<p>The proper way of asking is "我在哪里可以买到火车票?". Most Chinese would be able to understand your question even if you were to use the two sentences you have just written.</p>

<p><strong>Edit</strong>:</p>

<p>I saw many comments asking about the correctness of different variations to the question. Although not directly relevant to the question itself, here are some of the variations:</p>

<p>Formal:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>我在哪里可以买<b>得</b>到火车票? (Where can I buy (a) train ticket?)</p>
  
  <p>我在哪里可以买到火车票? (Same as above, less emphasis on getting the ticket)</p>
  
  <p>哪里可以买<b>得</b>到火车票? (Where can train ticket(s) be bought?)</p>
  
  <p>哪里可以买到火车票? (Same as above, less emphasis on getting the ticket)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Informal:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><b>哪可买</b>到火车票? (Where can buy train ticket?)</p>
  
  <p><b>哪有卖</b>火车票? (Where got sell train ticket?)</p>
  
  <p><b>去哪买</b>火车票? (Go where to buy train ticket?)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>If you are asking a stranger for directions, it would be prudent to ask in this manner:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><b>请问</b>哪里可以买得到火车票? (Excuse me, where can train ticket(s) be bought?)</p>
</blockquote>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-22T14:42:46.593Z
2012-08-26T11:34:34.287Z
2012-08-26T11:34:34.287Z
杨以轩
<p>"我在哪里可以买到火车票?" is the correct way to ask where you can buy the ticket, but in oral language "我哪里可以买到火车票?" is used quite often.</p>

<p>Actually there are 2 ways how "我哪里可以买到火车票"  can be interpreted. The first one is a question asking where you can buy train tickets. The second one is a statement meaning there is no place where train tickets can be bought. In oral language people will know what you mean by the context, the tone of your voice and your expressions.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-23T07:10:07.430Z
A bit off-topic, but do you know the meaning of `到` (dào) in these sentences?
Cocowalla
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-23T07:18:11.297Z
@Cocowalla: 到 is a complement of result. 买到 means "successfully buy". See http://comet.cls.yale.edu/mandarin/content/result/grammar/result.htm or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_grammar#Complement_of_result for more details.
BertR
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-23T09:04:04.167Z
@Cocowalla: You're welcome. On this page you can find some examples with 到: http://comet.cls.yale.edu/mandarin/content/result/grammar/Result-9.htm
BertR
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-26T10:36:09.670Z
what if 我在 is omitted? "哪里可以买到火车票？“？ Would that be correct? "correct" in spoken language? Simply incorrect?
Niklas Berglund
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-22T14:53:31.380Z
2012-08-23T11:34:16.703Z
2012-08-23T11:34:16.703Z
BertR
<p>Sometimes 我哪里可以买火车票 without a questioning tone means can be used to indicate someone who can't buy a train ticket for some obvious reason (both talker and listener understanding the situation). Similar to the rhetorical "Why can't I buy a train ticket?" in English.</p>

<p>This case occurs in some disputation, and 我哪里 is emphasized.</p>

<p>there is a case:
A: 你从火车站回来怎么不买火车票呢，明天买票排队要花很长时间呢。
B: 我哪里可以买火车票啊，昨天不是把钱都给你了嘛，我现在身无分文。
A: 哦，我忘记了。</p>

<p>In oral Chinese, we can understand you, but in writing Chinese, only one statement without tone, there may be misunderstanding.</p>

<p>1.我哪里面有时间陪你看电影啊，我今晚要加班。(I can't go to the cinema with you because I must go overtime work this night)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-10-11T08:36:25.443Z
2012-10-19T09:10:53.670Z
2012-10-19T09:10:53.670Z
Daniel
<p>我在哪里可以买得到火车票 is the same as 哪买火车票.</p>

<p>A Chinese will understand even you just say"火车票"</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-09-12T01:10:51.350Z
2012-10-19T08:59:58.400Z
2012-10-19T08:59:58.400Z
郑铮from China
<p>I'm Chinese.</p>

<p>“哪里” sometimes means “how can I do this” or “It's too difficult for me”.</p>

<p>我在哪里可以买到火车票 = Where can I buy a train ticket?
我哪里可以买到火车票 = Why do you think I could buy train ticket?</p>

