Silence at the Ticket Counter: Repair Strategies in the Oral
During the oral examination, Ben is doing a role-play at a ticket counter in Munich. The examiner plays the clerk. Ben has prepared phrases such as 'Ich möchte eine Monatskarte kaufen' and 'Was kostet das?'. The clerk asks: 'Bar oder mit Karte?' Ben pauses, looks at the table and says nothing. The clerk repeats more slowly: 'Möchten Sie bar bezahlen oder mit Karte?' Ben recognises 'Karte' but is not sure whether 'bar' means cash or a bar. He has a Schülerausweis in his wallet and the task says he is a student, but he does not know the German word. The examiner then asks: 'Haben Sie einen Schülerausweis?' Ben has 20 seconds before the examiner moves on. His teacher has told him that silence is the worst response, but Ben fears that a wrong answer will sound foolish.
1. What should Ben say in the next 20 seconds? Give two repair strategies and model utterances in German.
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Ben should use comprehension repair, not silence. In a role-play, asking for clarification is still in role and is rewarded as interaction.
Strategy 1: Ask for repetition or explanation.
- 'Entschuldigung, können Sie das bitte wiederholen?'
- 'Was bedeutet "bar"? Meinen Sie Bargeld?' This turns an unknown word into a manageable question and keeps the exchange moving.
Strategy 2: Paraphrase with language he controls.
- 'Mit Karte, bitte.'
- 'Ich bin Schüler. Hier ist mein Ausweis. Brauchen Sie den Ausweis?' He does not need the exact compound 'Schülerausweis' if he can show the card and say 'Ich bin Schüler' and 'Ausweis'. The examiner can see that he understands the transaction.
The worst option is to wait for the examiner to rescue him, because the oral mark depends on what Ben says, not on what he understands silently.
2. The examiner later asks why Ben did not simply guess. What does the oral mark reward, and how should Ben balance accuracy and interaction?
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The oral mark rewards communicative effectiveness and interaction, including the ability to manage a breakdown. It does not reward a flawless script delivered in silence. Ben should aim for short, safe utterances that keep the exchange alive, then repair only when meaning is genuinely unclear.
A sensible balance is:
- Guess when the context is strong. At a ticket counter, 'bar oder mit Karte' is almost certainly cash or card. 'Mit Karte, bitte' is a low-risk guess.
- Ask when the guess affects the task. If he does not know the price or the card type, asking is better than inventing a number.
- Use fixed repair phrases so that hesitation does not become silence: 'Wie bitte?', 'Können Sie das wiederholen?', 'Ich verstehe das Wort nicht.'
Accuracy matters, but in this format an error that is understandable costs less than a breakdown in communication. Ben should speak in short sentences, use 'Sie' with the clerk, and treat the examiner's prompts as chances to show strategies.
3. Give a four-turn continuation of the role-play from 'Bar oder mit Karte?' to the price, using 'Sie' throughout.
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Clerk: Bar oder mit Karte? Ben: Mit Karte, bitte. Was kostet die Monatskarte? Clerk: Haben Sie einen Schülerausweis? Ben: Ja, hier bitte. Ich bin Schüler. Clerk: Dann kostet sie 29 Euro.
This continuation does three things. It answers the question directly with 'Mit Karte', so the transaction advances. It asks the price at the first natural point rather than waiting. It responds to 'Schülerausweis' with a practical equivalent ('Ich bin Schüler' plus showing the card) and uses 'Sie' consistently: 'Können Sie', 'Haben Sie'. The final price is supplied by the clerk, so Ben does not need to invent a number. If he wanted to extend the turn, he could add 'Das ist günstig' or 'Kann ich mit Karte zahlen?' to show reaction.