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I would like to ask what is the most common phrase in English which allows you to express the fact that (for example) only ten minutes remain to the train's departure. Is my version O.K.? Thank you.

There are ten minutes to the train's departure.

4 Answers 4

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Your train leaves in ten minutes.

The train leaves in ten minutes.

Your version is okay, but not idiomatic. You could say

There are ten minutes until your/the train leaves.

(The your in the above sentences applies to when a friend is telling you. They would probably most often use your, but the is also possible. Both give definite references to train but your is more personal.)

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There are several ways. You could say:

There are ten minutes until the train's departure.
There are ten minutes until the train departs/leaves.

or

The train will be leaving in ten minutes.

until is a better preposition because you are going up to a specific future point in time.

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  • In informal speech, "until" is often shortened to "'til".
    – Jasper
    Feb 9, 2015 at 19:54
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In AmE, the informal way to say it would be:

The train leaves in ten minutes

More formally, it would be:

The train will be leaving in ten minutes

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Your version is fine, I would use that in a formal setting. If I was with friends, I would say that "the train leaves in ten minutes".

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  • 1
    "There are ten minutes to the train's departure" can be misinterpreted as meaning "the train's departure is a process that is made up of ten minutes" or "the train's departure takes ten minutes". If you noticed the train start getting ready five minutes ago, you might think that the train will finish leaving in just five more minutes. If you have not noticed the train start getting ready yet, you might think that you have more than ten minutes before the train finishes leaving.
    – Jasper
    Feb 9, 2015 at 19:53
  • I can see what you mean, but I really wouldn't ever think that, as a native UK English speaker. I'd be more likely to say that the train's departure takes ten minutes, and I've never heard anyone say it the other way.
    – Harry Ray
    Feb 10, 2015 at 9:18

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