Expressions for Buying Concert Tickets｜English Conversation Phrases

When traveling abroad, I sometimes feel like dropping by a local music live show or a classical concert.

If I can purchase tickets smoothly in English, my travel experience will become even richer.

Being able to naturally handle exchanges such as “Two tickets, please,” “Are there seats available?” or “Can I pay in cash?” will greatly expand my range of activities overseas.

Here, I will introduce basic phrases you can use when buying concert tickets, including expressions for payment, seat selection, and confirming the number of tickets, along with important grammar points.

Dialogue

A

Hello. I’d like two tickets for tonight’s concert, please.

B

Sure. Would you prefer standard or premium seats?

A

Standard is fine.

B

That’ll be £40 in total. How would you like to pay?

A

By card, please.

B

All right. Here are your tickets. Enjoy the show!

Grammar and Expression Points

1. Polite way to offer options: Would you prefer A or B?

“The phrase “Would you prefer ～?” politely asks about someone’s preference.

This expression is frequently used in service and customer settings. It sounds soft and respectful, making it suitable for asking strangers as well.

After prefer, you can use either a verb in its base form (to + verb) or a noun.

Compared with the more direct “Do you want A or B?”, this phrase respects the listener’s choice and sounds more courteous.

2. Standard phrase for stating the price: That’ll be ～

“That’ll be ～” is the contracted form of “That will be”. It is commonly used to announce the total price in shops, at registers, or at counters.

Adding in total clarifies that the amount is the overall total, especially useful when buying multiple tickets.

3. Asking about payment method: How would you like to pay?

The phrase “How would you like to ～?” is a polite way of asking about someone’s preference or request.

You can also say “Would you like to pay by card?”, but “How would you like to ～?” assumes options are available and sounds more service-oriented.

4. Expressing payment method

When stating a payment method, use the structure “by + means.”

In English, it is standard to say “by cash,” not “with cash.”

Summary

Izumi

Author

「English Morning｜基礎から学ぶ英語講座」を運営している泉（Izumi）です。このサイトでは基礎から応用まで、英語の文法を解説しています。