Parcels and the Post Office in English at B1: Sending, Tracking and Missed Deliveries
Parcels are a small, constant part of life abroad: things you order, things your family sends, and things you post back home. Most of the language is on forms and delivery cards, which makes it easy to misread. This article explains the words and gives you the sentences for the counter and the phone.
British and American English use different words for the same things here. The British post a letter and send a parcel. Americans mail a letter and send a package. The post office is the same in both, but the delivery person is a postman or postwoman in the UK and a mail carrier in the US.
Private companies such as couriers deliver many parcels too. They use the same language, with more emphasis on tracking numbers and time slots.
Sending a parcel at the counter
At the counter, staff will ask where the parcel is going, what is inside and how fast you want it to arrive. The faster and safer the service, the more it costs. Tracked means you can follow it online. Signed for means someone must sign when it arrives.
If it is going abroad, you will need to say what is inside and what it is worth.
| They ask | You can say |
|---|---|
| Where is it going? | To Brazil, please. |
| What is inside? | Clothes and a couple of books. |
| Is there anything fragile? | Yes, there is a glass jar. Could you mark it fragile? |
| Do you want it tracked? | Yes, tracked and signed for, please. |
| How quickly does it need to arrive? | It is a birthday present, so before the twentieth. |
| What is the value? | About forty euros in total. |
Customs forms
Parcels going outside a customs area need a customs declaration. You describe each item and its value. Be specific: write cotton T-shirt, not clothes, and paperback book, not gift. Vague descriptions are a common reason for delays.
If the parcel is a present, there is usually a box for gift. Gifts can have lower duties, but the rules depend on the country, so ask at the counter if you are not sure. Duty and import tax are charges that the receiver sometimes has to pay before the parcel is delivered.
Tracking and delivery words
Tracking pages use short, fixed phrases. They are easy once you know what each step means.
The most confusing one is out for delivery. It does not mean the parcel has arrived. It means it is in the van today.
| Message | Meaning |
|---|---|
| In transit | it is moving between depots |
| Held at customs | it is waiting for a customs check |
| Out for delivery | it will arrive today |
| Delivered to a safe place | it was left somewhere, not given to you |
| Left with a neighbour | a neighbour has it |
| Awaiting collection | you must collect it yourself |
Missed deliveries
If you are out, the driver may leave a card through the door. It tells you where the parcel is: with a neighbour, back at the depot, or at a local post office. Bring the card and photo ID when you collect it.
Most companies let you arrange a redelivery online. If the website does not work, a short call is enough.
- I missed a delivery yesterday. I have the card here.
- Could I arrange a redelivery for Saturday?
- Could you leave it with my neighbour at number six next time?
- Can someone else collect it for me? What do they need to bring?
- How long will you keep it before it goes back?
When a parcel goes missing
If the tracking says delivered but you have nothing, check with neighbours first, then contact the company. Give the tracking number, say what the tracking shows, and say what actually happened. Keep it factual.
If you bought the item online, the seller is usually responsible for delivery, so contact them too. The article on complaints and returns has more phrases for getting a refund or a replacement.
| Situation | What to say |
|---|---|
| Shown as delivered | The tracking says it was delivered, but I have not received it. |
| No updates | There has been no update for six days. Can you check where it is? |
| Damaged | The parcel arrived damaged. The box was crushed and the item is broken. |
| Wrong address | I think it went to the wrong address. Can you see where it was left? |
| Next step | What happens now? Can you open an investigation? |
Words worth learning
These ten cover most situations: parcel, tracked, signed for, fragile, customs declaration, duty, out for delivery, redelivery, depot and to collect. Learn each one with a sentence from this article, so you recognise it on a form as well as in conversation.
Forms and letters are where newcomers struggle most, and the article on paperwork in English covers the official side of the same problem.