<p>When 哪里 follows 在、去、到 it means somewhere.</p>

<p>When 哪里 follows someone or something it may mean  “how can I do this” or “It's too difficult for me”. </p>

<p>Like: </p>

<p>他哪里能完成这个项目 = He cannot finish it</p>

<p>你哪里能承担责任 = You cannot be responsible for this thing</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-09-24T00:14:01.367Z
Welcome to the site, Yin, your English is fine. If you're more comfortable in Chinese, you can write a short English answer plus more details in Chinese.
Don Kirkby
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-09-12T05:33:17.420Z
2012-10-11T04:38:25.310Z
2012-10-11T04:38:25.310Z
Yin
<p>They're actually the same sentences, except the latter one is used a little more often in Chinese daily lives.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-10-19T07:21:03.947Z
2012-10-19T08:52:47.207Z
2012-10-19T08:52:47.207Z
Tony
<p>BerR's answer is correct. I have a supplement of the second expan of "我哪里可以买到火车票". It is not only a statement that there is no place where the tickets can be bought, but no ways, no time or the tickets are sold out objectively like and so on, any situations that you can not buy the tickets, you can say that sentence with falling tone.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-23T21:54:27.393Z
I think this should be a comment to BertR's answer as it does not really add anything new.
deutschZuid
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-23T06:26:32.397Z
2012-08-23T06:26:32.397Z
Charles
<p>The first one is proper, and for the second one most Chinese people will understand what you want to say, but it is incorrect.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-09-12T01:07:50.353Z
2012-10-19T09:00:48.587Z
2012-10-19T09:00:48.587Z
Yuan Zongheng
<p>BertR's answser is right. But it depends on the circumstance you can saying it, if you are in front of the train station, you ask someone "我哪里可以买到火车票" instead of "我在哪里可以买到火车票?", one can unterstand you want to buy ticket, they are almost the same though it seems not correct to say "我哪里可以买到火车票" to some extent. But when your friend ask you to visit him, and you are failed to buy a ticket, you can say "我哪里可以买到火车票", it means the ticket is difficult to buy, this saying is a kind of complaint.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-09-11T17:01:24.413Z
2012-09-11T17:01:24.413Z
raycamus
<p>Are "我在哪里可以买火车票" and "我哪里可以买火车票" both correct sentences? If one isn't, why?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-22T13:56:49.157Z
You put 2 identical sentences...
dda
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-08-22T14:10:25.760Z
Oh sorry, the second sentence should be:
我哪里可以买火车票
Bjorn
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-10-19T06:59:44.817Z
Isn't it redundant to say 可以买得到? Wouldn't it be more proper to say either 可以买到 or just 买得到?
Dan
<grammar>
Are "我在哪里可以买火车票" and "我哪里可以买火车票" both correct sentences?
# Are "我在哪里可以买火车票" and "我哪里可以买火车票" both correct sentences?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-08-22)

Are "我在哪里可以买火车票" and "我哪里可以买火车票" both correct sentences? If one isn't, why?

**Tags:** grammar
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: You put 2 identical sentences...  
> **username_0**: Oh sorry, the second sentence should be: 我哪里可以买火车票  
> **username_2**: Isn't it redundant to say 可以买得到? Wouldn't it be more proper to say either 可以买到 or just 买得到?  

---

## 9 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2012-08-22. Score: 2 | Accepted answer

The proper way of asking is "我在哪里可以买到火车票?". Most Chinese would be able to understand your question even if you were to use the two sentences you have just written.

**Edit**:

I saw many comments asking about the correctness of different variations to the question. Although not directly relevant to the question itself, here are some of the variations:

Formal:

> 我在哪里可以买**得**到火车票? (Where can I buy (a) train ticket?)
>
> 我在哪里可以买到火车票? (Same as above, less emphasis on getting the ticket)
>
> 哪里可以买**得**到火车票? (Where can train ticket(s) be bought?)
>
> 哪里可以买到火车票? (Same as above, less emphasis on getting the ticket)

Informal:

> **哪可买**到火车票? (Where can buy train ticket?)
>
> **哪有卖**火车票? (Where got sell train ticket?)
>
> **去哪买**火车票? (Go where to buy train ticket?)

