Interlingua/Curso de conversation/Capitulo 2, Scenas 5 e 6 (anglese)

SCENE 5: Strasbourg: Petro is in a travel agent's office. He is making reservations for a flight to Geneva. There is no direct flight to that destination, and he must fly to Paris and transfer to another plane. The agent suggests that Petro go to Lyon and from Lyon by a high-speed train (TGV) to Geneva, but Petro prefers to travel completely by plane. The agent then sells him a ticket to Geneva via Paris, and Petro gives him a check for the trip.

Petro: Can you help me?

The agent: Just a moment. Yes. What can I do for you?

Petro: I want to go to Geneva this Sunday.

The agent: How do you want to go there?

Petro: By plane.

The agent: What company?

Petro: The company? That doesn't matter. Any company is okay.

The agent: First class? Tourist class?

Petro: Tourist class.

The agent: Morning or afternoon?

Petro: I prefer the afternoon. Let's say about three or four o'clock.

The agent: Then ... well, it seems that there isn't a direct flight between Strasbourg and Geneva. You'll have to transfer to another plane in Paris. There is an Air Inter flight between Strasbourg and Paris. You will then go by Air France to Geneva. You will leave in the morning.

Petro: And ... the trip takes how long?

The agent: Let's see. ... It depends on the time that you have to wait in Paris. When do you want to leave? What day?

Petro: Sunday. Next Sunday. At ten o'clock.

The agent: Sunday. ... You then will have an Air Inter flight for Paris at eleven thirty, which arrives in Paris at twelve forty-five.

Petro: Yes. ... And afterwards, how do I get to Geneva?

The agent: You then have an Air France flight for Geneva, which leaves at seventeen hundred fifteen hours from Paris and arrives in Geneva at seventeen hours twenty.

Petro: There's no direct flight?

The agent: No, none. If you don't want to take two planes, you can go by plane to Lyon, and then you can take the TGV to Geneva at seventeen hundred hours twenty.

Petro: Yes, but I would have to go from the Lyon airport to the railroad station. No. I prefer to take the plane.

The agent: Very well. Can you give me your name?

Petro: Minelli, em, I, en, ee, double ell, I.

The agent: Your initials?

Petro: Pea, as in Petro.

The agent: Just a minute. Do you want to reserve your trip from Geneva at this time?

Petro: No, I don't want a round-trip ticket. A one-way ticket to Geneva is good enough.

The agent: Fine. One minute, please. Here's your ticket. Your reservation is for Sunday the tenth of this month. You leave Sunday from Strasbourg at eleven thirty and you arrive at Geneva at seventeen hundred hours twenty. You then will have to wait in Paris three and a half hours.

Petro: Very well, thank you.

The agent: How do you want to pay? Credit card? Check? Cash?

Petro: By check.

The agent: Fine. The total price is sixteen hundred euros, please.

Petro: Okay. How do you want me to make out my check?

The agent: To the Kaufman Agency.

Petro: Kay, ...

The agent: Kay, ay, you, eff, em, ay, double en.

Petro: Thanks. Here's the check.

EXERCISE 5: Buying a ticket.

Guide: Good. Petro has reserved his plane seat. Let's try practicing the vocabulary used to do this. What do you say to the travel agent?

A man: I want to go to Frankfurt on Friday, the fourth of June. I want to travel by plane. I want to reserve a plane seat for Frankfurt.

A woman: When do you want to leave?

A man: Friday.

A woman: There is a flight at ten o'clock.

A man: Is there a flight in the afternoon?

A woman: Yes. There is another Lufthansa flight at four o'clock.

A man: What time does it get to Paris?

A woman: The flight lasts an hour.

A man: Then I will arrive there at five o'clock?

A woman: Yes, exactly.

A man: Fine. Can you reserve for me a seat on the four o'clock flight to Frankfurt?

A woman: Yes. I can prepare for you a ticket for the four o'clock flight to Frankfurt. And when do you want to return?

A man: Can I leave the return flight open? I don't know right now when I will be able to return, and I would like to decide this later.

A woman: Yes, I understand. I am leaving the return ticket open. How do you want to pay? You can pay with a check.

A man: Can I pay with a credit card?

A woman: Yes, naturally. Or you can also pay in cash. How do you want to pay?

A man: With a credit card. How much does the ticket cost?

A woman: Six hundred fifty-five euros.

A man: Very well. Here's my credit card.

Guide: Let's return to Petro. He is in the airport, and he is now making a new friend.

SCENE 6: Peter is at the point of getting on the plane for Geneva at the Strasbourg airport, where he meets a certain Mr. Melville, who says he is a business consultant. Petro gives him a rather detailed description of his work.

Mr. Melville gives him his card, saying that, because of his many contacts with various governments, he probably will be able to send some new projects to Petro. He suggests finally that Petro send him a detailed plan for an engineering project. Petro is very happy and says he will send something to Mr. Melville very soon.

The flight attendant: Passengers who have a green embarcation card will have the first priority for embarking. Please give passengers with a green embarcation card the first priority for embarking on the plane.

Melville: My card is green.

Petro: So is mine. It seems we have only thirty minutes to wait.

Melville: Yes. Do you live in Geneva, or are you going there only as a tourist?

Petro: I'm gonna work there.

Melville: Oh, yes. What do you do?

Petro: I work in urban transport.

Melville: Really?

Petro: Yes. Trains, buses, etc.

Melville: Allow me to introduce myself. My name is John Melville.

Petro: Petro Minelli. Very nice to meet you.

Melville: So you're an engineer?

Petro: Yes, exactly. I have a technical and commercial background, both of them.

Melville: Tell me a little about these systems of transport and about your new company. That interests me.

Petro: Okay. Imagine that you have a city of about a million people. You need a means of public transportation, underground possibly, like the metro. Or perhaps you want a suspended monorail. Or possibly a surface vehicle, a tramway.

Melville: Interesting. Continue.

Petro: You come to see us. We explain to you the existing possibilities. We talk to you. We submit to you different solutions. We then can construct the transport project for you that you find most suitable.

Melville: How? You provide the material, the machines, the locomotives, the trains?

Petro: Everything. We build everything through the companies in our group.

Melville: At a price.

Petro: At a very competitive price. I think you will really find what we offer you to be the most cost effective of all possibilities.

Melville: That's very interesting. Very interesting. Listen, do you have a card?

Petro: I don't have my new card.

Melville: Let me give you mine. I can't find my professional card at this moment, but here's my personal card. It is possible that I can send a project or two your way.

Petro: Oh yeah? What type of work do you do?

Melville: I am a consultant for different enterprises, but I have especially good contacts with different government agencies, and I think that I could have need for services similar to yours.

Petro: Really? That sounds very good.

Melville: There is something that you can do for me. Let's say we have a city of a million inhabitants, for example. Let's say that we have such a city in the Middle East. Can you send me a letter explaining to me how you would begin, how you would establish your schedules and prices, how much time would be necessary for the project, etc. Can you do that?

Petro: Certainly. I will give you an idea of our ways of planning our projects and what we can offer our clients.

Melville: Perfect.

The flight attendant: In a few minutes we will be arriving in Geneva. Please put out your cigarettes and attach your seat belts.

Melville: Very interesting. Very interesting indeed.

Guide: Very well. Petro has arrived in Geneva. It seems his new work will be starting very soon. Let's see what happens in the next part.