Your package has arrived. Your phone rings and… uh oh!
Conquering Taobao in China and successfully getting a package delivered to your home or place of work is one of the most rewarding feelings. On the other hand, talking to delivery drivers on the phone is probably one of the most stressful experiences an expat living in China can go through. Instead of passing the phone off to a colleague or simply ignoring the call, I’ll teach you the phrases you need to confidently communicate with them over the phone.
Your phone rings. It’s probably the delivery guy. But he’s babbling Chinese at you super fast. You hang up. He calls back. Your package has arrived, but if you don’t pick it up in time, it might get sent back. Or he might leave it outside in the rain. Or it might get put in one of those confusing mail holding boxes, or at the corner store. The possibilities are endless.
So, what can you do?
- Take a deep breath
- Answer the phone
- Listen carefully, and see if it’s a delivery guy
This is a five-part series teaching you how to communicate with local Delivery Drivers, better known as Kuaidi. We’ll cover the following topics:
- Talking to Delivery Drivers in China
- How to ask them to leave a package at the door
- How to ask them to come back later
- How to ask them to leave a package with a Security Guard
- How to ask them to come back in fifteen minutes
How do you know who it is?
When learning Chinese in China, and someone calls you on the phone, you can listen for key phrases so you know it’s the delivery guy with your package.
Watch this video, copy the phrases below and practice them later.
Here are four things the delivery driver might say when you answer the phone:
1. You have a delivery! 喂快递！
喂 wèi Hey
快递 kuàidì package
2. I’m with the delivery company! 我是快递公司!
我 wǒ I
是 shì am
快递 kuàidì delivery
公司 gōngsī company
3. Is there someone at home? 有人在家吗?
有人 yǒurén is (there) someone
在家 zàijiā at home
吗 mā [question]
4. Are you at home now? 你现在在家吗?
你 nǐ you
现在 xiànzài now
在家 zàijiā at home
吗 mā [question]
Kuadi companies
Here are several different names of delivery companies to get you started. If you hear one of these on the phone, then you’ll know the situation and what to listen for:
顺丰快递 shùnfēng kuàidì
圆通快递 yuántōng kuàidì
申通快递 shéntōng kuàidì
百世快递 bǎishì kuàidì
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I get a ton of emails asking me ‘how hard is it to learn Mandarin Chinese?’. The honest answer is, learning Mandarin Chinese is hard. But, if you’re learning Chinese in China you have an added advantage because I can provide you with the tools you need to communicate effectively in Mandarin Chinese.
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