Initiating and Maintaining Interaction (Oral)
What this domain rewards
You are assessed on whether you can start an exchange, keep it alive, and close it naturally - not on how many rare words you know. The examiner listens for three things: turn-taking (do you ask, respond, then hand back?), register control (formal तपाईँ/हजुर vs. familiar तिमी/तँ, and matching verb endings), and repair strategies (can you recover when you don't understand?).
Concepts to master
- Opening moves: greetings that suit the setting (नमस्ते, नमस्कार, खानुभयो?), self-introduction with name, place, and role.
- Question forms: yes/no with हो/छ, wh-questions (के, कहाँ, कहिले, किन, कसरी), tag-style invitations (जाने हो?); note that word order places the verb last.
- Back-channelling and fillers: अनि, त्यसो भए, ल, हो र?, अँ, ठीक छ - these signal you are following.
- Politeness devices: तपाईँ, हजुर, कृपया, -नुहुन्छ/-नुहोस् forms, and softening with सक्छ कि? or होला.
- Repair language: माफ गर्नुहोस्, फेरि भन्नुहोस् न, अलिकति बिस्तारै, त्यो के भन्नुभयो?
- Closing: धन्यवाद, भेटौँला, फेरि कुरा गरौँला.
Traps
- Register drift - starting with तपाईँ and slipping into तिमी mid-conversation. Pick one and hold it.
- One-word answers - a bare छ or हो ends your turn and loses marks. Always add a reason or a return question.
- Ignoring the prompt's role-play frame - if the task says you are asking a teacher for an extension, do not chat about the weather.
- Silence after an unknown word - examiners reward a repair attempt far more than a pause.
- Literal translation of English idioms - Nepali uses different formulas (e.g. चिया खाने? for a casual invitation).
Rule of thumb
Use the A-R-Q loop: Answer, Reason, Question back. Example: "हो, मलाई नेपाली गीत मन पर्छ। किनभने शब्दहरू सजिलो हुन्छन्। तपाईँलाई कस्तो गीत मन पर्छ?" This single habit keeps the interaction going and demonstrates range in one turn.