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In the context of "Which station should I get off?" (asked when you're on the train), what would be another way to say this, without using "get off" (which has other connotations) and still colloquial (either American or British English)?

I thought about "exit" or "alight". Are there other, better ways to say this?

Thank you.

Zack Xu
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  • By the way, I think the more correct way of saying this is:

    At which station should I get off? or Which station should I get off at?

     – Zack Xu Jun 08 '14 at 15:16
  • A station is not something you get off, but rather something you get off at. – tchrist Jun 08 '14 at 15:16
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    Since I don't care about the whys are wherefores of ending a sentence with a preposition, I would ask "Which station should I get off at?". Any other verb, such as exit, alight, disembark, etc., would just sound ridiculous. Whatever - I think this is General Reference on ELU, and should be on English Language Learners – FumbleFingers Jun 08 '14 at 15:17
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    Where should I get off? is simpler; the only kind of answer you can get or give is the name of the station or stop. – John Lawler Jun 08 '14 at 15:20
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    If people stop using perfectly valid expressions because '[they have] other connotations' (I assume of the perhaps less savoury kind), then there will soon be no English left to use. Using expressions in an unsmutty way might well kill off a fraction of the multitude of smutty usages. – Edwin Ashworth Jun 08 '14 at 15:34
  • Nah, the taboo terms are the healthiest ones in the language. It's euphemisms that die an early death; everybody has to know the taboo terms so they can be sure not to say them. (Sounds crazy, doesn't it? That's because it is. Taboo is Primary Process thinking) – John Lawler Jun 08 '14 at 16:46
  • Which one's my stop? – Jim Jun 08 '14 at 18:25
  • The dropping of the preposition and article is not uncommon in some informal usages. eg "I get off this / next stop". It seems a pretty idiosyncratic practice, though: 'I get off next station' sounds really off. – Edwin Ashworth Jun 08 '14 at 19:31

2 Answers2

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A rather innocuous query might be: "Which is my station?" or, pointing at a map, "Is that my station?"

EM Fields
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Get off is in no way crude or impolite to mean deboard a public transit vehicle.

In the same way as you'd say, "Which train should I get on?", fear not to say "At which station should I get off" or, a bit more colloquially,"Which station should I get off at?". Both of these sound perfectly fine and polite.

Alternatively, consider using any of the following phrases:

Excuse me, (Sir/Madam), could you tell me which station I should get off at, please?"

Excuse me, (Sir/Madam), could you please tell me which station I should get off at?

Excuse me, (Sir/Madam), would you mind telling me which station I should get off at?

Community
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Elian
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