How to Ask About Luggage Storage in Mandarin Chinese
Learn beginner Mandarin phrases for asking if you can store your bags before check-in or after check-out, and how to ask about pickup times.
By SofiaGetting around · Yapr Learn
When you arrive before your hotel room is ready, or your flight leaves long after check-out, you often need to leave your bags for a few hours. In Mandarin, the key verb is 存 (cún), which means 'to deposit' or 'to store' in this context. This lesson teaches you how to ask whether you can store your luggage here, how to say 'my bags,' and how to ask when you can pick them up. You will practice short, polite questions that work at hotels, hostels, and train stations. All examples use simplified Chinese and pinyin with tone marks.
By the end, you can…
- ask whether I can store my luggage here.
- say 'my bags' and ask about pickup time.
- understand a simple yes/no answer about luggage storage.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
我可以把行李存在这里吗？
Can I store my luggage here?
wǒ kěyǐ bǎ xíngli cún zài zhèlǐ ma
A polite, general question for a hotel front desk or station counter. 行李 means 'luggage' and 存 means 'to store/deposit.'
我的行李
my luggage
wǒ de xíngli
Use 我的 (wǒ de) to mean 'my.' 行李 is a general word for bags and suitcases.
我可以存包吗？
Can I store my bag(s)?
wǒ kěyǐ cún bāo ma
包 (bāo) means 'bag.' This shorter question is common at smaller shops or hostels.
什么时候可以取？
When can I pick it up?
shénme shíhou kěyǐ qǔ
取 (qǔ) means 'to pick up/collect.' Use this after the staff says yes.
我下午三点来取。
I will come to pick it up at 3 p.m.
wǒ xiàwǔ sān diǎn lái qǔ
A simple way to confirm your pickup time. Replace 下午三点 with your own time.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is 我可以……吗？(wǒ kěyǐ … ma), meaning 'Can I …?' Put the action after 可以. For luggage storage, say 我可以把行李存在这里吗？(wǒ kěyǐ bǎ xíngli cún zài zhèlǐ ma). The word 把 (bǎ) moves the object 行李 before the verb 存. If you want a shorter version, say 我可以存包吗？(wǒ kěyǐ cún bāo ma). To ask about pickup, use 什么时候可以取？(shénme shíhou kěyǐ qǔ). You can also say 我三点来取 (wǒ sān diǎn lái qǔ), meaning 'I'll come at 3 to pick it up.'
When to use it
Use these questions at a hotel front desk before check-in or after check-out. At check-in, say 我可以把行李存在这里吗？(wǒ kěyǐ bǎ xíngli cún zài zhèlǐ ma). If the staff says 可以 (kěyǐ, 'yes, you can'), then ask 什么时候可以取？(shénme shíhou kěyǐ qǔ). At a train station or hostel, 我可以存包吗？(wǒ kěyǐ cún bāo ma) is also fine. If you need to say when you will return, use 我下午三点来取 (wǒ xiàwǔ sān diǎn lái qǔ). Keep your tone polite and add 谢谢 (xièxie) after the answer.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
你好，我可以把行李存在这里吗？
Hello, can I store my luggage here?nǐ hǎo, wǒ kěyǐ bǎ xíngli cún zài zhèlǐ ma可以。你什么时候取？
Yes, you can. When will you pick it up?kěyǐ. nǐ shénme shíhou qǔ我下午三点来取。
I will come to pick it up at 3 p.m.wǒ xiàwǔ sān diǎn lái qǔ好的，没问题。
Okay, no problem.hǎo de, méi wèntíA little context goes a long way
In mainland China, hotels and hostels commonly offer free luggage storage for guests, but small shops or stations may charge a small fee. The question 我可以把行李存在这里吗？is polite and neutral. If you are not a guest, ask first; staff may say 可以 or explain a fee. Avoid assuming storage is always free.
One thing to watch for
Saying 我可以存我的行李在这里吗？by putting 在这里 at the end and repeating 我的.
Try this instead: Use the natural pattern 我可以把行李存在这里吗？(wǒ kěyǐ bǎ xíngli cún zài zhèlǐ ma). The 把 construction places 行李 before 存, and 在这里 comes after 存. You do not need 我的 if the context is clear, though 我的行李 is also acceptable in a longer sentence.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask 'Can I store my luggage here?' in Mandarin?
Show a sample answer
我可以把行李存在这里吗？(wǒ kěyǐ bǎ xíngli cún zài zhèlǐ ma)
This uses 我可以……吗？for polite permission and 把行李存 here to mean 'store the luggage.' 我可以存包吗？is also correct in a more casual setting.
2What does 取 (qǔ) mean in the phrase 什么时候可以取？
Show a sample answer
It means 'to pick up' or 'to collect.'
In luggage storage, 取 refers to getting your bags back. 什么时候可以取？means 'When can I pick it up?'
3How would you say 'I will come to pick it up at 3 p.m.'?
Show a sample answer
我下午三点来取。(wǒ xiàwǔ sān diǎn lái qǔ)
下午三点 means '3 p.m.' and 来取 means 'come to pick up.' You can replace 三点 with another time, such as 五点 (wǔ diǎn, 5 o'clock).
Use 我可以把行李存在这里吗？to ask about storing bags, and 什么时候可以取？to ask about pickup. Keep it short, polite, and confirm your return time.
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