Here are the main categories of transport modes, each with a short description and a table of key vocabulary items.
Air Transport
Air transport includes all vehicles and infrastructure related to flying in the sky.
Water Transport
Water transport covers boats, ships, and other vessels that travel on lakes, rivers, or oceans.
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence: 'The _______ sailed across the ocean.'
ship
'Ship' is the correct term for a large vessel that travels on the ocean.
Road Transport
Road transport involves vehicles that move on streets and highways, including both public and private options.
Rail Transport
Rail transport includes trains and subways that run on tracks for commuting or long-distance travel.
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence: 'I bought a _______ to Berlin.'
ticket
'Ticket' is a document that allows a person to travel on a train or other transport.
Other Modes
This category includes less common or emerging transport methods, as well as non-motorized options.
Using Transport Mode Vocabulary in Sentences
Providing example sentences to show how transport mode vocabulary is used in context.
Which sentence correctly uses the word 'taxi'?
We took a taxi to the hotel.
Taxis are cars for hire on roads, so the first and second sentence make sense. The third does not.
Air Transport
Air transport includes all vehicles and infrastructure related to flying in the sky. This category covers everything from commercial airplanes to small private jets, as well as the places you go to catch a flight.
| English Vocabulary | Example Sentence | Spanish Translation | German Translation | Chinese Translation | Example Sentence (Spanish) | Example Sentence (German) | Example Sentence (Chinese) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| airplane | We took an airplane to New York. | avión | Flugzeug | 飞机 | Tomamos un avión a Nueva York. | Wir haben ein Flugzeug nach New York genommen. | 我们坐飞机去了纽约。 |
| airport | The airport was very busy today. | aeropuerto | Flughafen | 机场 | El aeropuerto estaba muy ocupado hoy. | Der Flughafen war heute sehr beschäftigt. | 机场今天非常繁忙。 |
| pilot | The pilot announced our descent. | piloto | Pilot | 飞行员 | El piloto anunció nuestro descenso. | Der Pilot kündigte unseren Sinkflug an. | 飞行员宣布我们即将降落。 |
| flight | Our flight was delayed by two hours. | vuelo | Flug | 航班 | Nuestro vuelo se retrasó dos horas. | Unser Flug hatte eine zweistündige Verspätung. | 我们的航班延误了两个小时。 |
| boarding pass | I showed my boarding pass at the gate. | tarjeta de embarque | Bordkarte | 登机牌 | Mostré mi tarjeta de embarque en la puerta. | Ich zeigte meine Bordkarte am Gate vor. | 我在登机口出示了登机牌。 |
| jet | The jet took off smoothly. | jet | Jet | 喷气机 | El jet despegó suavemente. | Der Jet hob sanft ab. | 喷气机平稳起飞。 |
| cabin crew | The cabin crew served us snacks. | tripulación de cabina | Kabinenpersonal | 机组人员 | La tripulación de cabina nos sirvió bocadillos. | Das Kabinenpersonal servierte uns Snacks. | 机组人员为我们提供了点心。 |
| luggage | I packed my luggage the night before. | equipaje | Gepäck | 行李 | Empaqué mi equipaje la noche anterior. | Ich packte mein Gepäck am Vorabend. | 我前一天晚上打包了行李。 |
| runway | The plane waited on the runway. | pista | Startbahn | 跑道 | El avión esperó en la pista. | Das Flugzeug wartete auf der Startbahn. | 飞机在跑道上等待。 |
| turbulence | We experienced some turbulence during the flight. | turbulencia | Turbulenz | 颠簸 | Experimentamos algo de turbulencia durante el vuelo. | Wir hatten während des Fluges etwas Turbulenz. | 飞行途中遇到了一些颠簸。 |
Water Transport
Water transport covers boats, ships, and other vessels that travel on lakes, rivers, or oceans. This category includes everything from small ferries to massive cruise ships.