If you are asking a stranger for directions, it would be prudent to ask in this manner:

> **请问**哪里可以买得到火车票? (Excuse me, where can train ticket(s) be bought?)


---

### Answer by username_4 on 2012-08-22. Score: 6

"我在哪里可以买到火车票?" is the correct way to ask where you can buy the ticket, but in oral language "我哪里可以买到火车票?" is used quite often.

Actually there are 2 ways how "我哪里可以买到火车票" can be interpreted. The first one is a question asking where you can buy train tickets. The second one is a statement meaning there is no place where train tickets can be bought. In oral language people will know what you mean by the context, the tone of your voice and your expressions.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: A bit off-topic, but do you know the meaning of `到` (dào) in these sentences?  
> **username_4**: @Cocowalla: 到 is a complement of result. 买到 means "successfully buy". See http://comet.cls.yale.edu/mandarin/content/result/grammar/result.htm or https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_grammar#Complement_of_result for more details.  
> **username_4**: @Cocowalla: You're welcome. On this page you can find some examples with 到: http://comet.cls.yale.edu/mandarin/content/result/grammar/Result-9.htm  
> **username_6**: what if 我在 is omitted? "哪里可以买到火车票？“？ Would that be correct? "correct" in spoken language? Simply incorrect?  

---

### Answer by username_7 on 2012-10-11. Score: 4

Sometimes 我哪里可以买火车票 without a questioning tone means can be used to indicate someone who can't buy a train ticket for some obvious reason (both talker and listener understanding the situation). Similar to the rhetorical "Why can't I buy a train ticket?" in English.

This case occurs in some disputation, and 我哪里 is emphasized.

there is a case:
A: 你从火车站回来怎么不买火车票呢，明天买票排队要花很长时间呢。
B: 我哪里可以买火车票啊，昨天不是把钱都给你了嘛，我现在身无分文。
A: 哦，我忘记了。

In oral Chinese, we can understand you, but in writing Chinese, only one statement without tone, there may be misunderstanding.

1.我哪里面有时间陪你看电影啊，我今晚要加班。(I can't go to the cinema with you because I must go overtime work this night)


---

### Answer by username_8 on 2012-09-12. Score: 1

我在哪里可以买得到火车票 is the same as 哪买火车票.

A Chinese will understand even you just say"火车票"


---

### Answer by username_9 on 2012-09-12. Score: 1

I'm Chinese.

“哪里” sometimes means “how can I do this” or “It's too difficult for me”.

我在哪里可以买到火车票 = Where can I buy a train ticket?
我哪里可以买到火车票 = Why do you think I could buy train ticket?

When 哪里 follows 在、去、到 it means somewhere.

When 哪里 follows someone or something it may mean “how can I do this” or “It's too difficult for me”.

Like:

他哪里能完成这个项目 = He cannot finish it

你哪里能承担责任 = You cannot be responsible for this thing

> **Comments:**
> **username_10**: Welcome to the site, Yin, your English is fine. If you're more comfortable in Chinese, you can write a short English answer plus more details in Chinese.  

---

### Answer by username_11 on 2012-10-19. Score: 0

They're actually the same sentences, except the latter one is used a little more often in Chinese daily lives.


---

### Answer by username_12 on 2012-08-23. Score: -1

BerR's answer is correct. I have a supplement of the second expan of "我哪里可以买到火车票". It is not only a statement that there is no place where the tickets can be bought, but no ways, no time or the tickets are sold out objectively like and so on, any situations that you can not buy the tickets, you can say that sentence with falling tone.

> **Comments:**
> **username_13**: I think this should be a comment to BertR's answer as it does not really add anything new.  

---

### Answer by username_14 on 2012-09-12. Score: -1

The first one is proper, and for the second one most Chinese people will understand what you want to say, but it is incorrect.


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### Answer by username_15 on 2012-09-11. Score: -1

BertR's answser is right. But it depends on the circumstance you can saying it, if you are in front of the train station, you ask someone "我哪里可以买到火车票" instead of "我在哪里可以买到火车票?", one can unterstand you want to buy ticket, they are almost the same though it seems not correct to say "我哪里可以买到火车票" to some extent. But when your friend ask you to visit him, and you are failed to buy a ticket, you can say "我哪里可以买到火车票", it means the ticket is difficult to buy, this saying is a kind of complaint.


---

