English speaking lesson · Shopping & Money
Collecting an order
You're at a shop's collection desk to pick up an order you placed online. You practise it as a real conversation, at whichever of the four levels fits you — the room and the steps stay the same, only the words get harder.
A shop's collection desk · you talk to the collection desk assistant
Free plan: 10 messages a day. No card needed.
What you have to do
Collect an online order, prove it's yours, check the contents, and find out the return window. You finish the lesson by getting there in conversation — not by answering questions about it. Nothing is corrected while you talk; the corrections are collected and handed to you at the end.
How it opens
Hi there! Are you collecting an order today?
Spoken aloud by the tutor playing the collection desk assistant.
The 5 steps that finish it
A step clears when you say the thing that clears it. The steps are identical at all four levels — only the example line fades, and at Natural there is none at all.
- 01
Say you're collecting
Say hello, and say you're here to collect an order.
“Hello! I'm here to collect an order.”
- 02
Give your order details
Give your order number or the name on the order.
“The order number is 4821, under the name Smith.”
- 03
Prove it's yours
Show your ID, and ask to check the order before you leave.
“Here's my passport. Can I open it here?”
- 04
Check the order
Check everything you ordered is there.
“Yes, everything's here, thanks.”
- 05
Ask about returns
Ask how long you have to return it, and finish politely.
“Can I bring it back if it's wrong? Thanks very much!”
The words, at all four levels
The same room and the same steps, four vocabularies. These are the words the lesson listens for and scores you on — with what each one means and how it sounds when you are talking to the collection desk assistant.
Starter
A1 – A2Simple, everyday words with a full hint on every step.
- collect
- to pick something up
- “I'm here to collect an order.”
- order
- something you bought online
- “I have an order to collect.”
- number
- a set of digits identifying something
- “The order number is 4821.”
- name
- what you are called
- “It's under the name Smith.”
- passport
- your official ID book
- “Here's my passport.”
- open
- to undo a box or bag
- “Can I open it here?”
- box
- a container things come in
- “Is it in this box?”
- everything
- all of it
- “Yes, everything's here.”
- back
- returned to the shop
- “Can I bring it back?”
- thanks
- a short way to say thank you
- “Thanks very much!”
Conversational
A2 – B1Common words at a natural pace, with hints to lean on.
- collection
- picking up something you ordered
- “It's a collection, please.”
- confirmation
- an official message proving something
- “Here's the confirmation email.”
- reference
- a code identifying your order
- “The reference is 4821.”
- identification
- official proof of who you are
- “Here's my identification.”
- contents
- what's inside something
- “Could I check the contents?”
- missing
- not there when it should be
- “One item seems missing.”
- returns
- bringing items back to a shop
- “What's your returns window?”
- window
- a period of time you have to act
- “How long is the returns window?”
- everything
- all of it — 'is that everything?'
- “That's everything, thanks.”
- cheers
- informal thanks
- “Cheers for that!”
Confident
B1 – B2Richer, more specific words, with only light hints.
- dispatched
- sent out from the warehouse
- “It was dispatched on Monday.”
- consignment
- a batch of goods sent together
- “Is it all in one consignment?”
- verify
- to confirm something is true
- “I've got what you need to verify it.”
- inspect
- to look at something carefully
- “May I inspect it here?”
- intact
- whole and undamaged
- “The packaging looks intact.”
- discrepancy
- a difference that shouldn't be there
- “There's a small discrepancy.”
- policy
- the rules a shop follows
- “What's the returns policy?”
- exchange
- swapping for a different item
- “Is exchange possible in store?”
- sorted
- arranged and settled
- “That's sorted, thanks.”
- appreciate
- to be grateful for
- “I'd appreciate that.”
Natural
B2 – C1Advanced, idiomatic words — no hints at all.
- parcel
- a wrapped package
- “Is that the whole parcel?”
- batched
- grouped together for sending
- “Was it batched with another order?”
- credentials
- documents proving who you are
- “My credentials are here.”
- onceover
- a quick look through something
- “Mind if I give it a onceover?”
- shy
- short of the right number
- “It's one item shy.”
- grace
- extra allowed time — 'grace period'
- “Is there a grace period?”
- leniency
- flexibility in applying a rule
- “Any leniency on that window?”
- recourse
- the options open to you if something's wrong
- “What's my recourse then?”
- obliged
- grateful for a favour
- “Much obliged.”
- sorted
- dealt with and settled
- “Great, we're sorted.”
More Shopping & Money lessons
- Trying clothes on
- Buying a gift
- Returning an item
- Arranging delivery
- Choosing electronics
- Choosing a phone plan
- Bargaining at a market
- Changing money
- Warranty and repair