Transport in English: medios de transporte en inglés con ejemplos

Transport in English: Todos los medios de transporte en inglés (guía completa)

¿Vas en coche, en autobús, en tren o en bicicleta? Para describir cómo te mueves por la ciudad o planificar un viaje necesitas conocer el vocabulario de los means of transport (medios de transporte). En este post te enseñamos desde los vehículos más comunes hasta las preposiciones y verbos correctos para cada uno, con pronunciación, diferencias entre inglés británico y americano, diálogos reales y 8 ejercicios prácticos.

🎯 En este post aprenderás: Más de 40 medios de transporte, la diferencia entre by car / in the car, los verbos drive, ride, take, get on/off, expresiones idiomáticas relacionadas con el transporte, y todo lo necesario para moverte con soltura en un país angloparlante.

📋 Clasificación de transportes por tipo (terrestre, aéreo, marítimo)

🚙 Transporte terrestre (road and rail transport)

Incluye vehículos que se desplazan por carretera o vías férreas. Aquí tienes la tabla más completa:

Español	English	Pronunciación	Verbo típico	Ejemplo
Coche	car	kar	drive	I drive my car to work every day.
Autobús (urbano)	bus	bas	take / ride	She takes the bus to school.
Autocar (larga distancia)	coach (UK) / long-distance bus (US)	kouch	take	We took a coach from London to Edinburgh.
Motocicleta	motorbike / motorcycle	móu-ter-baik	ride	He rides his motorbike every weekend.
Bicicleta	bicycle / bike	bái-si-kel / baik	ride	I ride my bike to the park.
Patinete eléctrico	electric scooter	i-lék-trik skú-ter	ride	Electric scooters are popular in big cities.
Taxi	taxi / cab	ták-si / kab	take / get in	Let’s take a taxi to the airport.
Camiones	lorry (UK) / truck (US)	ló-ri / trak	drive	My uncle drives a lorry.
Furgoneta	van	van	drive	We rented a van to move the furniture.
Tranvía	tram (UK) / streetcar (US)	tram / strít-kar	take	You can take the tram to the city centre.
Metro	underground (UK) / subway (US) / metro	án-der-graund / sáb-wei	take	I take the underground to work.
Tren	train	tréin	take	The train to Manchester leaves at 9am.
Tren de cercanías	commuter train	ko-miú-ter tréin	take	I take the commuter train every morning.
Tren de alta velocidad	high-speed train	jái-spíd tréin	take	The high-speed train goes from Madrid to Barcelona in 2.5 hours.
Andén (tren/metro)	platform	plát-fórm	wait on	Your train leaves from platform 3.
Vía (de tren)	track	trak	–	Be careful, the train is on track 2.

✈️ Transporte aéreo (air transport)

Español	English	Pronunciación	Verbo típico	Ejemplo
Avión	plane / aeroplane (UK) / airplane (US)	pléin / ér-o-pléin	fly / take	We flew to New York by plane.
Helicóptero	helicopter	jé-li-cóp-ter	fly	The helicopter landed on the roof.
Aeropuerto	airport	ér-port	go to	We arrived at the airport two hours early.
Vuelo	flight	fláit	catch / take	We caught an early flight to Paris.
Puerta de embarque	gate	gueit	go to	Your flight departs from gate B12.
Avioneta	small plane / light aircraft	smol pléin / láit ér-kraft	fly	He learned to fly a light aircraft.

⛴️ Transporte marítimo y fluvial (water transport)

Español	English	Pronunciación	Verbo típico	Ejemplo
Barco	boat	bout	sail / take	We took a boat trip along the river.
Ferry / transbordador	ferry	fé-ri	take	We took the ferry from Dover to Calais.
Crucero	cruise ship	krús ship	go on a cruise	They went on a cruise around the Caribbean.
Puerto	port / harbour	port / jár-ber	arrive at	The ship is in the harbour.
Velero	sailboat (US) / sailing boat (UK)	séil-bout	sail	They have a small sailboat on the lake.
Lancha motora	speedboat	spíd-bout	drive	The speedboat is very fast.

