Simplified Chinese course

Lesson 83 of 240

New here? This is lesson 83 of a free 240-lesson Simplified Chinese course.

Start hereHow this works

Try it on in Simplified Chinese

Typhoon season is coming, so Maya visits a shop to find rain gear. A-Li comes along and tries on a coat that seems made for two.

Ask to try something on, look for another size, and ask for a bigger one. Then decide whether to buy it or think it over.

Listen for how 一 changes its tone in 一点. The shop conversation is ordinary, even if A-Li's coat is unusually roomy.

By the end of this lesson

Ask to try on rain gear, ask about other sizes and colours, find the fitting room, and decide whether to buy an item.

  • 这件可以试穿吗？Can I try this on?
  • 有别的尺寸吗？Do you have other sizes?
  • 有大一点的吗？Do you have a bigger one?
  • 我考虑一下I'll think about it.
  • 这件我要了I'll take this one.
  • 试衣间在哪里？Where's the fitting room?

Scene — rain gear for the season

Rainy season is approaching in Taipei, and Maya wants a reliable coat. She stops at a clothing shop to compare sizes and colours.

A-Li comes with her, still carrying his unfinished soy milk. He finds a coat so large that it seems designed for two people.

Maya compares coat colours and sizes in a Taipei clothing shop while Ali is swallowed by an enormous coat.

Learn — trying on and choosing

Use these six lines to ask about trying on an item, sizes, and the fitting room. You can also take a moment to decide or say you will buy it.

Notice how a short question can help you shop without committing too soon.

  1. Maya holds up a coat to ask if she can try it on while Ali watches from beside the rack.

    这件可以试穿吗？

    Can I try this on?

    When to use it: Ask a shop clerk for permission to try on the item you are pointing to.

    件 is the measure word used here for a garment.

  2. Maya checks a coat sleeve and gestures toward the rack to ask about other sizes.

    有别的尺寸吗？

    Do you have other sizes?

    When to use it: Ask a clerk if the item is available in other sizes.

    尺寸 means size, and 别的 asks about other options.

  3. Maya points to a larger coat on the rack while Ali examines an enormous one.

    有大一点的吗？

    Do you have a bigger one?

    When to use it: Ask whether the shop has an item that is a little bigger.

    一点 after 大 softens the comparison to mean a little bigger.

    Say it: In 一点, 一 changes to a falling fourth tone before the third-tone 点.

  4. Maya pauses to consider a coat draped over her arm while Ali sips his soy milk.

    我考虑一下

    I'll think about it.

    When to use it: Say this when you want a little time before making a decision.

    一下 makes the action sound brief and gives you a natural way to pause.

  5. Maya confidently presents her chosen coat to the shop attendant while Ali looks on.

    这件我要了

    I'll take this one.

    When to use it: Use this when you have decided to buy the item.

    了 marks your decision as made here.

  6. Maya turns toward the fitting-room doorway and asks where it is.

    试衣间在哪里？

    Where's the fitting room?

    When to use it: Ask where you can try on clothes in a shop.

    哪里 stays in place in a Chinese question; it means where.

Story — a coat for two

Maya and A-Li visit a Taipei clothing shop before the typhoon season. Maya checks the fitting room and asks about raincoat sizes and colours.

A-Li tries a coat meant for two, while Maya takes her time and chooses.

  1. Shop clerk你好，欢迎光临。Hello, welcome in.
  2. Maya你好。Hello.
  3. Maya试衣间在哪里？Where's the fitting room?
  4. Shop clerk在前面，美女。It's up front, miss.
  5. Maya这件可以试穿吗？Can I try this on?
  6. Shop clerk可以啊。Sure, you can.
  7. While Maya tries on a raincoat, A-Li pulls on one that seems made for two.
  8. A-Li这件外套好大喔。This coat is so big.
  9. Maya有别的颜色吗？Do you have any other colours?
  10. Shop clerk有红色和蓝色。Yes, there are red and blue ones.
  11. Maya有别的尺寸吗？Do you have other sizes?
  12. Shop clerk有，还有大一点的。Yes, there is a bigger one too.
  13. Maya有大一点的吗？Do you have a bigger one?
  14. Shop clerk可以，我拿给你。Sure, I'll get it for you.
  15. Maya我考虑一下。I'll think about it.
  16. Maya这件我要了。I'll take this one.

Practice — make a shopping decision

Try eight quick activities to ask about sizes, find the fitting room, and make a choice. One question will help you review a colour phrase.

Read each situation carefully, then say the line that fits.

0 of 8 done

  1. What does it mean?

    这件可以试穿吗？

  2. What do you say?

    Ask the clerk whether there are other sizes of the coat.

  3. Build the line

    Do you have a bigger one?

    ？

    Tap the words in order.

  4. Fill the gap

    I'll think about it.

    我____一下

  5. Pick the reply

    Shop clerk says:

    你要买这件吗？

    Do you want to buy this one?

    And you reply with:

  6. Swap the word

    Ask where the fitting room is.

    试衣间在____？

  7. What did you hear?

  8. What do you say?

    You enter a shop and greet the clerk.

Say it — choose your rain gear

You are Maya, shopping for rain gear before typhoon season. Listen to each cue and say your line to the clerk.

Ask where to try things on, check a size, and finish by making your choice.

  1. Maya arrives at the shop and looks for the fitting room.
  2. Maya (you)Ask where the fitting room is.

    试衣间在哪里？

    Where's the fitting room?

0 of 4 said

Recap — what you can say now

Simplified ChineseEnglish
这件可以试穿吗？Can I try this on?
有别的尺寸吗？Do you have other sizes?
有大一点的吗？Do you have a bigger one?
我考虑一下I'll think about it.
这件我要了I'll take this one.
试衣间在哪里？Where's the fitting room?
Next: lesson 84Refunds and holds

Save your progress — it’s free

Keep your place in the course and see which lines you’ve learned.

Want the next lesson in your inbox?

Get the next lesson by email, one a day.

Where should we start?
Join the newsletter

Daily lesson emails are coming soon. Newsletter subscribers get them first.

Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Review these shopping lines and more in Yak Cards.

Practise asking about sizes and trying things on before your next shopping trip.

Open Yak Cards