3.6 Travel and Transportation

Overview

Travel and transportation vocabulary and patterns allow you to move around in an Urdu speaking environment, buy tickets, ask for help, and describe your journeys. In this chapter you will learn how to talk about different types of transport, how to ask about routes, prices, and timings, and how to describe your travel experiences using structures you already know from earlier levels.

The focus here is on real, practical language that you might need at bus stations, railway stations, airports, and in everyday city travel such as taxis and ride sharing.

Types of Transport

You already know basic nouns and present tense. Here we extend your vocabulary so you can name common means of transport clearly.

A useful pattern for many transport words is a place word plus گاڑی (gāṛī, vehicle). For example:

Example sentences:

• میں بس سے جاتا ہوں۔
  Main bus se jātā hūn.
  I go by bus. (speaker male)
• وہ ٹرین سے آ رہی ہے۔
  Woh ṭrain se ā rahī hai.
  She is coming by train.
• ہم جہاز سے پاکستان گئے تھے۔
  Hum jahāz se Pākistān gaye the.
  We went to Pakistan by plane.

Notice the postposition سے (se) which you already know. It is used to express "by" a means of transport.

Basic Travel Situations

When you travel you often need to do a few common things: get information, buy a ticket, ask for directions, and describe your plans.

At the Bus or Train Station

Useful nouns and places:

Common questions at a station:

• لاہور جانے والی ٹرین کب ہے؟
  Lāhor jāne vālī ṭrain kab hai?
  When is the train that goes to Lahore?
• کراچی کی بس کہاں سے ملے گی؟
  Karāchī kī bus kahān se mile gī?
  Where can I get the bus to Karachi?
• پلیٹ فارم نمبر تین کہاں ہے؟
  Platform number tīn kahān hai?
  Where is platform number three?

Here جانے والی (jāne vālī) means "that goes." You will learn such constructions in more detail elsewhere, but you can already recognize and use this pattern for travel.

At the Airport

Some airport specific words:

Example sentences:

• میری فلائٹ کتنے بجے ہے؟
  Merī flight kitne bajay hai?
  At what time is my flight?
• بورڈنگ کب شروع ہوگی؟
  Boarding kab shurū hogī?
  When will boarding start?
• میں کراچی کی اندرونِ ملک فلائٹ پر ہوں۔
  Main Karāchī kī andron-e mulk flight par hūn.
  I am on the domestic flight to Karachi.

Transport Verbs in Context

You know basic verbs like جانا (jānā, to go), آنا (ānā, to come), and کرنا (karnā, to do). For travel, you also need to use verbs like پہنچنا (pahunchnā, to arrive), نکلنا (nikalnā, to leave, depart), رکنا (ruknā, to stop), and بدلنا (badalnā, to change, switch).

Examples:

• ہم صبح نو بجے نکلتے ہیں۔
  Hum subah no baje nikaltē hain.
  We leave at nine in the morning.
• ٹرین کب پہنچے گی؟
  Ṭrain kab pahunche gī?
  When will the train arrive?
• آپ کہاں بس بدلیں گے؟
  Āp kahān bus badlengē?
  Where will you change buses?
• اگلے اسٹاپ پر میں اترتا ہوں۔
  Agle stop par main utartā hūn.
  I get off at the next stop. (speaker male)

These verbs combine with time expressions that you already know, such as آج (today), کل (tomorrow / yesterday), اب (now), بعد میں (later).

Tickets, Prices, and Reservations

When traveling you usually need to talk about tickets and money. You already know numbers, so here we focus on typical patterns.

Key vocabulary:

Common questions and answers:

• ایک ٹکٹ اسلام آباد کا چاہیے۔
  Ek ticket Islāmābād kā chāhiye.
  I need one ticket to Islamabad.
• دو ٹکٹ لاہور کے مل سکتے ہیں؟
  Do ticket Lāhor ke mil saktē hain?
  Can I get two tickets to Lahore?
• کرایہ کتنا ہے؟
  Kirāya kitnā hai?
  How much is the fare?
• کیا یہ ریٹرن ٹکٹ ہے؟
  Kiyā ye return ticket hai?
  Is this a return ticket?
• مجھے ایک طرفہ ٹکٹ چاہیے۔
  Mujhe ek tarafā ticket chāhiye.
  I want a one way ticket.
• آپ کون سی کلاس میں سفر کریں گے؟
  Āp kaun sī class mein safar karengē?
  In which class will you travel?