💡 Preposiciones clave con medios de transporte:
– By + medio de transporte (by car, by bus, by plane) para indicar el modo de viaje en general.
– On + transporte público (on the bus, on the train, on the plane).
– In + vehículo cerrado (in the car, in the taxi).
– On foot (a pie) – ¡ojo! no se dice «by foot».
– Get on / get off para autobús, tren, avión, bicicleta.
– Get in / get out of para coche, taxi.

🗣️ Verbos y expresiones esenciales para viajar (más de 30 ejemplos)

🚦 Cómo decir que usas un transporte (verbos principales)

Take + transport (take the bus, take the train, take a taxi, take a flight) – muy común.
Ride + bike / motorbike / horse (ride a bike, ride a motorbike).
Drive + car / lorry / van (drive a car, drive a truck).
Fly + plane / helicopter (fly to London, fly a helicopter).
Go by + transport (go by car, go by bus, go by plane).
Walk / go on foot (ir andando).
Catch + transport (catch the train, catch the bus, catch a flight).

🚏 Subir y bajar (get on / get off / get in / get out of)

Get on – subir a (bus, train, plane, bike, horse). Ej: Get on the bus at the front.
Get off – bajar de (bus, train, plane, bike). Ej: Get off at the next stop.
Get in – entrar en (car, taxi). Ej: Get in the car, we’re leaving.
Get out of – salir de (car, taxi). Ej: Get out of the taxi when we arrive.

🗺️ Frases útiles para viajar

What time does the next bus leave? (¿A qué hora sale el próximo autobús?)
Which platform does the train to London depart from? (¿De qué andén sale el tren a Londres?)
How much is a single ticket to Manchester? (¿Cuánto cuesta un billete sencillo a Manchester?)
Is this seat taken? (¿Está ocupado este asiento?)
I’d like a window seat, please. (Quisiera un asiento de ventanilla, por favor.)
Do I need to change trains? (¿Necesito cambiar de tren?)
How long does the journey take? (¿Cuánto dura el viaje?)
Where can I buy a ticket? (¿Dónde puedo comprar un billete?)

🎧 Diálogo completo: En la estación de tren (At the train station)

Passenger: Excuse me, what time is the next train to Brighton?
Ticket officer: The next train departs at 10:15 from platform 5.
Passenger: How much is a return ticket?
Ticket officer: £32. Single is £18.
Passenger: I’ll take a return, please. Can I pay by card?
Ticket officer: Yes, of course. Here’s your ticket. The train is on time.
Passenger: Thank you. Which way is platform 5?
Ticket officer: Go straight, then turn left. It’s next to the cafe.
Passenger: Great. Thanks again!

📊 Tabla comparativa: Reino Unido vs Estados Unidos (transporte)

Español	Reino Unido (UK)	Estados Unidos (US)
Metro	underground / tube	subway
Autocar (larga distancia)	coach	long-distance bus
Tranvía	tram	streetcar / trolley
Camión	lorry	truck
Acera	pavement	sidewalk
Calzada	carriageway	roadway
Rotonda	roundabout	traffic circle
Semáforo	traffic lights	traffic lights (same)
Paso de peatones	zebra crossing	crosswalk
Billete (sencillo)	single ticket	one-way ticket
Billete (ida y vuelta)	return ticket	round-trip ticket
Equipaje	luggage	baggage
Maletero (coche)	boot	trunk
Capó (coche)	bonnet	hood

⚠️ Falsos amigos y precauciones: En inglés británico, boot es el maletero del coche; en informática, boot es arrancar. En inglés americano, subway es el metro, no un paso subterráneo peatonal (eso es underpass). Y recuerda: gas en EEUU es gasolina; en UK se dice petrol.

🧠 8 ejercicios prácticos para dominar el transporte

Ejercicio 1: Elige la opción correcta (preposiciones y verbos).

I usually go to work ______ car. (by)
She goes everywhere ______ foot. (on)
We need to ______ a taxi to the airport. (take)
He is sitting ______ the car. (in)
Get ______ the bus at the next stop. (on)
Please get ______ the taxi – we’re in a hurry. (in)
I prefer to travel ______ train rather than by car. (by)

✅ Solución

a) by, b) on, c) take, d) in, e) on, f) in, g) by

Ejercicio 2: Traduce las frases al inglés.

Voy al trabajo en bicicleta.
Ella prefiere viajar en tren.
¿Cómo llego a la estación? – Anda 10 minutos.
Mi padre conduce un camión.
Subimos al avión a las 8.
¿A qué hora sale el próximo autobús?
¿Cuánto cuesta un billete de ida y vuelta a Londres?

