Situations · 16 phrases · 3 min read
Chinese at the convenience store
Convenience stores are everywhere in Chinese cities and the exchange at the till is almost always the same four questions. Learn those and the rest is pointing.
What the cashier asks
要袋子吗yào dàizi mado you want a bag?Bags usually cost a little.
要加热吗yào jiārè mashall I heat it up?
有会员卡吗yǒu huìyuánkǎ mado you have a membership card?
扫这里sǎo zhèlǐscan here
What you say
不用了búyòng leno thanks
这个多少钱zhège duōshao qiánhow much is this one?
可以扫码吗kěyǐ sǎo mǎ macan I scan to pay?
我用现金wǒ yòng xiànjīnI'll pay cash
Things you might want
矿泉水kuàngquánshuǐbottled water
充电宝chōngdiànbǎoa power bank
雨伞yǔsǎnan umbrella
纸巾zhǐjīntissues
Small requests
有热水吗yǒu rèshuǐ mais there hot water?
洗手间在哪儿xǐshǒujiān zài nǎrwhere's the toilet?
可以充电吗kěyǐ chōngdiàn macan I charge my phone?
有没有吸管yǒu méiyǒu xīguǎndo you have a straw?有没有 is the verb, 不, verb question from day 16.
What nobody tells you
Power banks you can rent
Many shops, cafés and stations have machines that rent out power banks by the hour, unlocked by scanning a code. You can return one to a different machine across town, which makes a flat phone a small problem rather than a big one.
Hot water is a normal request
Asking for hot water is completely ordinary in China, where many people drink it plain. Most convenience stores and every train have a supply, and nobody will think it an odd thing to want.