Phone Reservations in Chinese — Book, Change and Cancel

A phone call removes gestures, lip movement and the option of pointing at a screen, which makes it the hardest everyday speaking situation and the one most worth rehearsing. The good news is that booking calls are highly scripted: give your name, the existing booking and the change you want, in that order, and confirm the final details before you hang up.

Opening the call

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning
喂，您好。	Wéi, nín hǎo.	Hello (answering or opening a call).
我想订一个位子。	Wǒ xiǎng dìng yí ge wèizi.	I would like to book a table.
我想确认一下预约。	Wǒ xiǎng quèrèn yíxià yùyuē.	I would like to confirm a reservation.
我姓…，电话是…	Wǒ xìng …, diànhuà shì…	My surname is …, my number is …
不好意思，我的中文不太好，可以说慢一点吗？	Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ de Zhōngwén bú tài hǎo, kěyǐ shuō màn yìdiǎn ma?	Sorry, my Chinese is not very good — could you speak a little slower?

喂 (wéi) is the telephone hello. In isolation the character is read wèi; on the phone it is normally said with a rising tone, and 喂，您好 (Wéi, nín hǎo) is the safe neutral opening for a business call.

Asking for slower speech at the start, not after three failed exchanges, changes the whole call. Staff generally comply immediately, and the rest of the conversation runs on their patience rather than your speed.

Use 您 (nín) with service staff throughout. It costs nothing and it is the expected register on the phone.

Booking

Caller: 喂，您好，我想订今天晚上七点的位子，两个人。
(Wéi, nín hǎo, wǒ xiǎng dìng jīntiān wǎnshang qī diǎn de wèizi, liǎng ge rén.)
Staff: 好的，请问您贵姓？
(Hǎo de, qǐngwèn nín guìxìng?)
Caller: 我姓王，电话是138…。
(Wǒ xìng Wáng, diànhuà shì yāo sān bā….)
Staff: 好的，已经帮您订好了。
(Hǎo de, yǐjīng bāng nín dìng hǎo le.)

请问您贵姓？ (Qǐngwèn nín guìxìng?) is the polite way to ask a surname, and the fixed answer form is 我姓… (Wǒ xìng …) — not 我叫 (wǒ jiào), which gives a full name. If your surname is not a Chinese one, saying it slowly twice is normal and expected.

When reading out a phone number, digits are said one at a time and 一 (yī) is pronounced yāo to avoid confusion with 七 (qī). Numbers are the single most common point of failure on a booking call; Chinese numbers is worth a session before you dial.

订好了 (dìng hǎo le) uses the resultative 好 (hǎo): the booking is not just made but properly settled. Hearing it is your signal that the request went through.

Changing a booking

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning
我想改一下时间。	Wǒ xiǎng gǎi yíxià shíjiān.	I would like to change the time.
可以改到晚上七点吗？	Kěyǐ gǎi dào wǎnshang qī diǎn ma?	Could it be moved to seven in the evening?
人数有变化。	Rénshù yǒu biànhuà.	The number of people has changed.
我想取消…	Wǒ xiǎng qǔxiāo…	I would like to cancel …
取消需要收费吗？	Qǔxiāo xūyào shōufèi ma?	Is there a charge for cancelling?

Staff: 您好，请问有什么需要？
(Nín hǎo, qǐngwèn yǒu shénme xūyào?)
Caller: 我姓王，我想改一下时间，可以改到晚上七点吗？
(Wǒ xìng Wáng, wǒ xiǎng gǎi yíxià shíjiān, kěyǐ gǎi dào wǎnshang qī diǎn ma?)
Staff: 可以，我帮您改到晚上七点。
(Kěyǐ, wǒ bāng nín gǎi dào wǎnshang qī diǎn.)

改到 (gǎi dào) is “change it to”, with 到 (dào) marking a new point in time or space — 改到明天 (gǎi dào míngtiān), 改到七点 (gǎi dào qī diǎn). For a change of quantity or kind, use 改成 (gǎi chéng) instead: 改成三个人 (gǎi chéng sān ge rén), “make it three people”. Give your surname before the request so that staff can find the record while you are still speaking.

帮您 (bāng nín), “do it for you”, appears constantly in service Chinese. It is a courtesy marker rather than a favor, so you do not need to thank it separately each time.

