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

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?