay, Kate reacts to your own words, so it can go differently.

BeginnerBuy a one way or return ticket and find out the time and platform.
  1. Kate

    Hello. Where are you travelling to?

  2. You

    A ticket to Oxford, please.

  3. Kate

    Okay. One way or return?

  4. You

    A return, please. I'm coming back today.

  5. Kate

    That's twenty-four pounds, please. Here's your ticket. Anything else?

  6. You

    Yes. What time is the next train?

  7. Kate

    Ten fifteen. That's in twenty minutes. Do you know where to go?

  8. You

    No. Which platform is it?

  9. Kate

    Platform four, over the bridge. Have a good journey!

IntermediateYour train is cancelled: ask about the next one and a cheaper ticket.
  1. Kate

    Morning. Where are you heading?

  2. You

    I'm going to York, on the ten o'clock train.

  3. Kate

    Okay. Sorry, the ten o'clock is cancelled.

  4. You

    Oh no. When's the next one?

  5. Kate

    Ten forty, but you change at Leeds. A single to York is forty-two pounds.

  6. You

    Is there anything cheaper? I've got a railcard.

  7. Kate

    With the railcard, it's twenty-eight. There you go. Anything else?

  8. You

    Which platform does it leave from?

  9. Kate

    Platform two. Check the board. Have a good trip!

Upper intermediateYou missed your connection: get your ticket changed for free and ask about compensation.
  1. Kate

    Next, please. What's the problem?

  2. You

    My first train was late, so I missed my connection.

  3. Kate

    I see. It's only valid on the train you missed. A new one's sixty pounds.

  4. You

    It wasn't my fault. Could you change it at no extra cost?

  5. Kate

    The delay was ours, so I'll change it for free. You're on the twelve fifteen. Anything else?

  6. You

    Am I entitled to any compensation for the delay?

  7. Kate

    Yes, it was over thirty minutes late. You claim online. Do you know how?

  8. You

    Not really. What do I need to send, and where?

  9. Kate

    Upload a photo of your ticket on our website. Here's your new ticket. Sorry again.

Useful phrases

The phrases the roleplay listens for at each level. Use one and it lights up in the roleplay.

Beginner

  • A ticket to…, please.
  • A return, please.
  • One way, please.
  • What time is the next train?
  • Which platform is it?

Intermediate

  • When's the next one?
  • Do I have to change?
  • Is there anything cheaper?
  • I've got a railcard.
  • Which platform does it leave from?

Upper intermediate

  • I missed my connection.
  • It wasn't my fault.
  • Could you change it at no extra cost?
  • Am I entitled to…?
  • How do I make a claim?
  • one waya ticket to go there, not to come back
  • a returna ticket there and back
  • a platformthe place where you get on the train
  • cancelledit will not run today
  • off-peaka quieter time, with cheaper tickets
  • a railcarda card that makes train tickets cheaper
  • validyou are allowed to use it
  • a connectionthe second train you have to catch
  • compensationmoney for a problem that was not your fault

Common mistakes

Things people often say here, and a more natural way to say them. If you say one in the roleplay, you see the fix under your answer.

  • Instead ofA go and return ticket.

    SayA return ticket.

    A ticket there and back is a “return”.

  • Instead ofIs it in platform four?

    SayIs it on platform four?

    Trains leave from a platform: on platform four.

  • Instead ofWhat time the train leaves?

    SayWhat time does the train leave?

    In a question, use “does”: what time does the train leave?

  • Instead ofThe train is cancel.

    SayThe train is cancelled.

    Use “cancelled”: the train is cancelled.

  • Instead ofIs there any cheaper ticket?

    SayIs there a cheaper ticket?

    For one thing, use “a”: is there a cheaper ticket?

  • Instead ofThe train is late twenty minutes.

    SayThe train is twenty minutes late.

    Put the time first: twenty minutes late.

  • Instead ofI lost my connection.

    SayI missed my connection.

    You miss a train. You lose things.

  • Instead ofCan I take my money back?

    SayCan I get my money back?

    We “get” our money back.

  • Instead ofCan I get a compensation?

    SayCan I get compensation?

    “Compensation” takes no “a”.

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