✅ Solución

a) I go to work by bike. / I ride my bike to work.
b) She prefers to travel by train.
c) How do I get to the station? – Walk for 10 minutes / Go on foot.
d) My father drives a lorry/truck.
e) We get on the plane at 8.
f) What time does the next bus leave?
g) How much is a return ticket (UK) / round-trip ticket (US) to London?

Ejercicio 3: Completa con el verbo correcto (take, ride, drive, get on, get off, catch).

I usually ______ the bus to school. (take)
Can you ______ a motorbike? (ride)
Please ______ the car carefully. (drive)
We ______ the train at platform 3. (get on)
You need to ______ at the next stop. (get off)
We need to ______ a flight to Paris. (catch)
She ______ her bike to the library. (rides)

✅ Solución

a) take, b) ride, c) drive, d) get on, e) get off, f) catch, g) rides

Ejercicio 4: Verdadero o falso (corrige los falsos).

A «ferry» is a type of plane. (False – it’s a boat)
«Underground» and «subway» mean the same. (True)
You «drive» a bicycle. (False – you ride a bicycle)
A «coach» is a luxury car. (False – a coach is a long-distance bus)
You «get in» a taxi. (True)
You «get off» a car. (False – you get out of a car)
In the US, «truck» is the same as UK «lorry». (True)

✅ Solución

a) F, b) T, c) F, d) F, e) T, f) F, g) T

Ejercicio 5: Ordena las palabras para formar frases correctas.

go / I / by / usually / bus / to / school / .
does / What / time / train / the / leave / ?
get / the / at / off / next / stop / .
to / need / a / We / taxi / take / the / airport / .
prefer / I / travel / by / train / .

✅ Solución

a) I usually go to school by bus.
b) What time does the train leave?
c) Get off at the next stop.
d) We need to take a taxi to the airport.
e) I prefer to travel by train.

Ejercicio 6: Elige la palabra correcta (UK vs US).

In London, you take the __________ to go quickly around the city. (underground / subway) → underground
In New York, you call it the __________. (subway / tube) → subway
My father drives a big __________. (lorry / truck) – ambas correctas, pero depende del país.
I need to put my suitcase in the __________ of the car. (boot / trunk) – boot (UK), trunk (US)
We bought a __________ ticket to return next week. (return / round-trip) – return (UK), round-trip (US)

✅ Solución

a) underground, b) subway, c) lorry (UK) / truck (US), d) boot (UK) / trunk (US), e) return (UK) / round-trip (US)

Ejercicio 7: Describe tu viaje diario al trabajo/escuela usando al menos 5 medios de transporte o verbos. (Escribe 5-7 frases)

✅ Ejemplo de respuesta

I live near my school, so I usually go on foot. Sometimes I take the bus when it rains. My father goes to work by car. On weekends, we ride our bikes to the park. Last summer we flew to Italy. At the airport, we took a taxi to the hotel. I love travelling by train because it’s comfortable.

Ejercicio 8: Completa el diálogo con las palabras del recuadro (platform, ticket, train, leave, get on, return).

Tom: Excuse me, what time does the next ______ (1) to Manchester ______ (2)?
Clerk: At 11:30 from ______ (3) 2.
Tom: How much is a ______ (4) ticket?
Clerk: £45. Here’s your ______ (5). You need to ______ (6) the train now.
Tom: Thanks!

✅ Solución

1) train, 2) leave, 3) platform, 4) return, 5) ticket, 6) get on

🌍 Expresiones idiomáticas relacionadas con el transporte

Miss the boat – perder una oportunidad. Ej: I missed the boat on that job offer.
Drive someone crazy – volver loco a alguien. Ej: This noise is driving me crazy.
Hit the road – ponerse en camino. Ej: Let’s hit the road before it gets dark.
Backseat driver – persona que da órdenes sin tener autoridad. Ej: Stop being a backseat driver!
On the right track – ir por buen camino (en sentido figurado). Ej: Your project is on the right track.
As the crow flies – en línea recta. Ej: It’s only 5 km as the crow flies, but 10 km by road.
Put the brakes on something – frenar algo. Ej: The company put the brakes on the new project.