The DiDi has been accepted and the driver is calling you
The ride itself is easy. The two hard minutes are finding each other at the start, and saying where you want to be let out at the end. Both are short sentences, and both work better shown on a screen than said badly at speed.
Why the driver rings
Drivers call to confirm the pickup point, because map pins land in car parks, on the wrong side of a dual carriageway and inside malls with six exits. If you can't hold that conversation, answer anyway and say one line, then switch to the app's message thread — DiDi has built-in canned messages that translate, and drivers read them.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 你好，师傅 | Nǐ hǎo, shīfu | Hello, driver |
| 我不会说中文 | Wǒ bú huì shuō zhōngwén | I don't speak Chinese |
| 我在门口 | Wǒ zài ménkǒu | I'm at the entrance |
| 我在地图的位置 | Wǒ zài dìtú de wèizhì | I'm at the spot on the map |
| 请稍等，两分钟 | Qǐng shāo děng, liǎng fēnzhōng | Please wait — two minutes |
| 我看到你了 | Wǒ kàndào nǐ le | I can see you |
| 你的车牌是什么？ | Nǐ de chēpái shì shénme? | What's your plate number? |
师傅 (shīfu) is the ordinary, polite way to address a driver — it's what everyone in the car says, not a formality you're putting on.
Before you get in
Check the plate against the app, which is the one habit worth keeping. Drivers will often ask you to confirm the last digits of the phone number on the booking: 尾号多少？(wěihào duōshao?) — what are the last digits.
In the car
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 去这个地址 | Qù zhège dìzhǐ | To this address (show the screen) |
| 可以开空调吗？ | Kěyǐ kāi kōngtiáo ma? | Could you put the air con on? |
| 可以关一下窗吗？ | Kěyǐ guān yíxià chuāng ma? | Could you close the window? |
| 我有点赶时间 | Wǒ yǒudiǎn gǎn shíjiān | I'm in a bit of a hurry |
| 到了请叫我 | Dào le qǐng jiào wǒ | Please tell me when we arrive |
| 还要多久？ | Hái yào duōjiǔ? | How much longer? |
You don't need to negotiate anything. The fare is set in the app before the car moves, and the route is recorded, which is why these rides are much simpler than flagging a cab down.
Getting out
The end of the trip is the bit people fumble, because the pin is rarely where you actually want to stand.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 就在这儿停 | Jiù zài zhèr tíng | Stop right here |
| 麻烦停在前面 | Máfan tíng zài qiánmiàn | Please stop up ahead |
| 停在路边可以吗？ | Tíng zài lùbiān kěyǐ ma? | Can you pull in at the kerb? |
| 后备箱可以开一下吗？ | Hòubèixiāng kěyǐ kāi yíxià ma? | Could you open the boot? |
| 我下车了，谢谢 | Wǒ xià chē le, xièxie | I'm getting out — thank you |
| 我东西忘在车上了 | Wǒ dōngxi wàng zài chē shàng le | I left something in the car |
If you leave something behind, the app keeps the trip and a way to contact the driver — start there rather than trying to remember the plate.
What Laonei does here
Laonei's translate mode is one button: you speak, it says it in Chinese out loud, and the driver's answer comes back on screen in your language, both halves large enough to read across the seats. If the driver would rather read than listen, hand the phone over. It's at liuxuesheng.help/talk, and the phrases you use get saved so the second ride is faster than the first.
FAQ
What do I say when a DiDi driver calls me and I don't speak Chinese? Answer, say 你好，师傅，我不会说中文 (nǐ hǎo, shīfu, wǒ bú huì shuō zhōngwén), then add where you are: 我在门口 (wǒ zài ménkǒu) — I'm at the entrance. After that, switch to the app's message thread, which translates and gives drivers preset replies they can tap.
How do I tell a DiDi driver where to stop? 就在这儿停 (jiù zài zhèr tíng) for right here, or 麻烦停在前面 (máfan tíng zài qiánmiàn) for a bit further on. Say it early — drivers can't stop wherever they like on a main road, so giving thirty seconds of warning gets you much closer to where you wanted.
Is it rude to call a driver 师傅? No, it's the normal thing to say. 师傅 (shīfu) is standard for drivers and tradespeople, and it's what Chinese passengers use in every taxi and DiDi. It's friendlier and safer than guessing at a surname, and it works for men and women.