Paul wants to send a small parcel to his cousin. At the post office window there is a long line behind him, and the woman asks a fast question: “Do you want it tracked, or signed for?” (02:13) Paul does not know either word. He only knows that people are waiting. So he does what a lot of learners do: “I said, Yes, very fast, to end the moment.” (02:25)
Yes to what? The question had two choices, and yes chooses neither. The woman did both. The parcel cost seven pounds more, and Paul’s tiny word turned out to be very expensive.
This page is about that moment. It gives you one short line to use instead of yes, a way to fill it in, and a few places where it saves you time and money. The story and the sentences in curly marks come from a podcast episode for beginners, linked at the end.
(Sentences in italics are written for this page unless they are marked as quotes.)
A yes does not answer a question with “or”
There are two kinds of question here, and they need different answers.
| The question | The kind | A good answer |
|---|---|---|
| Do you want a bag? | yes or no | Yes, please. / No, thanks. |
| Do you want it tracked? | yes or no | Yes, please. / No, thanks. |
| Do you want it tracked, or signed for? | a choice | Tracked, please. / Signed for, please. |
| Is it for here, or to take away? | a choice | To take away, please. |
When you hear or in the middle, the speaker is giving you two things to pick from. The answer is one of those things, not yes. Emily puts it clearly when Paul tells his story: “Yes? To a question with two choices?” (02:29)
The trouble is that or is a very small, quick sound. In fast speech you can miss it, and a question with two choices sounds like a question with one.
One line for two choices
Here is the line the hosts give you for this moment: “When there are two choices, ask, Do you mean A or B?” (08:43) A and B are only place-holders. You put the two real things in their place, the ones you heard or half-heard.
Do you mean tracked, or signed for?
In the episode this is the question Paul could have asked, and Emily says what it would have done: “That one question could have saved you seven pounds.” (08:50) The line works because it is a mirror: “You say back what you think you heard, like a mirror.” (07:40) If the picture is wrong, the other person fixes it. If it is right, you now have a clear choice to make.
There are three small steps. First, say Do you mean. Second, say the first choice you heard. Third, say or and the second choice. After the answer, pick one.
Five weak answers and their fixes
| What the learner says | What goes wrong | A better answer |
|---|---|---|
| Yes. | Chooses nothing, and the worker has to guess. | Do you mean tracked, or signed for? |
| Yes, yes. (with a big smile) | Looks friendly, but you still did not answer. | Sorry, I didn’t catch that. Do you mean tracked, or signed for? |
| Tracked or signed for? Yes. | You repeated the words but did not pick one. | Tracked, please. |
| I no understand A or B. | Mixes in the letters from the lesson. | Do you mean tracked, or signed for? |
| Do you mean A or B? (only the letters) | A and B are place-holders, so the worker hears nothing real. | Put the real words in: Do you mean the blue one, or the red one? |
The second row is important. The hosts call the biggest mistake pretending: “Pretending means you act like you understand, but you do not.” (20:28) A smile and a yes is a kind of pretending, and it is the most expensive one.
Notice also what the better answers have in common. They are short, and they sound calm. The episode says: “You are not weak when you ask. You are clear.” (05:36)
Where the two choices hide
Choices are not only at the post office. Here are three places from the episode where one A-or-B line fixes the problem.
At a market stall
Emily sells fruit: “They are two pounds a kilo, or three pounds for a big bag.” (21:55) Paul wants to be sure which price goes with which size, so he asks: “Do you mean two pounds for a kilo, or three pounds for a bag?” (22:02) Emily says yes and repeats it clearly: “Yes, exactly. Two pounds for one kilo. Three pounds for the big bag.” (22:07) Now Paul can pick: “Then one kilo, please. Red ones.” (22:12)
Seller: They are two pounds a kilo, or three pounds for a big bag.
You: Sorry, could you say it more slowly? Do you mean two pounds for a kilo, or three pounds for a bag?
Seller: Yes, exactly.
You: One kilo, please.
In a clothes shop
The assistant says where the fitting rooms are, and Paul is not sure which place she means. He asks: “Sorry, which part? Behind the shoes, or behind the coats?” (22:45) The answer is short and clear: “Behind the shoes. You will see a blue curtain.” (22:49)
In an invitation
A neighbour asks Emily to dinner on Saturday and she is not sure about the time: “Sorry, I didn’t catch the time. Do you mean seven, or eleven?” (20:00) Paul answers: “Seven. In the evening.” (20:05) Why is this a smart question? “Seven and eleven can sound the same, so this question is smart.” (20:10) It works with times and numbers that sound alike, such as thirteen and thirty, or fifteen and fifty (these two pairs are written for this page).
