El billete correcto
The correct ticket
1 · Spanish Story
La historia
Ana llegó a la estación a las ocho. Llevaba una mochila pequeña y el móvil en la mano. Quería coger el tren a Valencia. Había comprado el billete la noche anterior. Miró la pantalla y vio un problema. El billete era para el día siguiente.
Ana fue a la taquilla. "Perdone, tengo un problema", dijo. La mujer sonrió y revisó el billete. "No pasa nada. Puede cambiarlo ahora", dijo. Ana sintió alivio. Sacó el móvil de la mochila y buscó su reserva.
Había un problema nuevo. La página pedía una contraseña antigua. Ana la había olvidado. Miró la cola y se puso nerviosa. Un señor de al lado la oyó. "¿Necesitas ayuda?", preguntó. Ana dijo que sí y le enseñó el mensaje.
El señor le explicó un truco sencillo. Ana escribió la nueva contraseña y entró en la reserva. Entonces cambió el billete. La mujer de la taquilla imprimió otro ticket. "Vale, ya está", dijo. Ana miró el reloj. Todavía tenía tiempo para el tren.
Subió al andén con calma. El tren llegó poco después. Durante el viaje, llamó a su primo. "Llegaré a las once", dijo Ana. "Qué bien", respondió él. Cuando llegó a Valencia, su primo la esperaba fuera. Los dos fueron a tomar un café y hablaron del viaje.
2 · Key Phrases
Language to keep
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Llevaba una mochila pequeña
She was carrying a small backpackUse llevaba to describe something someone had with them at that moment in the past.
Llevaba una mochila pequeña y una botella de agua.
She was carrying a small backpack and a bottle of water.
coger el tren
to catch the trainIn Spain, coger is the normal everyday verb here. In many Latin American countries, this meaning is avoided.
Usage: In Spain, coger is used here. In many Latin American countries, this meaning is avoided.
Vamos a coger el tren de las nueve.
We are going to catch the nine o'clock train.
No pasa nada
It's all rightThis phrase is common when calming someone after a mistake or problem.
No pasa nada, podemos esperar un poco.
It's all right, we can wait a little.
Sacó el móvil de la mochila
She took the mobile phone out of the backpackThis phrase shows a simple past action with sacar and a concrete object.
Sacó el móvil de la mochila para mirar el billete.
She took the mobile phone out of the backpack to look at the ticket.
Un señor de al lado
A man next to herUse de al lado to say someone or something is beside another person or place.
Un señor de al lado le ofreció su asiento.
A man next to her offered her his seat.
Todavía tenía tiempo
She still had timeTodavía here means there was still time left before the train left.
Todavía tenía tiempo para comprar agua.
She still had time to buy water.
3 · English Translation
The full story in English
Ana arrived at the station at eight. She was carrying a small backpack and the mobile phone in her hand. She wanted to catch the train to Valencia. She had bought the ticket the night before. She looked at the screen and saw a problem. The ticket was for the next day.
Ana went to the ticket office. "Excuse me, I have a problem," she said. The woman smiled and checked the ticket. "It's all right. You can change it now," she said. Ana felt relieved. She took the mobile phone out of the backpack and looked for her booking.
There was a new problem. The page asked for an old password. Ana had forgotten it. She looked at the queue and got nervous. A man next to her heard her. "Do you need help?" he asked. Ana said yes and showed him the message.
The man explained a simple trick to her. Ana wrote the new password and entered the booking. Then she changed the ticket. The woman at the ticket office printed another ticket. "Okay, that's done," she said. Ana looked at the clock. She still had time for the train.
She went up to the platform calmly. The train arrived shortly after. During the trip, she called her cousin. "I'll arrive at eleven," said Ana. "Great," he replied. When she arrived in Valencia, her cousin was waiting for her outside. The two went to have a coffee and talked about the trip.