Travel phrases for Bengal in Bengali
ডান, বাম, সোজা — directions, fares and tickets in the sentences travellers actually say.
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Directions are three words plus pointing: ডান (dan — right), বাম (bam — left), সোজা (shoja — straight). ডানদিকে যান (go to the right side), বামদিকে (to the left), সোজা যান (go straight). Add সামনে (shamne — ahead) and পেছনে (pechhone — behind), and you can follow any set of directions a helpful stranger draws in the air.
Every journey starts with two questions. কত দূর? (koto dur — how far?) tells you whether to walk or ride. ভাড়া কত? (bhara koto — how much is the fare?) asked BEFORE sitting down is the difference between the local price and the tourist price. Memorise these two before you memorise anything else on this page.
Stations and stops have their own vocabulary: বাস স্টপ (bus stop), রেল স্টেশন (rail station), টিকিট কাউন্টার (ticket counter), প্ল্যাটফর্ম (platform). টিকিট (ticket) plus your destination plus দিন (din — give) buys almost anything: একটা টিকিট দিন (one ticket please). Platforms are announced in Bengali first — শিয়ালদহ প্ল্যাটফর্মে (on Sealdah platform) is the kind of sentence your ears will learn to catch.
In the vehicle, three sentences cover everything: চলুন (cholun — let's go), থামুন (thamun — please stop), এখানে (ekhane — here). পৌঁছে গেছি (pouche gechhi — I've arrived) closes the journey with a smile. Drivers in Bengal respect passengers who speak even ten words — speak them, and the city starts helping you.
Words and phrases for this topic
| English | Bengali | Sounds like |
|---|---|---|
| To the right | ডানদিকে | dandike |
| To the left | বামদিকে | bamdike |
| Go straight | সোজা যান | shoja jan |
| How far? | কত দূর? | koto dur |
| How much is the fare? | ভাড়া কত? | bhara koto |
| I'll go to the station | স্টেশন যাব | station jabo |
| One ticket, please | একটা টিকিট দিন | ekta ticket din |
| Bus stop | বাস স্টপ | bus stop |
| Let's go | চলুন | cholun |
| Please stop | থামুন | thamun |
| Here | এখানে | ekhane |
| Hotel | হোটেল | hotel |
| I have arrived | পৌঁছে গেছি | pouche gechhi |
Language, culture, and common traps
Practice: recall, then use
Use this quick recall drill for Travel phrases. Hide the script and romanisation columns; say the Bengali form for each cue before revealing its row, then check spelling and sound. The phrase-table speaker buttons provide a model when a matching browser voice is available.
- To the right
- One ticket, please
- I have arrived
Context check. For Travel phrases, “I have arrived” belongs to a particular setting. A common mistake is to treat an English gloss as universal; read the language-specific note above and ask a fluent speaker when local usage differs.
Check your recall: answer key
- ডানদিকে dandike — To the right
- একটা টিকিট দিন ekta ticket din — One ticket, please
- পৌঁছে গেছি pouche gechhi — I have arrived
Questions learners ask
Start with the place, end with যাব (jabo — will go): স্টেশন যাব (station jabo — I'll go to the station). Add ভাড়া কত? (bhara koto — how much is the fare?) before you sit down, and you will travel Bengal at local prices.
এটা কোথায়? (eta kothay — where is this?) while pointing at the address on your phone. Pointing plus three words beats a paragraph of memorised grammar every single time.
থামুন (thamun — please stop). Say it early, say it clearly, and have the fare ready — Bengal's drivers stop fast and appreciate passengers who do the same.