How to Buy Train Tickets in Chinese: Beginner Dialogue in Shanghai 🚂

Planning a trip around China by train? This lesson will guide you through a common travel scenario: buying train tickets at the station. Follow Wang Wei and Li Na as they purchase tickets for their trip to Shanghai, and learn essential vocabulary for travel, numbers, and making transactions in Mandarin Chinese.

💬 Video Transcript

王伟: 李娜，我们在这里。
(Wang Wei: Li Na, we are here.)

李娜: 是的，王伟。这里是火车站。
(Li Na: Yes, Wang Wei. This is the train station.)

王伟: 我们要买票。
(Wang Wei: We want to buy tickets.)

李娜: 对。我们要买火车票。
(Li Na: Correct. We want to buy train tickets.)

王伟: 我们去哪里？
(Wang Wei: Where are we going?)

李娜: 我们去上海，好吗？
(Li Na: We’re going to Shanghai, okay?)

王伟: 好！我们去上海。上海很好。
(Wang Wei: Okay! We’re going to Shanghai. Shanghai is great.)

李娜: 我也觉得上海很好。我们买去上海的票。
(Li Na: I also think Shanghai is great. Let’s buy tickets to Shanghai.)

王伟: 我们要买几张票？
(Wang Wei: How many tickets should we buy?)

李娜: 我们要买两张票。一张是你的，一张是我的。
(Li Na: We need to buy two tickets. One is yours, and one is mine.)

王伟: 对。一张我的票，一张你的票。我们有两个人。
(Wang Wei: Correct. One ticket for me, one ticket for you. There are two of us.)

李娜: 是的，两个人，两张票。
(Li Na: Yes, two people, two tickets.)

王伟: 我们买今天的票吗？
(Wang Wei: Are we buying tickets for today?)

李娜: 我们不买今天的票。我们买明天的票。
(Li Na: We are not buying today’s tickets. We are buying tomorrow’s tickets.)

王伟: 好的。我们买明天的火车票。
(Wang Wei: Okay. We’ll buy train tickets for tomorrow.)

李娜: 你好，我们要买两张火车票。
(Li Na: Hello, we want to buy two train tickets.)

王伟: 是的，两张去上海的火车票。
(Wang Wei: Yes, two train tickets to Shanghai.)

李娜: 我们要明天的票。
(Li Na: We want tickets for tomorrow.)

王伟: 好的。多少钱？
(Wang Wei: Okay. How much is it?)

李娜: 一张票五百元。两张票是一千元。
(Li Na: One ticket is 500 yuan. Two tickets are 1000 yuan.)

王伟: 一千元。好的，这是钱。
(Wang Wei: 1000 yuan. Okay, here is the money.)

李娜: 谢谢你。现在我们有票了。
(Li Na: Thank you. Now we have the tickets.)

王伟: 太好了！这是你的票。
(Wang Wei: Great! This is your ticket.)

李娜: 谢谢。这是你的票。
(Li Na: Thanks. This is your ticket.)

王伟: 我们明天可以去上海了！
(Wang Wei: We can go to Shanghai tomorrow!)

李娜: 是的！我很高兴。
(Li Na: Yes! I’m very happy.)

王伟: 我也很高兴。李娜，我们回家吧。
(Wang Wei: I’m also very happy. Li Na, let’s go home.)

李娜: 好的，王伟。明天见。
(Li Na: Okay, Wang Wei. See you tomorrow.)

王伟: 明天见！
(Wang Wei: See you tomorrow!)

📝 Essential Vocabulary

🔍 Grammar Focus

1. Using the Measure Word 张 (zhāng)

In English, we just say “two tickets.” But in Mandarin Chinese, you almost always need a “measure word” between a number and a noun. For flat objects like tickets, paper, or tables, the correct measure word is 张 (zhāng).

Notice how Wang Wei and Li Na use it in the dialogue:

• 我们要买两张票。 (Wǒmen yào mǎi liǎng zhāng piào.) - We want to buy two tickets.
• 一张是你的，一张是我的。 (Yī zhāng shì nǐ de, yī zhāng shì wǒ de.) - One is yours, and one is mine.

Also, note that when counting two of something, you use 两 (liǎng) instead of 二 (èr).

2. Expressing “Want” or “Need” with 要 (yào)

The word 要 (yào) is a simple and powerful way to express that you want or need something. It’s essential for any transaction, from ordering food to buying tickets.

You can see it used throughout the script:

• 我们要买票。 (Wǒmen yào mǎi piào.) - We want to buy tickets.
• 我们要买几张票？ (Wǒmen yào mǎi jǐ zhāng piào?) - How many tickets do we want to buy?
• 我们要明天的票。 (Wǒmen yào míngtiān de piào.) - We want tomorrow’s tickets.

The structure is straightforward: Subject + 要 (yào) + Noun/Verb Phrase.

🌍 Cultural Tip

🃏 Flip & Learn

💡 Key Takeaways

• To state you want to buy tickets, say: 我们要买票 (Wǒmen yào mǎi piào).
• Remember to use the measure word 张 (zhāng) for tickets, like in 两张票 (liǎng zhāng piào).
• To ask for the price of something, use the phrase: 多少钱? (Duōshǎo qián?).
• Specify the day for your ticket: 今天的票 (jīntiān de piào) for today, or 明天的票 (míngtiān de piào) for tomorrow.
• 上海 (Shànghǎi) is a major city and a common travel destination in China.

🎯 Practice Quiz

✍️ Fill in the Blanks

Let’s test your spelling and memory! Fill in the missing words below. Use correct spelling.