What if you only heard one half?
Sometimes you catch one choice and lose the other. Then do not guess the second one. Say the half you have and ask for the rest. These sentences are written for this page:
- Sorry, I didn’t catch the second one. Do you mean tracked, or…?
- Tracked, or what?
- Sorry, what is the other one?
The first handrail in the episode comes before the A-or-B line: “Sorry, I didn’t catch that.” (03:20) You can say it first and then ask the A-or-B question. That is two short sentences, and together they take about five seconds.
After the answer, pick and check
The last step is the one learners forget. When the worker answers, say your choice in a short sentence: Tracked, please. If a price or a number is involved, check it once, as Paul does in the post office practice: “So you mean it costs seven pounds?” (13:48)
Here is the whole post office, as it could have gone. It is written for this page, with the quotes from the episode in bold.
Worker: Do you want it tracked, or signed for?
You: Sorry, I didn’t catch that. Do you mean tracked, or signed for?
Worker: Yes. Tracked is faster. Signed for means someone signs when the parcel arrives.
You: Tracked, please. So you mean it costs seven pounds more?
Worker: Yes, that’s right.
The hosts finish the thought with a sentence you can keep: “A question takes three seconds. A wrong yes costs seven pounds.” (02:49)
A friend asks for “the thing on the shelf”
The same line works with friends. In the episode’s quiz a friend says: “Could you pass me the thing on the shelf?” (27:09) You do not know which thing, so you ask: “Sorry, which one? Do you mean the blue one, or the red one?” (27:21) And Paul says: “That is the A or B tool again. It works almost everywhere.” (27:25)
Five exercises with answers
1. Choice or yes-or-no?
Write choice or yes/no for each question.
- Do you want a bag?
- Do you want a small bag, or a big bag?
- Is this seat free?
- Is it for here, or to take away?
- Would you like tea or coffee?
Answers (written for this page)
- yes/no
- choice
- yes/no
- choice
- choice
2. Build the line
You half heard each question. Write one A-or-B line with the two real words.
- The shop worker says: Do you have a card, or do you want to pay in cash?
- A neighbour says: Saturday or Sunday?
- The hotel clerk says: Breakfast is at seven or eight.
- A friend says: The red one or the green one?
Sample answers (written for this page)
- Do you mean a card, or cash?
- Do you mean Saturday, or Sunday?
- Do you mean seven, or eight?
- Do you mean the red one, or the green one?
3. Fix the answer
Each answer chooses nothing. Write a better one.
- Yes. (to Do you want a small coffee, or a large coffee?)
- Yes, yes. (to Is it Monday or Tuesday?)
- Do you mean A or B? (to Is that for here, or to take away?)
Sample answers (written for this page)
- A small one, please. (or, if you did not hear: Do you mean a small coffee, or a large coffee?)
- Sorry, I didn’t catch that. Do you mean Monday, or Tuesday?
- Do you mean for here, or to take away? (put the real words in the place of A and B)
4. Pick and check
The worker says: It’s two pounds a kilo, or three pounds for a big bag. Write your A-or-B line, then your choice, then a check line.
Sample answers (from the episode, one change for this page)
- Do you mean two pounds for a kilo, or three pounds for a bag?
- One kilo, please.
- So you mean two pounds for the kilo?
5. Say it out loud
Say this three times, slowly: Do you mean ___, or ___? Then, this week, use it once with a real person at a shop, a café or a bus stop. When someone gives you two choices, say them back before you answer.
The A-or-B line in one place
- Hear or: it means two choices. The answer is one of them, not yes.
- Ask: Do you mean (choice 1), or (choice 2)? Use the real words, not the letters A and B.
- Missed one half: Sorry, I didn’t catch the second one.
- Pick: Tracked, please. / One kilo, please.
- Check a price or a number: So you mean it costs seven pounds?
Hear it in a real conversation
Paul tells the post office story at the start of the episode and the hosts practise the A-or-B line again at the end, with pauses for you to say it, in What to Say When You Don’t Understand English: Handrail Phrases, the Mirror and Real Places.