How to take the subway in Chinese
You're at a subway station in Beijing. A friendly station staff member helps you buy a ticket and find your train.
How the conversation starts
王芳 (Wang Fang) · subway station staff
Take the subway
What you do
- Say where you want to go
- Ask how to buy a ticket
- Ask where to take the train
What to say
- 我去___。Wǒ qù ___.I'm going to ___.
- 多少钱？Duōshao qián?How much is it?
- 怎么买票？Zěnme mǎi piào?How do I buy a ticket?
- 在哪儿坐车？Zài nǎr zuò chē?Where do I take the train?
- 谢谢！Xièxie!Thank you!
Take the subway
You're at the service desk of Beijing Railway Station (北京站) subway station. You want to go to the Summer Palace (颐和园), which takes a change of line. You need a ticket too.
What you do
- Say where you want to go and ask which line to take
- Ask how long it takes
- Buy a ticket
What to say
- 我要去___。Wǒ yào qù ___.I want to go to ___.
4 more sentences in this lesson, in the app.
Subway: the machine won't take your card
You're at the service desk of Beijing Railway Station (北京站) subway station, going to the Summer Palace (颐和园): Line 2 to Xizhimen (西直门), then Line 4 to Beigongmen (北宫门). The ticket machine won't take your foreign bank card, but you have Alipay with your card linked.
What you do
- Ask how to get to the Summer Palace
- The machine won't take your card: ask how else to pay
- Ask which exit to take when you get there
What to say
- 请问去颐和园怎么坐？Qǐngwèn qù Yíhéyuán zěnme zuò?How do I get to the Summer Palace?
4 more sentences in this lesson, in the app.
Now say it out loud
In Kaiko, 王芳 (Wang Fang) answers you out loud in Chinese, and a coach corrects you as you go.