Lesson 09

Transportation

Getting around: buying tickets, using trains, buses, subways, and taxis
Adult Speaking English  ·  Arc 3: Getting Around
By the end of this lesson

Today's Goals

You will be able to:
  1. The student can ask where and how to buy a ticket, and understand the price.
  2. The student can ask about platforms, stops, and whether a specific train/bus goes to their destination.
  3. The student can ask a fellow passenger or staff member where to get off.
  4. The student can handle a simple travel disruption (delay, platform change) by asking for help.
  5. The student can narrate a multi-step trip from arrival to destination.
Lesson flow — 45 min
Warm-up5 min
Input8 min
Controlled Practice8 min
Listening7 min
Role-play10 min
Free Speaking5 min
Review/Homework2 min
Lesson 09 — Transportation3
Stage 1

Warm-up

55 min
Goal
Talk about how the student usually travels — bus, subway, taxi, train.
Lesson 09 — Transportation4
High-frequency words

Key Vocabulary

Press C to show or hide the Chinese.
ticket
票
I need a ticket to downtown.
platform
站台／月台
The train leaves from platform 4.
one-way / round-trip
单程／往返
I'd like a one-way ticket, please.
transfer (verb/noun)
换乘
You need to transfer at the next station.
get on / get off
上车／下车
Where should I get off?
stop (noun)
站点
This is not my stop yet.
subway / metro
地铁
The subway is faster than a taxi.
delayed
延误
The train is delayed by 20 minutes.
Lesson 09 — Transportation5
High-frequency words

Key Vocabulary (cont.)

Press C to show or hide the Chinese.
fare
票价
What's the fare to the airport?
taxi stand
出租车候车点
The taxi stand is outside the exit.
schedule
时刻表
Can I check the schedule online?
direct (no transfer)
直达
Is this a direct train, or do I need to transfer?
Lesson 09 — Transportation6
2 of 7 patterns

Core Expressions 1–2

1
Where can I buy a ticket?
我在哪里可以买票？
Excuse me, where can I buy a ticket for the subway?
Where can I buy a ticket to the city center?
Your turn: Think of a real trip you've taken — where did you actually buy the ticket?
2
How much is a ticket to...?
到…的票多少钱？
How much is a ticket to the airport?
How much is a ticket to [Destination]?
Your turn: Ask this about a real place you'd like to travel to.
Lesson 09 — Transportation7
4 of 7 patterns

Core Expressions 3–4

3
Which platform?
哪个站台／月台？
Excuse me, which platform for the train to [Destination]?
Which platform does this bus leave from?
Your turn: Imagine you're at a busy station — ask which platform for a real destination.
4
Does this train go to...?
这趟车去…吗？
Does this train go to the airport?
Does this bus go to the city center?
Your turn: Practice confirming a route to a place you'd actually want to reach.
Lesson 09 — Transportation8
6 of 7 patterns

Core Expressions 5–6

5
Where should I get off?
我应该在哪里下车？
Where should I get off for the museum?
Excuse me, where should I get off for [Destination]?
Your turn: Ask this as if you're on a bus heading toward a place you're unfamiliar with.
6
Is this seat taken? / Excuse me, is this the right train for...?
这个座位有人吗？／这是去…的正确车次吗？
Excuse me, is this the right train for downtown?
Is this seat taken? I think this is my stop coming up.
Your turn: Practice confirming you're on the right transportation before it departs.
Lesson 09 — Transportation9
7 of 7 patterns

Core Expression 7

7
The train/bus is delayed. What should I do?
火车／公交延误了，我该怎么办？
Sorry, is this train delayed? I have a connection to catch.
The bus is delayed — do you know when the next one comes?
Your turn: Imagine your transportation is delayed on the way to somewhere important — how would you ask for help?
Lesson 09 — Transportation10
Stage 4

Listening

77 min
A train station ticket counter, then the platform.
Traveler
Hi, where can I buy a ticket to the airport?
Staff
Right here at this counter. One-way or round-trip?
Traveler
One-way, please. How much is it?
Staff
That'll be $12.
Traveler
Great, here you go. Which platform does it leave from?
Staff
Platform 6, but let me check... actually, it's just been changed to platform 9 because of maintenance work.
Traveler
Oh, platform 9, got it. Is it a direct train, or do I need to transfer?
Staff
It's direct, about 35 minutes. It leaves in ten minutes, so you should head over now.
Traveler
Thanks so much!
(At the platform, a few minutes later)
Traveler
Excuse me, is this the right platform for the airport train?
Passenger
Yes, this is it. Actually — heads up, it looks like it's delayed by about five minutes.
Lesson 09 — Transportation11
Stage 4

Listening (cont.)

Traveler
Oh, okay, thanks for letting me know. Do you know where I should get off for the airport, exactly?
Passenger
It's the last stop, so don't worry, you can't miss it.
Traveler
Perfect, thank you!
Lesson 09 — Transportation12
Comprehension & discussion

Listening Check

Before listening

  1. Look at the setting: a train station. What questions do you think the traveler will ask?
  2. Do you think anything unexpected happens? Guess before listening.

