How to Ask When a Bus or Train Arrives in Spanish
Learn to ask what time a bus or train arrives in Latin American Spanish, understand arrival versus departure, and talk about how long a trip takes.
By SofiaGetting around · Yapr Learn
When you travel in Spanish-speaking countries, you often need to know not when a bus or train leaves, but when it gets there. This lesson teaches you the key question ¿A qué hora llega? and how to answer it. You will also learn to ask about duration with ¿Cuánto tarda? so you can plan your day. All examples use broadly useful Latin American Spanish, with regional notes where usage changes.
By the end, you can…
- ask what time a bus or train arrives using ¿A qué hora llega?
- understand and give a simple arrival time in Spanish
- ask how long a trip takes with ¿Cuánto tarda?
- tell the difference between arrival (llegar) and departure (salir)
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
¿A qué hora llega el autobús?
What time does the bus arrive?
ah keh OH-rah YEH-gah el ow-toh-BOOS
The most common way to ask about a bus arrival. In Mexico and Central America you may hear camión instead of autobús.
¿A qué hora llega el tren?
What time does the train arrive?
ah keh OH-rah YEH-gah el tren
Use the same pattern for trains. The verb llega stays the same; only the noun changes.
El autobús llega a las tres.
The bus arrives at three o'clock.
el ow-toh-BOOS YEH-gah ah lahs tres
Use a las before a specific clock time. For one o'clock, use a la una.
¿Cuánto tarda el viaje?
How long does the trip take?
KWAHN-toh TAR-dah el BYAH-heh
Tardar means to take time. This question asks about duration, not the clock time.
Llega en veinte minutos.
It arrives in twenty minutes.
YEH-gah en BAYN-teh mee-NOO-tohs
Use en plus a time period to say how soon something will arrive.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is ¿A qué hora + llega + subject? For example, ¿A qué hora llega el autobús? means What time does the bus arrive? You can replace el autobús with el tren, el próximo bus, or el vuelo. To answer, say Llega a las + time, as in Llega a las ocho. Remember that a las is used for all hours except one o'clock, which uses a la: Llega a la una.
When to use it
Use llegar for arrival and salir for departure. If you ask ¿A qué hora sale? you are asking when it leaves, not when it arrives. To talk about duration, use tardar: ¿Cuánto tarda el autobús? means How long does the bus take? You can answer with Tarda dos horas or Llega en dos horas. Both are correct, but tardar focuses on duration and llegar en focuses on the time remaining.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Disculpe, ¿a qué hora llega el autobús a Oaxaca?
Excuse me, what time does the bus arrive in Oaxaca?dees-KOOL-peh, ah keh OH-rah YEH-gah el ow-toh-BOOS ah wah-HAH-kahLlega a las diez y media de la mañana.
It arrives at ten thirty in the morning.YEH-gah ah lahs DYEHS ee MEH-dyah deh lah mah-NYAH-nah¿Y cuánto tarda el viaje?
And how long does the trip take?ee KWAHN-toh TAR-dah el BYAH-hehTarda unas seis horas, más o menos.
It takes about six hours, more or less.TAR-dah OO-nahs SEH-ees OH-rahs, mahs oh MEH-nohsA little context goes a long way
In many Latin American countries, buses and trains may not run exactly on schedule. Asking ¿A qué hora llega? is still useful, but locals often add más o menos (more or less) or aproximadamente (approximately). In Mexico, the word camión is common for local buses, while autobús is used for longer-distance coaches. In Argentina, you may hear colectivo for city bus.
One thing to watch for
Using salir when you mean arrive, as in ¿A qué hora sale el autobús? when you want to know the arrival time.
Try this instead: Use llegar for arrival: ¿A qué hora llega el autobús? Use salir only for departure: ¿A qué hora sale el autobús? The two verbs are not interchangeable.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask What time does the train arrive?
Show a sample answer
¿A qué hora llega el tren?
This uses the pattern ¿A qué hora + llega + subject? You could also say ¿A qué hora llega el tren? with the same meaning.
2How do you say The bus arrives at seven o'clock?
Show a sample answer
El autobús llega a las siete.
Use a las before the hour. For one o'clock, it would be a la una. In Mexico, you might say El camión llega a las siete.
3What does ¿Cuánto tarda el viaje? ask?
Show a sample answer
It asks how long the trip takes.
Tardar refers to duration. A possible answer is Tarda tres horas. You could also answer Llega en tres horas, which focuses on time remaining.
Use ¿A qué hora llega? for arrival time and ¿Cuánto tarda? for duration. Remember: llegar is arrive, salir is leave, and a las is used for clock times except one o'clock.
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