Lesson 9: Transportation
Learn to talk about getting around using 怎么去 and 坐 + vehicle, and navigate common travel situations.
Overview
China has one of the world's most developed transportation networks, from high-speed trains connecting major cities to subway systems in dozens of cities and the ubiquitous taxi and ride-hailing app. Being able to ask how to get somewhere, say what transport you take, and understand basic travel vocabulary is an immediate life skill. This lesson covers the key question pattern 怎么去 and the verb 坐 used with vehicles.
You will also learn 走路 (to walk) and how to talk about duration of travel, which lets you give genuinely useful directions.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson you can:
- Ask how to get to a place using 怎么去
- Say which vehicle you take using 坐 + vehicle
- Name at least six modes of transport in Chinese
- State how long a journey takes
Vocabulary
| Character | Pinyin | Type | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 飞机 | fēijī | noun | airplane | 坐飞机去 |
| 火车 | huǒchē | noun | train | 坐火车去北京 |
| 地铁 | dìtiě | noun | subway/metro | 坐地铁很方便。 |
| 公共汽车 | gōnggòng qìchē | noun | bus | 坐公共汽车 |
| 出租车 | chūzū chē | noun | taxi | 打出租车 |
| 自行车 | zìxíngchē | noun | bicycle | 骑自行车 |
| 走路 | zǒu lù | verb phrase | to walk | 走路去学校 |
| 坐 | zuò | verb | to ride (sit in) | 我坐地铁上班。 |
| 骑 | qí | verb | to ride (straddle) | 我骑自行车。 |
| 怎么 | zěnme | question | how | 怎么去？ |
| 去 | qù | verb | to go | 我去学校。 |
| 站 | zhàn | noun | stop, station | 下一站是哪里？ |
| 到 | dào | verb | to arrive, to reach | 到了吗？ |
| 分钟 | fēnzhōng | noun | minute (duration) | 十分钟 |
Grammar Focus
Pattern 1: 怎么去 to ask how to get somewhere
Structure: Place + 怎么去？ or 怎么去 + Place？
怎么 means "how" or "by what means," and 去 means "to go." Together, 怎么去 asks about the method of getting somewhere. The place can go at the beginning or after the verb phrase. You can also ask about a specific starting point: 从这里怎么去 (how to get there from here).
| Example | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 火车站怎么去？ | Huǒchē zhàn zěnme qù? | How do I get to the train station? |
| 从这里怎么去机场？ | Cóng zhèlǐ zěnme qù jīchǎng? | How do I get to the airport from here? |
| 北京大学怎么走？ | Běijīng Dàxué zěnme zǒu? | How do I get to Peking University? |
Common mistake: omitting 怎么 and just saying 去机场 as a question. That is a statement meaning "I am going to the airport." Always include 怎么 to make it a question about method.
Pattern 2: 坐 + vehicle
Structure: 坐 + Vehicle + 去/来 + Place
坐 (to sit) is used as the verb for riding vehicles where you are seated: buses, trains, planes, taxis, subway. For bicycles and motorcycles, you use 骑 (qí) because you straddle them. This distinction exists in Chinese just as English distinguishes "take a train" from "ride a bike."
| Example | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 我坐地铁上班。 | Wǒ zuò dìtiě shàngbān. | I take the metro to work. |
| 他们坐飞机去上海。 | Tāmen zuò fēijī qù Shànghǎi. | They are flying to Shanghai. |
| 我骑自行车去学校。 | Wǒ qí zìxíngchē qù xuéxiào. | I ride a bicycle to school. |
Common mistake: using 坐 with bicycle. A bicycle requires 骑, not 坐, because you do not sit inside it. Saying 坐自行车 sounds unnatural.
Pattern 3: Duration of travel
Structure: 坐 + Vehicle + 要 + Time + 才能到 / 就到了
To say how long a journey takes, use 要 (require) before the time duration and often 才能到 (can only arrive then) for longer journeys or 就到了 (will arrive then) for short ones. At HSK 1 level, simply stating the vehicle and the duration is enough.
| Example | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 坐地铁十分钟就到了。 | Zuò dìtiě shí fēnzhōng jiù dào le. | It takes ten minutes by metro. |
| 走路要二十分钟。 | Zǒu lù yào èrshí fēnzhōng. | It takes twenty minutes on foot. |
| 坐飞机三个小时。 | Zuò fēijī sān gè xiǎoshí. | It is a three-hour flight. |
Common mistake: using 花 (spend, usually for money/time on tasks) instead of 要 in travel contexts. While not wrong in all cases, 要 is more natural for travel duration.
Dialogue
A tourist asking for help at the hotel front desk.
游客: 你好！我想去故宫，怎么去？ Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ xiǎng qù Gùgōng, zěnme qù? Hello! I want to go to the Palace Museum. How do I get there?
前台: 您可以坐地铁，坐一号线到天安门东站就可以了。 Nín kěyǐ zuò dìtiě, zuò yī hào xiàn dào Tiān'ānmén Dōng Zhàn jiù kěyǐ le. You can take the metro, take Line 1 to Tiananmen East station.
游客: 从这里到那个站要多长时间？ Cóng zhèlǐ dào nàge zhàn yào duō cháng shíjiān? How long does it take from here to that station?
前台: 大概二十分钟。出租车也可以，但是堵车的话要四十分钟。 Dàgài èrshí fēnzhōng. Chūzū chē yě kěyǐ, dànshì dǔchē de huà yào sìshí fēnzhōng. About twenty minutes. Taxi is also possible, but if there is traffic it takes forty minutes.
游客: 好的，我坐地铁去。谢谢！ Hǎo de, wǒ zuò dìtiě qù. Xièxie! Alright, I will take the metro. Thank you!
前台: 不客气，祝您旅途愉快！ Bù kèqi, zhù nín lǚtú yúkuài! You are welcome, have a pleasant trip!
Practice
Exercise 1: Fill in the blank
- 火车站 __ 走？(how to get there)
- 我 __ 地铁去学校。(take/ride)
- 坐公共汽车要 __ 分钟？(how many)
- 从家到公司，我 __ 自行车。(ride)
- 机场 __ 这里很远。(from)
Exercise 2: Translate to Chinese
- How do I get to the airport?
- I take the subway to work every day.
- It takes about thirty minutes by bus.
- Is it far from here to the train station?
- She rides a bicycle to school.
Exercise 3: Answer these questions
- 你每天怎么去上班/上学？
- 你去过中国吗？怎么去的？
- 你喜欢坐飞机还是坐火车？为什么？
Cultural Note
China's high-speed rail network (高铁, gāotiě) is one of the most extensive in the world, connecting hundreds of cities at speeds up to 350 km/h. For many intercity journeys that once required flying, high-speed rail is now faster door-to-door and significantly cheaper. Within cities, the subway system is the most reliable and affordable way to get around. Taxis and ride-hailing apps (like 滴滴, Dīdī) are everywhere and relatively affordable. One practical tip: always save your destination in Chinese characters on your phone. Showing the character address to a taxi driver is much more reliable than trying to pronounce an unfamiliar place name, especially in cities where the local dialect differs from standard Mandarin.