While listening

  1. Listen and write down the price of the ticket and whether it's one-way or round-trip.
  2. What platform does the staff member first say, and what does it change to?
  3. Is the train direct, or does the traveler need to transfer?
  4. What two things does the passenger on the platform tell the traveler?

After listening

  1. In your own words, retell what happened at the station and on the platform.
  2. Have you ever had a platform change or delay happen to you? What did you do?
  3. If you were the traveler and missed the announcement about the platform change, what would you do next?
Lesson 09 — Transportation13
Stage 5

Controlled Practice

88 min
Model
Teacher demonstrates each pattern naturally, as if standing at a real ticket counter or platform.
Repeat
Student repeats each pattern 2–3 times with natural stress and rhythm.
Substitute
Teacher gives a cue, student swaps it into the pattern.
  • Cue: "the museum" → "How much is a ticket to the museum?"
  • Cue: "platform 3" → "Which platform for the train to platform 3?" (adjust: "Is this platform 3?")
  • Cue: "downtown" → "Does this bus go to downtown?"
  • Cue: "the next stop" → "Where should I get off? Is it the next stop?"
Personalize
Student uses a real trip they've taken or want to take (to [Destination], to the airport, to visit family).
  • "How much is a ticket to [real place]?"
  • "Where should I get off for [real place]?"
Remove prompts
Teacher plays a station staff member or fellow passenger with no script; student must ask for ticket info, platform, and confirm the right stop without prompts, reacting to improvised answers (including a sudden delay or platform change).
Lesson 09 — Transportation14
Stage 6

Role-play

1010 min
Situation
The student has just landed at an airport (or arrived at a station) in an unfamiliar city and needs to buy a ticket and take public transportation to their hotel.
Teacher
Play the ticket counter staff, then a fellow passenger on the platform/train. Introduce realistic complications (platform change, delay, wrong information) that the student must navigate in real time.
Student
Ask where to buy a ticket, how much it costs, which platform to use, whether the train/bus is direct, and where to get off — adapting when something changes.
Useful language
Where can I buy a ticket?
How much is a ticket to...?
Which platform?
Does this train go to...?
Where should I get off?
Is this the right train/platform for...?
Lesson 09 — Transportation15
Make it unpredictable

Challenge Cards

Drop one of these in mid-role-play.
Platform changed last minute

The staff announces the platform has changed just as the student is about to head there. The student must ask which one is correct and react quickly.

Train/bus delayed

The transportation is delayed with no clear new time. The student must decide what to do — wait, ask for alternatives, or find another way.

Wrong stop almost missed

The student realizes they weren't paying attention and isn't sure if their stop is next. They must ask a passenger to confirm quickly.

Ticket machine/counter issue

The ticket counter only accepts cash, or the machine is out of order, and the student must ask for an alternative way to buy a ticket.

Lesson 09 — Transportation16
Stage 7

Free Speaking

55 min
Ask the student to narrate a full trip, speaking continuously for 30 seconds to 2 minutes without looking at notes: getting from an airport to a hotel using public transportation, including at least one small complication. Example prompt: "Imagine you just landed at the airport in [Destination]. Tell me, step by step, how you get from the airport to your hotel — how you buy the ticket, which platform or bus you take, and where you get off." Encourage the student to structure it themselves: arrival → buying the ticket → finding the platform/stop → the ride → getting off → arriving at the hotel.
Lesson 09 — Transportation17
Error correction

Review & Common Mistakes

Correct immediately
  • Errors that would prevent the student from getting a ticket or finding the right platform (e.g., wrong preposition: "ticket for the airport" understood incorrectly, or confusing "platform" and "stop").
  • Misuse of this lesson's core expressions ("Where I can buy a ticket?" missing inversion).
  • Mixing up "get on" and "get off" in a way that reverses meaning.
Note & correct later
  • Minor article/preposition slips ("ticket to the airport" vs "ticket for airport").
  • Small pronunciation issues that don't block understanding (e.g., "platform" stress).
  • Verb tense slips during the free-speaking narrative unless they cause real confusion.
Lesson 09 — Transportation18
Before next lesson

Homework

22 min
Speaking
Record yourself (30–60 seconds) narrating a full trip using public transportation — real or imagined — from arrival to your final destination, using at least four core expressions from this lesson.
Review
Review the 7 core expressions from Section 4. Write one original sentence for each, based on a real or planned trip.
Real life
Next time you take public transportation (or plan a trip), try asking yourself the key questions in English first — "Which platform?" "Where should I get off?" — before checking an app or asking in Chinese.
Lesson 09 — Transportation19
Lesson 09 complete

Nice work.

Next up: Lesson 10
Adult Speaking English

Keyboard shortcuts

→ / Space
Next slide
←
Previous slide
O
Slide overview
C
Confetti 🎉
T
Show / hide the Chinese translation
N
Notepad — type notes, saved in this browser
S / Shift+S
Next / previous style
F
Fullscreen
Home / End
First / last slide
Ctrl+P
Export deck to PDF
Notes — Lesson 09
All lessons