When you want to buy a ticket, you need a few useful phrases. These help you online, on the phone, or at the box office. The phrases are short and polite.

Key phrases:

Polite words: Use please and thank you. Start with I'd like to... — it is more polite than I want.... For example, say I'd like two tickets, please, not I want two tickets.

Numbers: You often need to say how many tickets you want. Learn: one, two, three, four. You also need to say dates: Friday, March 15th, Saturday. And prices: thirty pounds, forty-five pounds. Practice these numbers out loud so you can say them quickly.

At the end of a conversation, the box office assistant usually says The tickets are in your email or The tickets are at the door on the night. You can answer Great, thank you! or Perfect, thanks!

Now look at the dialogue and match the phrases to the situations. The conversation takes place in a chat with a website assistant.

You are in a website chat to buy concert tickets. Listen to the conversation.

Read this phrase aloud. Make the /t/ sound strong in 'tickets' and 'Friday'.

Read this phrase aloud. Use a polite, friendly voice.

You are going to hear a phone call. Anna is calling the City Music Box Office to buy tickets for a concert. She wants to know the price, the time, and how to pay. Listen carefully for these details.

Before you listen, think:

• What information does Anna need? (price, time, seat)
• How can she pay? (credit card, cash)
• What does the box office ask for? (name, phone number)

Tip: Listening for specific information When you listen for specific information, don't try to understand every word. Listen for:

• Numbers (price, time, date)
• Key words (tickets, credit, name, seat)
• Question words (what, when, how much)

The conversation is between:

• Anna (the customer) — a woman who wants to go to a concert with a friend
• Tom (the box office assistant) — a man who works at City Music Hall

Anna wants tickets for Saturday for the Rock Stars concert. There are two prices: tickets at the back and tickets near the front. She chooses the cheaper ones.

After the call, she will get the tickets at the door on the night. She does not need to print anything. She just needs to show her name at the door.

Listen to the conversation twice. First, listen for the gist (what is happening). Second, listen for the specific details (price, time, number of tickets).

Anna calls the City Music Box Office to buy tickets for a concert.

What concert does Anna want tickets for?

When you buy tickets, you say a lot of words with the /t/ sound: ticket, two, time, Tuesday, credit. It is important to make this sound clear so people understand you on the phone or in a busy place.

The /t/ sound is voiceless. To make it, put the tip of your tongue behind your top teeth, at the top of your mouth. Push a small puff of air out. Do not vibrate your voice. Your mouth does not move much. Then quickly move your tongue down to make the next sound.

Listen to the difference between /t/ and /d/. The /d/ sound is voiced — your tongue is in the same place, but you turn your voice on and you can feel a small buzz in your throat. Compare ten (/t/) and den (/d/). The first word has only a small puff of air. The second word has a small voice buzz. They sound very similar, so listen carefully.

Here are more words with /t/ for buying tickets: ticket, two, time, Tuesday, credit card, seat, start, what time. And words with /d/: date, day, download, card, do, dance.

Notice that credit card has both sounds. The /t/ is at the end of credit, and the /d/ is at the start of card. When you say it, feel the difference: the t is just air; the d has a small buzz.

Now practice: listen to the sound and try to copy it.

To make /t/: put your tongue tip behind your top teeth. Push air out. No voice. To make /d/: same tongue position, but turn your voice on. Feel the buzz in your throat for /d/. No buzz for /t/. Try it: put your hand on your throat and say 'ten' then 'den'. The 'ten' is silent in your throat; the 'den' buzzes.

Listen and repeat. Notice the puff of air at the start of the word.

Listen and repeat. The /t/ sound is at the start of 'two' and at the start and end of 'tickets'.

Listen and repeat. 'Credit' has /t/ at the end. 'Card' has /d/ at the start. Feel the difference.

When you buy tickets online, you usually get a confirmation email. It tells you the important information: the date, the time, the place, the price, and your seat number. Reading this email carefully is important so you don't miss the concert.

Strategy: Skimming When you skim an email, you read it quickly to find the key information. Don't read every word. Look for:

• Numbers (date, time, price)
• Capital letters (names of places, like City Music Hall)
• Key words (concert, ticket, seat, price, payment)

Key words to know:

• confirmation — an email that says your order is OK
• payment — how you pay (credit card, cash, debit card)
• seat — your chair number in the concert hall
• row — a line of seats (A, B, C, D)
• door — the entrance to the concert hall
• show this email — bring the email on your phone or printed

Tip: When you skim, your eyes move quickly. Don't stop at difficult words. Find the six things you need: what, when, where, how much, how many, and how to pay.

Read the email and find: the date, the time, the place, the price, and the seat numbers. Then answer the questions.

Read this email. Skim it to find the key information. Don't read every word — look for numbers, capital letters, and key words like 'date', 'time', 'place', and 'seat'.

Subject: Your tickets for the Pop Stars concert

Hi Sam,

Thank you for buying two tickets on our website. Here are the details:

Concert: Pop Stars Live Date: Friday, 15 March Time: 7:30 PM Place: City Music Hall Number of tickets: 2 Price: £60 (£30 per ticket) Seat numbers: A12 and A13 Payment: Credit card

Please show this email at the door. Doors open at 6:45 PM.

Enjoy the concert! City Box Office

What is this email about?

When is the concert?

What time do the doors open?

Now it's your turn to speak. You are at the box office. You want to buy two tickets for a concert on Friday. The price is £30 each. You will pay by credit card.

Useful phrases:

Tips for speaking:

• Speak clearly. Make the /t/ sound strong in ticket, two, Friday.
• Be polite. Say please and thank you. The box office assistant will be friendly if you are friendly.
• Listen carefully. The box office assistant will ask for your name and how you want to pay. Be ready to answer.
• Don't worry about mistakes. It's OK. The assistant wants to help you.

The conversation has 4 parts:

1. Start: say what you want
2. Details: answer the assistant's questions (how many, what time)
3. Pay: choose how to pay
4. End: say thank you and goodbye

Listen to the model conversation first. Then read the key phrase. Then practice the two sentences. Finally, talk to the box office assistant yourself in the roleplay.

Listen to this model conversation at the box office.

Read the key phrase aloud. Speak clearly and politely.

Read this phrase aloud. Use a polite, friendly voice.

A good way to tell a friend about tickets is to write a short email. In this email, you can give the information and ask your friend a question. Keep it short — about 50 words is enough.

Model email:

Hi Alex,

I bought two tickets for the Pop Stars Live concert! It's on Friday, 15 March at 7:30 PM at City Music Hall. The tickets are £30 each. And it's my favourite band! Do you want to come with me?

Let me know!

Sam

Using 'and' to join ideas Look at the model. We use and to join two ideas and make the writing smoother:

• It's on Friday and at 7:30 PM. (date + time)
• It's my favourite band and I want to see them. (feeling + reason)

This makes your email easier to read. It also makes it sound more like real English, not just a list of facts.

Useful words for your email:

• I bought (past simple — a finished action)
• It's on... at... (date + time)
• Do you want to...? (a question for your friend)
• Let me know! (please answer me)

Tip: A2 emails are short — three or four sentences is enough. Always end with a question or Let me know! so your friend replies.

Now you will write your own short email. Use the model to help you.

Look at the model email. Find the word 'and'. It joins two ideas: the date and the time. In the model, it also joins the price and the reason. Using 'and' makes your writing smoother and more like real English. Use 'and' at least once in your own email.

Which sentence uses 'and' correctly?

Now write your own short email to a friend about the concert tickets. Give the date, time and place. Ask if your friend wants to come. Use 'and' to join ideas. Read your email aloud when you finish.