Interpersonal Communication: Exchanges, Register and Repair
What this domain tests
Interpersonal communication asks you to take part in a real exchange: greeting, requesting, offering, inviting, refusing politely, apologising, negotiating, and closing. Examiners reward candidates who keep the exchange moving and who choose language that fits the relationship and the setting.
Concepts you must control
- Politeness levels (keigo). Recognise and produce 尊敬語 (respectful, for the other person's actions: いらっしゃる, おっしゃる, ご覧になる), 謙譲語 (humble, for your own: 伺う, 申し上げる, 拝見する) and 丁寧語 (です・ます).
- Speech styles. Plain form (だ・する) versus polite form (です・ます). Plain form appears in casual talk with friends and inside quoted or embedded clauses; polite form is the safe default with teachers, strangers and shop staff.
- Sentence-final particles and softeners. ね, よ, かしら, でしょう, かもしれません, ちょっと…, ～んですが. These carry tone; dropping them can make you sound abrupt.
- Invitation and refusal patterns. ～ませんか (invite), ～ましょうか (offer help), ～たいんですが (state a wish before a request), and the refusal formula: apology + reason + alternative (すみません、ちょっと…ので、また今度お願いします).
- Repair strategies. Asking for repetition (もう一度お願いします), checking meaning (～という意味ですか), and paraphrasing when you lack a word.
Traps
- Using humble forms about the other person (×先生が申しました) or respectful forms about yourself.
- Refusing with a bare いいえ - read as blunt; always soften.
- Mixing plain and polite forms in one turn with a teacher.
- Answering only the literal question and ignoring the social move (e.g. not thanking after an offer).
- Treating ～てください as universally polite; with superiors prefer ～ていただけませんか.
Rule of thumb
One turn, three jobs: respond to what was said, add one piece of new information, and hand the conversation back with a question or softener.
Worked example. Teacher: 週末、何をしましたか。 Weak answer: 映画を見ました。 Strong answer: 土曜日に友だちと映画を見ました。とても面白かったです。先生は週末いかがでしたか。