Buying a ticket at a train station
Are the followings okay (grammatically plus not very rude or something)?
(A?) Ticket to XXX station, please. [Is the "A" always needed?]
(To?) XXX station (, please). [Is the "To" always needed?]
At a platform, when you want to make sure if the train coming next goes to the station you want to go to,
is it okay to say only the station name or should I always say something like "Does the next train go to xxx station"?
For example,
(To?) XXX station. This/which platform?
Right after you received your ticket, is it okay to say only "Which platform?"?
Thank you.
Search from various English teachers...
Answers · 2
0
Generally, it's better to be polite when purchasing a ticket or asking questions on the platform.
Though "Ticket to XX station, please" CAN be done, it's better and more polite if you say "One ticket to XX station, please". Use "one" rather than "a", otherwise you will be asked how many tickets you want to buy.
Also, "To XX station, please" is better than "XX station, please". It just sounds more natural.
Asking about the direction of the train, it's better to say "(Excuse me,) Does this/the next train go to XX station?" Leaving out everything and just saying "XX station" could lead to misunderstandings. You can also say "(Excuse me,) I want to go to XX station, do you know which train goes there?" or something like that.
Asking for the platform after receiving a ticket, you can use "Which platform" but again, this might be seen as rude, so rather say "Which platform is it?" or "Which platform does it depart from?" to make things more polite.
Hope this helps!
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