Meaning
Asking for the price of a travel ticket.
Cultural Background
In Romania, you must always validate your ticket ('compostare') after buying it on city transport. Asking 'Cât costă biletul?' is only the first step; look for the orange or yellow machines to punch your ticket. Train tickets in Romania often come with a 'loc rezervat' (reserved seat). When you ask the price, the clerk might ask 'La ce clasă?' (Which class?). Class 2 is standard, Class 1 is more comfortable. In smaller towns, private minibuses (maxi-taxi) are common. You often pay the driver directly. It's common to ask 'Cât e biletul?' as you step in, and you might not always get a physical ticket unless you ask for a 'chitanță' (receipt). Romania offers significant discounts for students (often 50% or even 100% for certain train routes). Always follow up your price inquiry with 'Aveți reducere pentru studenți?' if you have an ISIC card.
Use 'Cât e?'
If 'costă' feels too long, just say 'Cât e biletul?'. It's shorter and very natural.
Check for 'Lei'
Prices will be given in 'Lei'. Make sure you know your numbers up to 100!
Meaning
Asking for the price of a travel ticket.
Use 'Cât e?'
If 'costă' feels too long, just say 'Cât e biletul?'. It's shorter and very natural.
Check for 'Lei'
Prices will be given in 'Lei'. Make sure you know your numbers up to 100!
Ask for 'Dus-Întors'
Round-trip tickets are often cheaper. Ask 'Cât costă biletul dus-întors?' to save money.
Be Polite
Always start with 'Bună ziua' (Good day) before asking the price. It's considered rude to jump straight to the question.
Test Yourself
Fill in the missing word to ask for the price of the ticket.
Cât _______ biletul?
'Costă' is the correct 3rd person singular form of the verb 'a costa'.
Which of these is the most natural way to ask for the price of a ticket to Bucharest?
Select the correct sentence:
'Până la' is the standard preposition for 'to/until' a destination.
Complete the dialogue at the train station.
Turist: Bună ziua! ______ costă biletul? Casier: Bună ziua! Costă 50 de lei.
'Cât' is used to ask 'how much' regarding price.
Match the Romanian phrase with its English meaning.
Match the following:
These are all standard translations for travel-related inquiries.
🎉 Score: /4
Visual Learning Aids
Singular vs Plural
Practice Bank
4 exercisesCât _______ biletul?
'Costă' is the correct 3rd person singular form of the verb 'a costa'.
Select the correct sentence:
'Până la' is the standard preposition for 'to/until' a destination.
Turist: Bună ziua! ______ costă biletul? Casier: Bună ziua! Costă 50 de lei.
'Cât' is used to ask 'how much' regarding price.
Match each item on the left with its pair on the right:
These are all standard translations for travel-related inquiries.
🎉 Score: /4
Frequently Asked Questions
10 questionsYes, but you would usually say 'bilet de avion'.
The plural is 'Cât costă biletele?'.
It is always 'Cât costă' for the 3rd person (it costs).
It's not strictly part of the phrase, but adding 'vă rog' (please) at the end is much more polite.
Say 'Cât costă două bilete?'.
'Bilet' is for travel/entry. 'Tichet' is usually a voucher or a receipt (like 'bon fiscal').
Ask 'Cât costă biletul pentru un copil?'.
Yes, 'Cât face?' is a common informal way to ask 'How much does it come to?'.
The currency is the Leu (plural: Lei).
No, the 'l' is clearly pronounced in Romanian.
Related Phrases
Un bilet, vă rog
builds onOne ticket, please
Dus-întors
specialized formRound trip
Loc rezervat
similarReserved seat
Abonament
contrastSubscription/Pass
Casierie
similarTicket office
