A2-59 / CEFR A2 / EPISODE 59

Train Delay Announcement

Asking about a train delay

SceneTina and Frank are at the train station. Bad weather has caused a delay, and Tina has a group presentation at school.

At a rainy station, Frank holds an umbrella and points toward a taxi as Tina walks beside him on the phone. — Select the illustration to view it at full size in a new tab.

Narrator

Tina and Frank are at the train station. Bad weather has caused a delay, and Tina has a group presentation at school.

ティナとフランクは駅にいる。悪天候で遅延が発生し、ティナには大学でグループ発表がある。

Station Staff01

I'm sorry. Service has been delayed due to bad weather.

申し訳ございません。悪天候のため運行が遅れています。

Tina02

Oh no! My presentation starts in twenty minutes!

うそ！あと20分で発表が始まるのに！

Frank03

How long is the delay?

遅延はどれくらいですか？

Station Staff04

The next train is expected in thirty minutes.

次の電車は30分後の予定です。

Tina05

Thirty minutes?! Back home, trains are never late!

30分？！私の故郷では、電車は絶対に遅れないわ！

Frank06

You don't have trains back home.

君の故郷には電車がないだろ。

Tina07

That's why they're never late! Okay, I'm calling my group.

だから絶対に遅れないのよ！よし、グループに電話するわ。

Frank08

Good. Keep it short and simple.

うん。短く簡潔にね。

Tina09

Hi, Ken? It's Tina. The trains are delayed. The next one's in thirty minutes. Start without me. Goodbye forever.

もしもし、ケン？ティナよ。電車が遅れてるの。次は30分後だって。私抜きで始めて。永遠にさようなら。

Ken10

Uh... okay?

えっと……わかった？

Frank11

It's a thirty-minute wait, Tina. Not the end of the world. A taxi takes fifteen minutes, and there's one outside.

電車は30分待ちだよ、ティナ。世界の終わりじゃない。タクシーなら15分だし、外に1台いるよ。

Tina12

Wait, really? Ken, sorry, I've gotta go. I'm getting a taxi. See you in fifteen minutes!

待って、本当に？ケン、ごめん、もう行かなきゃ。タクシーに乗るの。15分後にね！

Ken13

So... not forever?

じゃあ……永遠のお別れじゃないんだ？

WORDS & CONTEXT

Words & context

“It's Tina.”

It's Tina. identifies the speaker on the phone. This is Tina. is another standard form.

“Start without me.”

Without me means in my absence. Expecting to miss the start of the presentation, Tina tells Ken to have the group begin before she arrives.

“Not the end of the world.”

Not the end of the world. literally denies a catastrophe but means the problem is not that serious. Frank uses it to calm Tina about possibly being late.

“Sorry, I've gotta go.”

I've gotta go is a set phrase for ending a conversation: "I have to go now." See the note in A2-24 for gotta. Before hanging up, Tina adds a farewell: See you in fifteen minutes!

“So... not forever?”

Forever means for all time. Ken picks up Tina's earlier Goodbye forever. and checks: "So it's not goodbye forever?" Tina, thinking she would miss the presentation, said a dramatic farewell, then switched to "See you in fifteen minutes!" the moment she learned she could take a taxi. Ken's comeback on that sudden change is the punchline.

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