| English Vocabulary | Example Sentence | Spanish Translation | German Translation | Chinese Translation | Example Sentence (Spanish) | Example Sentence (German) | Example Sentence (Chinese) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| boat | We rented a boat on the lake. | bote | Boot | 船 | Alquilamos un bote en el lago. | Wir mieteten ein Boot auf dem See. | 我们在湖上租了一艘船。 |
| ship | The ship sailed across the ocean. | barco | Schiff | 船 | El barco navegó por el océano. | Das Schiff segelte über den Ozean. | 船在大洋上航行。 |
| ferry | The ferry took us to the island. | ferry | Fähre | 渡轮 | El ferry nos llevó a la isla. | Die Fähre brachte uns zur Insel. | 渡轮带我们去了岛上。 |
| cruise | They went on a Mediterranean cruise. | crucero | Kreuzfahrt | 邮轮 | Fueron en un crucero por el Mediterráneo. | Sie machten eine Mittelmeer-Kreuzfahrt. | 他们进行了地中海邮轮旅行。 |
| captain | The captain steered the ship through the storm. | capitán | Kapitän | 船长 | El capitán dirigió el barco durante la tormenta. | Der Kapitän steuerte das Schiff durch den Sturm. | 船长在风暴中操舵。 |
| deck | We enjoyed the sunset on the deck. | cubierta | Deck | 甲板 | Disfrutamos la puesta de sol en la cubierta. | Wir genossen den Sonnenuntergang auf dem Deck. | 我们在甲板上欣赏了日落。 |
| dock | The ship docked early in the morning. | muelle | Dock | 码头 | El barco atracó temprano por la mañana. | Das Schiff legte früh am Morgen an. | 船一大早就停靠码头。 |
| sailboat | She owns a small sailboat. | velero | Segelboot | 帆船 | Ella tiene un pequeño velero. | Sie besitzt ein kleines Segelboot. | 她拥有一艘小帆船。 |
| anchor | The anchor was dropped into the water. | ancla | Anker | 锚 | Soltaron el ancla en el agua. | Der Anker wurde ins Wasser gelassen. | 锚被放入水中。 |
| life jacket | Always wear a life jacket on the boat. | chaleco salvavidas | Schwimmweste | 救生衣 | Siempre usa un chaleco salvavidas en el bote. | Trage immer eine Schwimmweste im Boot. | 船上总是要穿救生衣。 |
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence: 'The _______ sailed across the ocean.'
ship
'Ship' is the correct term for a large vessel that travels on the ocean.
Road Transport
Road transport involves vehicles that move on streets and highways, including both public and private options. This is the most common mode of transportation in most cities.
| English Vocabulary | Example Sentence | Spanish Translation | German Translation | Chinese Translation | Example Sentence (Spanish) | Example Sentence (German) | Example Sentence (Chinese) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| car | I drive my car to work every day. | coche / carro | Auto / Wagen | 汽车 | Conduzco mi coche al trabajo todos los días. | Ich fahre jeden Tag mit dem Auto zur Arbeit. | 我每天开车上班。 |
| bus | The bus was late this morning. | autobús | Bus | 公交车 | El autobús llegó tarde esta mañana. | Der Bus hatte heute Morgen Verspätung. | 公交车今天早上晚点了。 |
| taxi | We took a taxi to the hotel. | taxi | Taxi | 出租车 | Tomamos un taxi al hotel. | Wir nahmen ein Taxi zum Hotel. | 我们打车去了酒店。 |
| motorcycle | He rides a motorcycle on weekends. | motocicleta | Motorrad | 摩托车 | Él monta una motocicleta los fines de semana. | Er fährt am Wochenende Motorrad. | 他周末骑摩托车。 |
| bicycle | She commutes by bicycle. | bicicleta | Fahrrad | 自行车 | Ella va al trabajo en bicicleta. | Sie pendelt mit dem Fahrrad. | 她骑自行车上下班。 |
| traffic jam | We were stuck in a traffic jam for an hour. | atasco / tráfico | Stau | 交通堵塞 | Estuvimos atrapados en un atasco durante una hora. | Wir steckten eine Stunde im Stau. | 我们堵车堵了一个小时。 |
| driver | The driver was very polite. | conductor / chófer | Fahrer | 司机 | El conductor fue muy educado. | Der Fahrer war sehr höflich. | 司机非常有礼貌。 |
| road | The road was closed for construction. | carretera / camino | Straße | 道路 | La carretera estaba cerrada por obras. | Die Straße war wegen Bauarbeiten gesperrt. | 道路因施工关闭。 |
| traffic light | The traffic light turned green. | semáforo | Ampel | 交通信号灯 | El semáforo se puso en verde. | Die Ampel wurde grün. | 红绿灯变绿了。 |
| passenger | The taxi had two passengers. | pasajero | Passagier | 乘客 | El taxi tenía dos pasajeros. | Im Taxi waren zwei Passagiere. | 出租车里有两个乘客。 |
Rail Transport
Rail transport includes trains and subways that run on tracks for commuting or long-distance travel. This mode is often faster than road transport in busy areas.
