Public Transport

Public transport is often the most practical and affordable way to get around in Spanish-speaking cities. Whether you are catching a metro in Madrid, a colectivo in Buenos Aires, or a camión in Mexico City, this lesson will equip you with all the vocabulary and phrases you need.

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Types of Transport

Spanish	English	Notes
el autobús	the bus	camión in Mexico, colectivo in Argentina
el metro	the metro / underground	Available in most major cities
el tren	the train	Long-distance and commuter trains
el taxi	the taxi	Always check the meter is running
el tranvía	the tram	Found in cities like Bilbao, Tenerife
el barco / el ferry	the boat / ferry	For island or river travel
el avión	the plane	For domestic and international flights
el Uber / la app de transporte	the Uber / ride-hailing app	Common in most Latin American cities
la bicicleta	the bicycle	Bike-sharing systems in many cities
el patinete eléctrico	the electric scooter	Increasingly popular in European cities

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Transport Vocabulary

Spanish	English
la parada	the stop (bus/tram)
la estación	the station (metro/train)
el billete / el boleto	the ticket
el abono / la tarjeta de transporte	the travel pass / transport card
ida	one way
ida y vuelta	return / round trip
el andén	the platform
la vía	the track
el horario	the timetable / schedule
el retraso	the delay
la línea	the line
el transbordo / el cambio	the transfer / connection
el conductor	the driver
la taquilla	the ticket office
la máquina expendedora	the ticket machine
la próxima parada	the next stop
la última parada / la terminal	the last stop / terminus
la tarifa	the fare
el recorrido	the route

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Buying Tickets

Spanish	English
Un billete de ida a Barcelona, por favor.	A one-way ticket to Barcelona, please.
Dos billetes de ida y vuelta a Sevilla.	Two return tickets to Seville.
¿Cuánto cuesta un billete sencillo?	How much is a single ticket?
¿Hay abonos de un día / una semana?	Are there day / week passes?
¿Dónde puedo comprar un billete?	Where can I buy a ticket?
¿Puedo pagar con tarjeta?	Can I pay by card?
¿Es necesario validar el billete?	Do I need to validate the ticket?
Quisiera un billete en primera / segunda clase.	I would like a first / second class ticket.

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Asking About Routes and Times