Everyday English · Read, listen and speak
Sending a Parcel
Ask about postage options, compare tracking and delivery estimates, and check your receipt.
Your speaking goal
Explain where you want to send a parcel and choose a service after checking its cost and tracking.
Before you start: Use a fictional recipient and address. Choose whether tracking or a lower price matters more to you.
Your six-step practice plan
- Understand: Read the goal and check the useful phrases.
- Listen or read: Follow both roles. Audio is optional.
- Repeat: Say one short line at a time, then join the words smoothly.
- Change details: Replace two details with imaginary ones.
- Role-play: Read the other person’s question, cover your reply and answer aloud. Then swap roles.
- Review: Use the “I can” checks below. Repeat any part that still needs help.
Work at your own pace. A clear message matters more than copying a particular accent.
Listen, read and notice
Roles: Customer and Postal clerk
Browser-generated English voice; availability and sound vary by device. Use the written dialogue if audio is unavailable.
Customer: Hello. I’d like to send this parcel to another town, please.
Clerk: Certainly. Please place it on the scales and show me the address label.
Customer: Here you are. What options are available?
Clerk: For this parcel, standard delivery is four pounds. The tracked service is six pounds.
Customer: What’s the difference?
Clerk: The tracked service lets you check the parcel’s progress online.
Customer: How long does delivery usually take?
Clerk: The estimate is two to three working days. That isn’t a guaranteed arrival date.
Customer: I’d like the tracked service, please.
Clerk: Of course. Here’s your receipt with the tracking number.
Customer: Thank you. Where can I check the tracking?
Clerk: Use the website shown on your receipt.
Useful phrases and what they do
- I’d like to send this parcel to ___. — State the destination.
- What options are available? — Ask which services you can choose.
- What’s the difference? — Ask someone to compare the options.
- Is that a delivery estimate? — Check whether a stated time is approximate.
Say it clearly
Say prices clearly: ‘FOUR pounds’ and ‘SIX pounds’. When reading a tracking number aloud, use short groups and confirm any letters or digits you are unsure about.
Build your own replies
What’s the difference between ___ and ___? → This option includes tracking.
Ask and check
Is that arrival date guaranteed? → No, it’s an estimate for this service.
Common mistakes and alternatives
‘Send a parcel’ and ‘mail a package’ are both natural. Tracking means checking progress; it does not by itself promise a particular arrival time. Prices and delivery estimates here are fictional; check the actual service’s details.
Check what you understood
Answer aloud before revealing each explanation. Natural replies with the same meaning also count.
Question 1
Which service does the customer choose?
Show answer 1 and explanation
The tracked service, costing six pounds in the example. The standard option costs four pounds.
Question 2
Does tracking guarantee arrival within two to three working days?
Show answer 2 and explanation
No. The clerk gives an estimate and explicitly says it is not guaranteed. Tracking lets the customer check progress.
Question 3
Where can the customer find the tracking number?
Show answer 3 and explanation
On the receipt. A useful follow-up is ‘Could you show me the tracking number, please?’
Your turn: make it a real exchange
Practise alone: read the other person’s line, cover your reply and answer aloud. Then swap roles. No partner is needed.
Role A
Ask about two postage options for a fictional parcel, compare cost and tracking, and choose a service.
Role B
Give two fictional prices, explain the difference and show where tracking information is recorded.
Make it easier: Keep the model visible and change one detail at a time.
Add a challenge: You need delivery by a particular day. Ask whether a suitable service is available and check its conditions before choosing.
Ready to move on?
Try again with less reading. Use these checks and repeat any part that needs more practice.
- I can compare postage options.
- I can check whether a delivery time is an estimate.
- I can ask where to find tracking information.