| English Vocabulary | Example Sentence | Spanish Translation | German Translation | Chinese Translation | Example Sentence (Spanish) | Example Sentence (German) | Example Sentence (Chinese) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| train | We took the train to the countryside. | tren | Zug | 火车 | Tomamos el tren al campo. | Wir nahmen den Zug aufs Land. | 我们乘火车去了乡下。 |
| subway | The subway is the fastest way to get downtown. | metro | U-Bahn | 地铁 | El metro es la forma más rápida de llegar al centro. | Die U-Bahn ist der schnellste Weg in die Innenstadt. | 地铁是去市中心最快的方式。 |
| station | The train station is five blocks away. | estación | Bahnhof | 车站 | La estación de tren está a cinco cuadras. | Der Bahnhof ist fünf Blocks entfernt. | 火车站离这里五个街区。 |
| platform | The train arrives at platform 3. | andén | Bahnsteig | 站台 | El tren llega al andén 3. | Der Zug kommt an Gleis 3 an. | 火车在3号站台到达。 |
| ticket | I bought a ticket to Berlin. | billete / boleto | Fahrkarte | 车票 | Compré un billete a Berlín. | Ich kaufte eine Fahrkarte nach Berlin. | 我买了一张去柏林的票。 |
| conductor | The conductor checked our tickets. | revisor | Schaffner | 检票员 | El revisor revisó nuestros billetes. | Der Schaffner kontrollierte unsere Fahrkarten. | 检票员检查了我们的车票。 |
| carriage | We sat in the first carriage. | vagón | Wagen | 车厢 | Nos sentamos en el primer vagón. | Wir saßen im ersten Wagen. | 我们坐在第一节车厢。 |
| express train | The express train is faster but more expensive. | tren expreso | Schnellzug | 快车 | El tren expreso es más rápido pero más caro. | Der Schnellzug ist schneller, aber teurer. | 快车更快但更贵。 |
| route | What is the route of this train? | ruta | Strecke | 路线 | ¿Cuál es la ruta de este tren? | Was ist die Strecke dieses Zuges? | 这列火车的路线是什么？ |
| subway map | I looked at the subway map to find my stop. | mapa del metro | U-Bahn-Plan | 地铁图 | Miré el mapa del metro para encontrar mi parada. | Ich schaute auf den U-Bahn-Plan, um meine Haltestelle zu finden. | 我看了地铁图找我的站。 |
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence: 'I bought a _______ to Berlin.'
ticket
'Ticket' is a document that allows a person to travel on a train or other transport.
Other Modes
This category includes less common or emerging transport methods, as well as non-motorized options.
| English Vocabulary | Example Sentence | Spanish Translation | German Translation | Chinese Translation | Example Sentence (Spanish) | Example Sentence (German) | Example Sentence (Chinese) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| taxi | We took a taxi to the hotel. | taxi | Taxi | 出租车 | Tomamos un taxi al hotel. | Wir nahmen ein Taxi zum Hotel. | 我们打车去了酒店。 |
| cable car | We rode a cable car up the mountain. | teleférico | Seilbahn | 缆车 | Subimos en teleférico a la montaña. | Wir fuhren mit der Seilbahn den Berg hinauf. | 我们乘缆车上了山。 |
| skateboard | He goes to school on a skateboard. | monopatín | Skateboard | 滑板 | Él va a la escuela en monopatín. | Er fährt mit dem Skateboard zur Schule. | 他骑滑板去上学。 |
| scooter | She rides an electric scooter around the city. | patinete / scooter | Roller | 滑板车 | Ella monta un scooter eléctrico por la ciudad. | Sie fährt mit einem Elektro-Roller durch die Stadt. | 她骑电动滑板车在城市里转。 |
| wheelchair | The museum is accessible by wheelchair. | silla de ruedas | Rollstuhl | 轮椅 | El museo es accesible en silla de ruedas. | Das Museum ist mit dem Rollstuhl zugänglich. | 博物馆可供轮椅通行。 |
| horse | They traveled by horse through the countryside. | caballo | Pferd | 马 | Viajaron a caballo por el campo. | Sie reisten zu Pferd durch die Landschaft. | 他们骑马穿越乡村。 |
| hot air balloon | The hot air balloon floated over the valley. | globo aerostático | Heißluftballon | 热气球 | El globo aerostático flotaba sobre el valle. | Der Heißluftballon schwebte über das Tal. | 热气球飘过山谷。 |
| rickshaw | We took a rickshaw through the old city streets. | rickshaw | Rikscha | 人力车 | Tomamos un rickshaw por las calles antiguas. | Wir fuhren mit einer Rikscha durch die Altstadt. | 我们坐人力车穿过老城区的街道。 |
| hoverboard | Kids love riding hoverboards in the park. | hoverboard | Hoverboard | 智能平衡车 | A los niños les encanta montar hoverboards en el parque. | Kinder fahren gerne Hoverboards im Park. | 孩子们喜欢在公园骑智能平衡车。 |
| jet ski | We rented jet skis at the beach. | moto acuática | Jetski | 水上摩托 | Alquilamos motos acuáticas en la playa. | Wir mieteten Jetskis am Strand. | 我们在海滩租了水上摩托。 |
Using Transport Mode Vocabulary in Sentences
Here are some example sentences from each category to show how the vocabulary is used in context:
- Air Transport: "The airplane took off on time from the busy airport."
- Water Transport: "We enjoyed a sunset cruise on the ship's deck."
- Road Transport: "I caught a bus after getting stuck in a traffic jam."
- Rail Transport: "The train conductor checked our tickets before departure."
- Other Modes: "She rode her scooter through the city streets."
That's a comprehensive overview of common transport mode vocabulary in English, organized by category. Safe travels!
Which sentence correctly uses the word 'taxi'?
We took a taxi to the hotel.
Taxis are cars for hire on roads, so the first and second sentence make sense. The third does not.
Flashcards (1 of 50)
- Example Sentence: We took an airplane to New York.
- Chinese Translation: 飞机
- Example Sentence (Chinese): 我们坐飞机去了纽约。
- English Vocabulary: airplane
Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025