Notice the useful verb سفر کرنا (safar karnā, to travel):

• میں ٹرین سے سفر کرنا پسند کرتا ہوں۔
  Main ṭrain se safar karnā pasand kartā hūn.
  I like to travel by train. (speaker male)

Asking and Giving Directions with Transport

You have learned basic question words and postpositions in earlier chapters. For travel, you now apply them to transport situations: asking how to reach a place, which bus to take, and how long it takes.

Core expressions:

Examples:

• میں ہوٹل کیسے جاؤں؟
  Main hotel kaisē jāūn?
  How do I go to the hotel?
• ایئرپورٹ کتنی دور ہے؟
  Airport kitnī dūr hai?
  How far is the airport?
• وہاں ٹیکسی سے کتنا وقت لگتا ہے؟
  Wahān taxi se kitnā waqt lagtā hai?
  How long does it take there by taxi?

Giving directions using transport:

• آپ میٹرو سے جائیں، پھر بس لیں۔
  Āp metro se jāen, phir bus len.
  Go by metro, then take a bus.
• پہلے جعفرآباد جائیں، وہاں سے ٹرین بدلیں۔
  Pahlē Ja‘farābād jāen, wahān se ṭrain badlen.
  First go to Jafarabad, from there change the train.
• سیدھا جائیں، پھر دائیں مڑیں۔
  Seedhā jāen, phir dāen muṛen.
  Go straight, then turn right.

Time, Schedules, and Delays

To manage travel you must understand and ask about schedules. You have already learned to tell the time and ask basic questions. Here you apply those skills to real travel situations.

Useful nouns and adjectives:

Common questions:

• لاہور کی اگلی بس کتنے بجے ہے؟
  Lāhor kī aglī bus kitnē bajē hai?
  At what time is the next bus to Lahore?
• کیا ٹرین وقت پر ہے؟
  Kiyā ṭrain waqt par hai?
  Is the train on time?
• فلائٹ میں کتنا لیٹ ہے؟
  Flight mein kitnā late hai?
  How late is the flight?
• آج رات کوئی فلائٹ ہے؟
  Āj rāt koī flight hai?
  Is there any flight tonight?

Answers:

• بس دس بجے آتی ہے۔
  Bus das bajē ātī hai.
  The bus comes at ten o'clock.
• نہیں، ٹرین لیٹ ہے۔
  Nahin, ṭrain late hai.
  No, the train is late.
• فلائٹ میں ایک گھنٹے کی تاخیر ہے۔
  Flight mein ek ghaṇṭe kī taḳhīr hai.
  The flight is delayed by one hour.
• آج رات کوئی فلائٹ نہیں ہے۔
  Āj rāt koī flight nahīn hai.
  There is no flight tonight.

In Taxis, Rickshaws, and Ride Sharing

For city travel, you usually use taxis, rickshaws, or app based cars. You need to say where you want to go, discuss the fare, and ask the driver to stop.

Core sentences:

• مجھے صدر جانا ہے۔
  Mujhe Saddar jānā hai.
  I have to go to Saddar.
• آپ ایئرپورٹ کا کتنا کرایہ لیں گے؟
  Āp airport kā kitnā kirāya lengē?
  How much fare will you take for the airport?
• میٹر سے چلیں۔
  Meter se chalen.
  Go by the meter.
• ذرا آہستہ چلائیں۔
  Zarā āhistā chalāen.
  Please drive a bit slowly.
• یہاں روکیں، میں اتر جاؤں گا۔
  Yahān roken, main utar jāūn gā.
  Stop here, I will get off. (speaker male)
• میں موبائل سے کار بُک کر رہا ہوں۔
  Main mobile se car book kar rahā hūn.
  I am booking a car by mobile. (speaker male)

Useful phrases the driver might say:

• کہاں جانا ہے؟
  Kahān jānā hai?
  Where do you want to go?
• راستہ بتا دیں۔
  Rāstā batā den.
  Please guide me the way.
• بہت ٹریفک ہے۔
  Bahut traffic hai.
  There is a lot of traffic.
• وہاں تک کم از کم پانچ سو روپے ہوں گے۔
  Wahān tak kam az kam pānch so rupe hon gē.
  It will be at least five hundred rupees to there.

City Transport: Buses and Metro

In many cities, buses and metro are common. You need to talk about routes, stops, and passes.

