Chiedo al bigliettaio se il treno delle sedici è in ritardo.

Chiedo is the first-person singular present tense of chiedere (to ask), so it means I ask.

• chiedere = to ask
• chiedo = I ask
• chiedi = you ask

So the sentence is in the present tense and starts with I ask...

Al is a contraction of a + il.

• a = to
• il = the
• al = to the

So al bigliettaio means to the ticket seller / ticket clerk.

Italian often uses these combined forms:

• a + il = al
• a + lo = allo
• a + la = alla
• a + i = ai
• a + gli = agli
• a + le = alle

Bigliettaio means ticket seller, ticket clerk, or person at the ticket office.

It comes from biglietto (ticket). In a train-station context, il bigliettaio is the person you ask about tickets or train information.

Here se means whether or if in an indirect question.

So:

• Chiedo ... se il treno è in ritardo = I ask ... whether / if the train is late

This is not the same as the reflexive pronoun si/se meaning oneself. Here it is simply the conjunction if/whether.

A useful comparison:

• Domando se viene. = I ask whether he/she is coming.
• Non so se viene. = I don't know if he/she is coming.

Delle sedici means of the sixteen o'clock hour, so in natural English: the 4:00 train or the train at sixteen hundred.

The form is:

• di + le = delle

Italian often uses this pattern to talk about departure times:

• il treno delle otto = the 8 o'clock train
• il volo delle nove = the 9 o'clock flight
• l'autobus delle sette e mezza = the 7:30 bus

So il treno delle sedici is the standard way to say the 16:00 train.

Italian often uses the 24-hour clock, especially for trains, timetables, stations, and formal schedules.

So:

• sedici = 16:00 = 4 p.m.

That is why il treno delle sedici refers to the 4 p.m. train.

In casual speech, people may also say:

• le quattro = four o'clock

But for transport and schedules, sedici is very common.

È is the third-person singular present of essere (to be), so it means is.

• il treno ... è in ritardo = the train ... is late

Be careful: è has an accent. This distinguishes it from e, which means and.

• è = is
• e = and

In ritardo literally means in delay, but in natural English it means late or delayed.

So:

• Il treno è in ritardo. = The train is late.
• Sono in ritardo. = I am late.

Italian uses this expression very commonly for people, trains, buses, appointments, and so on.

Italian often expresses that idea more compactly. Il treno delle sedici already implies the train scheduled for 16:00.

You do not need to say the equivalent of that leaves at unless you specifically want to emphasize the departure.

For example:

• il treno delle sedici = the 4:00 train
• il treno che parte alle sedici = the train that leaves at 4:00

Both are correct, but the first is shorter and very natural.

Italian often uses the present tense for actions happening now.

So Chiedo al bigliettaio... means I ask the ticket clerk... in the sense of I am asking or I ask.

Depending on context, English might prefer:

• I ask the ticket clerk...
• I'm asking the ticket clerk...

Italian present tense can cover both simple present and present progressive meanings, depending on context.

Yes. Chiedere can mean:

1. to ask a question
2. to ask for something

Examples:

• Chiedo al bigliettaio se il treno è in ritardo. = I ask the ticket clerk whether the train is late.
• Chiedo un biglietto per Roma. = I ask for a ticket to Rome.

So the meaning depends on what comes after it:

• chiedere a qualcuno se... = ask someone whether...
• chiedere qualcosa = ask for something

Il treno means the train. Italian usually uses definite articles more regularly than English.

Here it refers to a specific train, identified by its departure time:

• il treno delle sedici = the 4:00 train

Since the time makes it specific, the is natural in both Italian and English.

Yes. In this sentence, both are possible in English:

• I ask the ticket clerk if the 4:00 train is late.
• I ask the ticket clerk whether the 4:00 train is late.

Whether is sometimes a little more formal or precise, but if is very common in everyday English. In Italian, se works well for this kind of indirect yes/no question.

Yes, it is completely natural. It sounds like something you would say when describing an action at a train station.

A few equally natural alternatives might be:

• Chiedo al bigliettaio se il treno delle sedici è in orario o in ritardo.
• Domando al bigliettaio se il treno delle sedici è in ritardo.

But the original sentence is perfectly idiomatic and standard.

Yes, depending on the exact situation.

Possible alternatives include:

• l'impiegato = the employee/clerk
• l'addetto = the staff member/attendant
• l'operatore = the operator/agent

But bigliettaio is very clear and specifically suggests someone dealing with tickets, so it fits well in a station context.