Confirming before you hang up

Caller: 我想确认一下，明天晚上七点，两个人，对吗？
(Wǒ xiǎng quèrèn yíxià, míngtiān wǎnshang qī diǎn, liǎng ge rén, duì ma?)
Staff: 对，已经帮您安排好了。
(Duì, yǐjīng bāng nín ānpái hǎo le.)
Caller: 谢谢您，再见。
(Xièxie nín, zàijiàn.)

Read the whole booking back as one list — date, time, number of people — and end with 对吗？ (duì ma?). This is the single most valuable habit on a phone call in a second language, because it converts several small uncertainties into one clear yes or no.

When you cannot catch the reply

Chinese	Pinyin	Meaning
不好意思，我没听清楚。	Bù hǎoyìsi, wǒ méi tīng qīngchu.	Sorry, I did not catch that.
可以再说一遍吗？	Kěyǐ zài shuō yí biàn ma?	Could you say that again?
可以发短信给我吗？	Kěyǐ fā duǎnxìn gěi wǒ ma?	Could you send me a text message?
我等一下再打给您。	Wǒ děng yíxià zài dǎ gěi nín.	I will call you back shortly.

If a call is going badly, move it to text. Asking for a message is a normal request, and it gives you the booking details in a form you can read at your own speed. Ending with 我等一下再打给您 (Wǒ děng yíxià zài dǎ gěi nín) is a graceful exit that leaves the booking open.

Takeaway

Ask for slower speech in your first sentence, not your fourth.
Answer 贵姓 (guìxìng) with 我姓… (Wǒ xìng …), and read numbers digit by digit with yāo for 一 (yī).
改到 (gǎi dào) plus the new time handles almost every change request.
Read the full booking back and close with 对吗？ (duì ma?) before hanging up.

Related: hotels for what happens when you arrive, tickets and events for bookings with seats, and making plans for arrangements with friends rather than businesses.

By the end of this chapter, you can say

我想预约明天晚上七点。 (Wǒ xiǎng yùyuē míngtiān wǎnshang qī diǎn.)

Practical note for this chapter

From arrival to transport, meals, housing and getting help when something changes. In this chapter, practice giving a short response and then checking what matters.

Use it in context

A: 您想订几点？ (Nín xiǎng dìng jǐ diǎn?)
B: 我想预约明天晚上七点。 (Wǒ xiǎng yùyuē míngtiān wǎnshang qī diǎn.)

Phrase map for this chapter

Question or situation: 您想订几点？ (Nín xiǎng dìng jǐ diǎn?)
Central response: 我想预约明天晚上七点。 (Wǒ xiǎng yùyuē míngtiān wǎnshang qī diǎn.)
Another natural way to say it: 明天晚上七点，两个人，可以吗？ (Míngtiān wǎnshang qī diǎn, liǎng ge rén, kěyǐ ma?); Use this variation in a situation you genuinely expect to handle.
How to use it: Listen to the model once, then say it again with one detail from your own situation.

Turn the model into three conversation turns

1. Open the situation您想订几点？ (Nín xiǎng dìng jǐ diǎn?)
2. Say the central response我想预约明天晚上七点。 (Wǒ xiǎng yùyuē míngtiān wǎnshang qī diǎn.)
3. Add an alternative明天晚上七点，两个人，可以吗？ (Míngtiān wǎnshang qī diǎn, liǎng ge rén, kěyǐ ma?)

Before acting, check the point most likely to cause a misunderstanding. This dialogue is for practice. For important decisions, confirm official guidance as well.

A useful variation

Keep the same purpose, then change the person, time or place to make it your own.

明天晚上七点，两个人，可以吗？ (Míngtiān wǎnshang qī diǎn, liǎng ge rén, kěyǐ ma?)

Use this variation in a situation you genuinely expect to handle.

Listen to the model once, then say it again with one detail from your own situation.

A common trap

For important details, do not decide from what you think you heard; check written information when needed.

电话预约一定复述日期、时间和人数。 (Diànhuà yùyuē yídìng fùshù rìqī, shíjiān hé rénshù.)

This dialogue is for practice. For important decisions, confirm official guidance as well.

Three-step practice

Open the situation in one short phrase
Say the central response
Add one detail of your own