What to say when the food delivery driver can't find you

Your food is 200 meters away and circling. The driver is calling, his scooter is idling, and your soup is getting cold. Sixty seconds to guide him in.

What you'll say

Tap play to hear it. Everything on this page runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded.

Heads-up: the voice you hear here is your browser’s built-in Mandarin — the app sounds considerably better. On iPhone it uses Apple’s enhanced and premium system voices, plays at real conversational speed, and has a slow mode for practising.

This device has no Chinese voice installed, so audio can’t play here. The app doesn’t have that problem — it uses the Mandarin voices built into iOS.

我在小区大门口等你。

Wǒ zài xiǎoqū dàménkǒu děng nǐ.

I'll wait for you at the compound's main gate.

小区 (xiǎoqū) = residential compound. Meeting at the gate solves 90% of lost-driver calls.

放在前台就可以。

Fàng zài qiántái jiù kěyǐ.

Just leave it at the front desk.

前台 = reception/front desk. For offices and hotels.

挂在门把手上吧。

Guà zài mén bǎshǒu shàng ba.

Hang it on the door handle.

The contactless classic. Your milk tea, dangling in a bag, as tradition demands.

1 more phrase in this situation — plus the real-speed audio for all 4, the listening drill, and the camera. Six situations are free in the app; this one is part of Pro.

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What they'll say back

This is the part nobody teaches. Real Mandarin comes back fast and blunt, so hear it at natural speed first.

Press play before you read. In the app, anything you miss comes back slower and then again later, until you catch it at full speed.

They say

你的外卖到了，几号楼啊？

Nǐ de wàimài dào le, jǐ hào lóu a?

Your food's here — which building number?

You can answer

八号楼，我下来拿。

Bā hào lóu, wǒ xiàlái ná.

Building 8 — I'll come down and get it.

They say

门禁进不去，你下来一下吧。

Ménjìn jìn bú qù, nǐ xiàlái yíxià ba.

I can't get past the gate — can you come down?

You can answer

好，马上下来！

Hǎo, mǎshàng xiàlái!

OK, coming down right now!

Other situations in Food & drink

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