Я хочу узнать цену билета.

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Breakdown of Я хочу узнать цену билета.

• хотеть: to want
• билет: the ticket
• узнать: to find out
• цена: the price

Questions & Answers about Я хочу узнать цену билета.

Why is цену in the accusative case and билета in the genitive case in this sentence?

In Russian, the verb узнать (“to find out”) takes a direct object in the accusative, so цену is the accusative singular of цена (“price”). The noun билет appears in the genitive (билета) because you’re specifying “the price of something” – literally “to find out the price (цену) of the ticket (билета).”

Why aren’t there any words for “the” or “a” in this sentence?

Russian has no articles like “a” or “the.” You simply say билет or билета without a separate word. Definiteness is inferred from context or added with demonstratives (e.g., цену этого билета – “the price of this ticket”).

What is the difference between saying Я хочу узнать цену билета and Я хочу спросить цену билета?

• Узнать means “to find out” by any means (asking, looking up, etc.) and doesn’t require mentioning a person you ask.
• Спросить means “to ask” someone directly, so you must specify whom, e.g. Я хочу спросить у кассира цену билета (“I want to ask the cashier the ticket price”). Saying Я хочу спросить цену билета without “у кого” sounds incomplete.

Can I omit the subject Я and say Хочу узнать цену билета?

Yes. Russian verb endings show the subject, so you can drop Я especially in informal or context‑clear situations: Хочу узнать цену билета is perfectly natural.

How can I make this sentence sound more polite?

Use the conditional mood and/or пожалуйста:

• Я хотел(а) бы узнать цену билета. (“I would like to find out the ticket price.”)
• Я хотел(а) бы узнать цену билета, пожалуйста.

Is there a shorter or more common way to ask for a ticket’s price?

Yes. Native speakers usually say:
Сколько стоит билет?
(“How much does the ticket cost?”)
You can add пожалуйста at the end for politeness.

What aspect are the verbs хочу and узнать, and why are they used together?

• Хочу is the imperfective present of хотеть (“to want”), expressing desire.
• Узнать is the perfective infinitive, implying completion of the action (“to find out once”).
  Combined, хочу узнать means “I want to find out” (i.e. I intend to complete the action of discovering the price).

Can I use a different noun instead of цена, like стоимость?

Yes. Стоимость also means “cost/price” and sounds slightly more formal or business‑like. You could say:
Я хочу узнать стоимость билета.