Free guide · Level A1
Public transport in Spain: how to buy a ticket or a pass and not get lost
Getting around by public transport in Spain is easy when you know four things: how to ask for a ticket, what an «abono» is, which line to take and where to get off. A few phrases are enough to get started.
Buying a ticket or a pass
Un billete sencillo, por favor.A single ticket, please. For a single journey
Dos billetes de ida y vuelta, por favor.Two return tickets, please. To go and come back; «dos» if there are two of you
¿Hay abono mensual?Is there a monthly pass? To find out whether there's a one-month pass
Quería recargar mi tarjeta.I'd like to top up my card. To put money or journeys on the card
Watch out for thisIn English you ask for «a single» or «a return»; in Spanish it's «sencillo» (one journey) or «de ida y vuelta» (two). The name of the transport card, its price and the zones change from city to city, so ask which one is yours.
Getting around: line, stop and direction
¿Qué línea tengo que coger para ir al centro?Which line do I have to take to get to the centre? To find out which line takes you there
¿Esta línea va al aeropuerto?Does this line go to the airport? To check you're on the right line
¿Dónde tengo que bajarme?Where do I have to get off? To find out which stop to get off at
¿Hasta qué hora hay metro?Until what time is there a metro? To find out when the service ends
Watch out for thisOn the metro, «dirección» isn't a street address: it's where the train is heading, the name of the last stop on the line. And in Spain you say «coger el metro»; in much of Latin America, «tomar».
When something goes wrong
La máquina no funciona.The machine isn't working. To say it's broken
No tengo cambio.I don't have any change. When you don't have small coins
El torno no me deja pasar.The barrier won't let me through. When the barrier doesn't open