Simplified Chinese course

Lesson 197 of 240

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Online shopping and returns in Simplified Chinese

A raincoat Maya ordered online arrives at Banyan Breakfast in a box big enough for a yak. A-Li holds it up and it fits him. Auntie Lin just wants the counter back.

Learn how to say you ordered something online, ask about delivery and shipping, then apply for a return or exchange when the size is wrong.

You will also ask how long a refund takes. A-Li's soy milk is still sitting there, unfinished as usual.

By the end of this lesson

Order something online, ask about delivery and shipping, then return or exchange it and ask about the refund.

  • 我在网络上订的I ordered it online.
  • 货什么时候会到？When will the goods arrive?
  • 运费是多少？What's the shipping fee?
  • 我要申请退货I'd like to return it.
  • 尺寸不对，想换货The size is wrong; I want to exchange it.
  • 请问退款要多久？How long does a refund take?

Scene — a raincoat in yak size

Maya sits at the counter with her phone, finishing an order for a raincoat and chatting with the shop. A-Li watches from two stools, his soy milk still full.

Two days later a huge box arrives, and the coat fits him, not her.

Nobody treats this as a prophecy. It is just the wrong size, and Maya needs to send it back.

Maya sits at a Taipei breakfast counter finishing a phone order while A-Li watches from two stools beside an untouched soy-milk cup.

Learn — order, track, and send it back

These six lines cover an online order from checkout to a return. Listen, then say each one out loud.

Notice 退货 and 换货: one sends the item back, the other swaps it for another size.

  1. Maya holds a phone upright and confirms an online raincoat order while A-Li leans in from two stools away.

    我在网络上订的

    I ordered it online.

    When to use it: Use this to explain that you placed the order on the internet.

    This sentence is a shortened 是…的 construction, with 是 omitted in this reply. 在网络上 tells where the order was placed.

    Say it: The last 的 is a light neutral tone.

  2. Maya looks from a blurred phone screen toward the open shopfront, waiting for a delivery.

    货什么时候会到？

    When will the goods arrive?

    When to use it: Ask this when you need the delivery time for an order.

    什么时候 stays in place; do not move it to the front.

  3. Maya leans close to a phone and traces a blurred line on the screen while checking the shipping fee.

    运费是多少？

    What's the shipping fee?

    When to use it: Ask this at checkout before you confirm the order.

    是多少 asks for an amount, the same shape as a price question.

  4. Maya stands over a huge open shipping box and starts a return on a phone while Auntie Lin watches from behind the counter.

    我要申请退货

    I'd like to return it.

    When to use it: Use this to start a return with the seller or the shop.

    申请退货 is one request: you are applying to send the item back.

  5. Maya holds a huge raincoat against Maya's own shoulders while the coat already fits A-Li on two stools and Auntie Lin watches.

    尺寸不对，想换货

    The size is wrong; I want to exchange it.

    When to use it: Use this when the item arrived but the size does not fit.

    换货 means exchange; 退货 means you send it back for a refund.

    Say it: 不 rises to a second tone before fourth-tone 对.

  6. A full soy-milk cup and a taped-shut return box sit in the foreground while Maya watches a phone and A-Li looks at the untouched cup.

    请问退款要多久？

    How long does a refund take?

    When to use it: Ask this after a return, when you want the money back.

    请问 makes the question polite, which is normal with staff.

Story — the box is huge

Listen as Maya chats with the shop about her raincoat order at Banyan Breakfast, then deals with a box that is far too big.

A-Li is helpful, and still has not finished his drink.

  1. Staff您好，请问有什么可以帮您？Hello, how can I help you?
  2. Maya运费是多少？What's the shipping fee?
  3. Staff满五百就包邮喔。Shipping is free over five hundred.
  4. Maya货什么时候会到？When will the goods arrive?
  5. Staff大概两到三天吧。About two to three days.
  6. Two days later, a huge box sits by the counter.
  7. Auntie Lin美女，你的包裹到了。Your parcel's here.
  8. Maya我来取包裹。I'm here to pick up a parcel.
  9. Auntie Lin这是店里买的吗？Did you buy this in a shop?
  10. Maya我在网络上订的。I ordered it online.
  11. A-Li这件雨衣也太大了吧？Isn't this raincoat way too big?
  12. Maya尺寸不对，想换货。The size is wrong; I want to exchange it.
  13. A-Li欸，这件我穿刚好。Hey, this one fits me just right.
  14. Auntie Lin要退货还是换货？Do you want to return it or exchange it?
  15. Maya我要申请退货。I'd like to return it.
  16. Maya writes to customer service on her phone.
  17. Staff您好，我们收到申请了。Hello, we have received the request.
  18. Maya请问退货规定是怎么样？What's the return policy?
  19. Staff七天内都可以退。You can return it within seven days.
  20. Maya请问退款要多久？How long does a refund take?
  21. Staff大概五个工作日。About five business days.
  22. A-Li这杯还是满的。This cup is still full.

Practice — checkout and returns

Work through quick exercises on ordering, delivery, and sending something back. Pick the line that fits each moment.

After each answer, read why the other choices fail, then say the right line again.

0 of 10 done

  1. What does it mean?

    我在网络上订的

  2. What do you say?

    Payment is done. You only need to know the delivery date for the raincoat.

  3. Fill the gap

    What's the shipping fee?

    ____是多少？

  4. Build the line

    I'd like to return it.

    Tap the words in order.

  5. Swap the word

    The raincoat arrived, but it is the size that is wrong, not the color.

    ____不对，想换货

  6. What did you hear?

  7. Pick the reply

    Auntie Lin says:

    这是店里买的吗？

    Did you buy this in a shop?

    And you reply with:

  8. What do you say?

    You walk into 7-Eleven. Your name is on a parcel behind the counter.

  9. Fill the gap

    What's the return policy?

    请问____规定是怎么样？

  10. What do you say?

    The clerk is ready to help. You do not want a refund yet; you want to know if this item can be exchanged.

Say it — your order and return

You play Maya. Order the raincoat, then handle the return when the size is wrong. Listen to each cue and speak.

Tap the microphone to record. You can replay the other person's line before your turn.

  1. Maya is on her phone at Banyan Breakfast, chatting with the shop about a raincoat.
  2. Staff您好，请问有什么可以帮您？Hello, how can I help you?
  3. Maya (you)Ask what the shipping fee is.

    运费是多少？

    What's the shipping fee?

0 of 5 said

Recap — what you can say now

Simplified ChineseEnglish
我在网络上订的I ordered it online.
货什么时候会到？When will the goods arrive?
运费是多少？What's the shipping fee?
我要申请退货I'd like to return it.
尺寸不对，想换货The size is wrong; I want to exchange it.
请问退款要多久？How long does a refund take?
Next: lesson 198Giving advice

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Keep practicing with Yak Cards

Today's shopping and return lines are in Yak Cards with more phrases for parcels and refunds.

Review a few shopping cards so returns feel ordinary, not stressful.

Open Yak Cards