DLPT key terms

A conclusion drawn from clues in a passage or recording rather than from a statement made outright. Test items often ask what a speaker implies, suggests, or most likely believes.

The central point that a passage or recording is built around. Distractors often restate a supporting detail or a single example instead of the overall point.

A fact, example, or reason used to back up the main idea. Questions may ask which detail is stated, which is NOT stated, or what evidence supports a claim.

The reason a text was written, such as to inform, persuade, entertain, or instruct. Recognizing purpose helps predict structure and helps eliminate answer choices that mismatch the intent.

The attitude a writer or speaker conveys through word choice, such as ironic, sympathetic, critical, or neutral. Tone questions require reading emotion cues rather than literal content alone.

The level of formality in language, ranging from casual speech to formal written style. Register signals the relationship between speakers and the setting, and mismatches can reveal a speaker's intent.

Reading quickly to locate a specific piece of information, such as a date, name, or number, without reading every word. Useful for detail questions under time pressure.

Reading rapidly for gist by sampling headings, first sentences, and key phrases. Skimming helps you form a quick hypothesis about a passage before answering questions about it.

Information surrounding an unfamiliar word that hints at its meaning, such as a definition, contrast, or example. Using context clues reduces reliance on a dictionary during timed reading sections.

A word that looks or sounds similar across two languages and shares a common origin, such as 'hospital' in English and Spanish. Cognates speed comprehension but can mislead when meanings have drifted.

A word that resembles a word in another language but carries a different meaning, such as Spanish 'embarazada' meaning pregnant, not embarrassed. False friends cause misreading if taken at face value.

A fixed expression whose meaning cannot be worked out from its individual words, such as 'to pull someone's leg'. Idioms appear frequently in authentic listening passages and informal reading texts.

A habitual word pairing that native speakers use together, such as 'make a decision' rather than 'do a decision'. Recognizing collocations helps you predict upcoming words and spot unnatural distractors.

A restatement of the same meaning in different words. Correct answers often paraphrase the passage rather than repeat its exact wording, so matching only on identical words is risky.

An incorrect answer choice designed to attract attention by echoing words from the passage, mixing true and false elements, or answering a different question than the one asked.

The overall sense of what was said or written, even when some individual words are missed. Listening items often test gist first, with details tested separately.

Attending to specific facts in a recording, such as times, prices, names, or numbers. Detail questions reward note-taking and attention to numbers that are corrected or repeated.

Recording key points in abbreviated form while listening so you can answer questions after the audio ends. Effective notes capture names, numbers, and contrasts rather than full sentences.

The way words blend, shorten, and link in natural spoken language, as when 'want to' becomes 'wanna'. Unfamiliarity with connected speech is a common cause of missed words in listening sections.

A weakened pronunciation of a word that carries little stress, such as 'can' sounding like 'kuhn' or 'of' losing its final sound. Reduced forms hide grammatical information that changes meaning.

The emphasis placed on a syllable or word in speech. Shifting stress can change meaning, as in distinguishing a noun from a verb or signaling contrast and correction.

The rise and fall of pitch across an utterance. Intonation signals questions, lists, uncertainty, sarcasm, and turn-taking, and often carries meaning that the words alone do not.

The pronunciation patterns associated with a region, social group, or second-language speaker. Test audio includes varied accents, so exposure to different varieties improves comprehension.

A variety of a language distinguished by vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation in a particular region or community. Dialect awareness helps when recordings use regional words unfamiliar in standard usage.

What a speaker is trying to accomplish with an utterance, such as requesting, refusing, warning, or complaining. Indirect intent is often tested through questions about what the speaker will do next.

How context shapes meaning beyond literal words, including politeness, indirect requests, and implied criticism. Pragmatic failure causes listeners to misread a speaker's attitude or intention.

The system by which speakers alternate in conversation, including pauses, overlaps, and back-channel cues like 'mm-hm'. Following turn-taking helps identify who said what in multi-speaker recordings.

A word or phrase that organizes speech or writing, such as 'however', 'by the way', or 'on the other hand'. Markers signal contrast, addition, or a shift in topic and guide prediction.

The way sentences in a text connect through pronouns, repetition, and linking words. Tracking cohesive links helps you follow long passages and resolve what a pronoun refers to.

The use of a pronoun or phrase to point back to something already mentioned, as in 'she' referring to a named person. Reference questions test whether you can trace who or what is meant.

Organization of information by time sequence, common in narratives and process descriptions. Recognizing time markers helps you place events correctly when questions ask about order.

A text structure that links a reason to a result, often signaled by words like 'because', 'therefore', and 'as a result'. Questions may ask why something happened or what followed from it.

A brief restatement of the most important points in a passage or recording, omitting examples and minor details. Summary questions test whether you can distinguish central from peripheral information.

A written rendering of spoken audio. Some listening tasks require matching what you hear to a written line, so noticing contractions, numbers, and similar-sounding words matters.

The ability to catch and interpret spoken figures, including prices, times, years, and ordinals. Numbers are often corrected mid-sentence, so the last figure stated is usually the intended one.

A statement that denies or reverses meaning, often through words like 'not', 'never', 'hardly', or 'unless'. Missing a negation flips the meaning of a sentence and leads to wrong answers.

Language that softens a claim, such as 'it seems', 'possibly', or 'tend to'. Hedged statements are weaker than absolute ones, and questions may test the degree of certainty expressed.

An answer choice built on a word that resembles a familiar term but means something different in the target language. Verifying meaning against context prevents selecting such traps.

Real-world text or audio such as news broadcasts, announcements, and interviews, as opposed to scripted teaching dialogues. Practice with authentic material builds the speed and variety the exam expects.