Interpersonal Communication
The Interpersonal Communication domain tests whether you can sustain a purposeful exchange in Spanish: an email reply and a simulated conversation are typical formats. The exam looks for completion of every communicative task, register that fits the recipient, questions that keep the exchange moving, and language that repairs meaning when you lack a word. Advanced-level responses use connected, paragraph-like turns rather than isolated sentences.
Core rules
- Identify the relationship before writing: tú for a peer or friend, usted for a professor, coordinator, or official. Keep pronouns, possessives, and verb forms consistent.
- Complete every prompt move. If the message asks you to introduce yourself, explain a preference, and propose a time, do all three, then add the required question.
- Ask real questions, not rhetorical ones: ¿Podrías...?, ¿Le parece bien si...?, ¿Qué te parece si...? In conversation, react to the other speaker before adding a new idea.
- Use circumlocution instead of stopping: «la persona que organiza las actividades» for an unknown noun; «lo que quiero decir es...» to repair.
- Manage turn-taking with brief connectors: bueno, pues, mira, claro, de acuerdo, entonces. They signal listenership and keep the floor natural.
- Match formulaic frames to register: «Estimada señora Ruiz» and «Le agradezco» for formal; «Hola, ¿qué tal?» and «Un abrazo» for informal.
Worked example
Prompt: Reply to a volunteer coordinator. Introduce yourself, explain your interest, and ask about the schedule.
Model opening: «Estimada señora Ruiz: Le escribo porque me interesa el programa de voluntariado. Soy estudiante de segundo año y tengo experiencia...»
Reasoning: the formal frame «Estimada» plus «Le escribo» establishes usted. The reply includes the introduction and reason. It then asks: «¿Podría indicarme si hay turnos de fin de semana?» This is a specific question using the conditional for politeness. A reply that writes «Hey, dime los horarios» fails the register even if the content is correct.
Traps
- Mixing tú and usted within one message.
- Answering the content but omitting the required question or proposal.
- Writing a mini-essay instead of an email with a greeting, body, and closing.
- Using memorized phrases that do not fit the actual prompt.
- Ignoring a change in direction during the conversation.