Key vocabulary:

Common interactions:

• یہ بس کون سے روٹ پر جاتی ہے؟
  Ye bus kaun se route par jātī hai?
  On which route does this bus go?
• مین روڈ کے لیے کون سا اسٹاپ ہے؟
  Main road ke liye kaun sā stop hai?
  Which stop is for Main Road?
• کیا یہ میٹرو لائن سیدھا سینٹرل اسٹیشن جاتی ہے؟
  Kiyā ye metro line seedhā central station jātī hai?
  Does this metro line go straight to Central Station?
• مجھے بس کارڈ ری چارج کرنا ہے۔
  Mujhe bus card recharge karnā hai.
  I want to recharge my bus card.
• اگلا اسٹاپ کون سا ہے؟
  Aglā stop kaun sā hai?
  What is the next stop?

Describing Travel Experiences

At B1 level you can start to describe past and future travel experiences with some detail. You will study past tense and continuous tenses elsewhere, so here we keep to relatively simple structures and focus on travel related vocabulary you can reuse.

Talking about past trips:

• پچھلے سال میں اسلام آباد گیا تھا۔
  Pichlē sāl main Islāmābād gayā thā.
  Last year I went to Islamabad. (speaker male)
• ہم نے بس سے سفر کیا، فلائٹ مہنگی تھی۔
  Hum ne bus se safar kiyā, flight mehengī thī.
  We traveled by bus, the flight was expensive.
• راستہ لمبا تھا، مگر مناظر بہت خوبصورت تھے۔
  Rāstā lambā thā, magar manāzir bahut ḳhūbsūrat thē.
  The route was long, but the scenery was very beautiful.

Talking about upcoming trips:

• اگلے مہینے میں پاکستان جا رہا ہوں۔
  Aglē mahinē main Pākistān jā rahā hūn.
  Next month I am going to Pakistan. (speaker male)
• ہم ٹرین سے جائیں گے، کیونکہ ٹرین آرام دہ ہے۔
  Hum ṭrain se jāengē, kiyunke ṭrain ārām-dah hai.
  We will go by train, because the train is comfortable.
• میں ہوٹل پہلے سے بُک کر لوں گا۔
  Main hotel pahlē se book kar lūn gā.
  I will book the hotel in advance. (speaker male)

Describing preferences:

• مجھے لمبے سفر پسند نہیں ہیں۔
  Mujhe lambē safar pasand nahīn hain.
  I do not like long journeys.
• مجھے جہاز سے سفر کرنا اچھا لگتا ہے۔
  Mujhe jahāz se safar karnā achchā lagtā hai.
  I like traveling by plane.
• بس سے سفر سستا ہوتا ہے۔
  Bus se safar sastā hotā hai.
  Traveling by bus is cheap.

Simple Travel Dialogues

Putting the pieces together, here are short model dialogues you can imitate and adapt.

Dialogue 1: At the Bus Station

Passenger:
لاہور کی اگلی بس کب ہے؟
Lāhor kī aglī bus kab hai?
When is the next bus to Lahore?

Clerk:
اگلی بس دو بجے ہے۔
Aglī bus do bajē hai.
The next bus is at two o'clock.

Passenger:
کرایہ کتنا ہے؟
Kirāya kitnā hai?
How much is the fare?

Clerk:
آٹھ سو روپے۔
Āṭh so rupe.
Eight hundred rupees.

Passenger:
مجھے ایک ٹکٹ چاہیے۔
Mujhe ek ticket chāhiye.
I need one ticket.

Dialogue 2: In a Taxi

Passenger:
مجھے ایئرپورٹ جانا ہے۔
Mujhe airport jānā hai.
I need to go to the airport.

Driver:
ایئرپورٹ کا پندرہ سو کرایہ ہوگا۔
Airport kā pandrah so kirāya hogā.
The fare to the airport will be fifteen hundred.

Passenger:
زیادہ ہے۔ میٹر سے چلیں۔
Zyādā hai. Meter se chalen.
That is too much. Go by the meter.

Driver:
ٹھیک ہے، میٹر سے چلتے ہیں۔
Ṭhīk hai, meter se chaltē hain.
Okay, we will go by the meter.

Passenger (later):
یہاں روکیں، میں اتر جاؤں گا۔
Yahān roken, main utar jāūn gā.
Stop here, I will get off. (speaker male)

New Vocabulary from this Chapter