Speaking: oral production and interaction (Kalbėjimas)
What the section tests
The speaking domain covers oral production and interaction: a short monologue on a familiar topic, picture or sequence description, role-play and discussion. Assessors listen for intelligibility, fluency, grammatical range, vocabulary and the ability to manage interaction.
Core rules and concepts
- Vowel length and stress matter for intelligibility. Practise contrasts and keep stressed syllables clear; do not reduce final endings to nothing.
- Use polite formulae appropriate to the task: Norėčiau paklausti, ar... (I would like to ask whether...), Ar galėtumėte paaiškinti...?, Ką turite omenyje?
- In role-play, perform the function, not just the topic: request, complain, refuse, suggest, ask for clarification. Use conditionals for politeness (galėčiau, ar galėtumėte).
- Buy time naturally: Na..., Tarkim..., Iš tikrųjų..., Kitaip tariant.... Silence costs more than a controlled filler.
- Interaction is two-way: answer, then ask a reciprocal question if the scenario allows it.
Worked example
Role-play: phone a language school to ask about evening Lithuanian courses. Weak answer: „Noriu kursų. Kiek kainuoja?“ Stronger answer: „Laba diena. Skambinu dėl vakarinų lietuvių kalbos kursų. Norėčiau sužinoti, kada jie prasideda ir kiek kainuoja. Ar galėtumėte atsiųsti tvarkaraštį?“ Reasoning: dėl + genitive kursų names the purpose; norėčiau softens the request; ar galėtumėte is a polite conditional question; the answer covers two pieces of information and invites a next step.
Traps that cost marks
- Giving one-word answers in an interaction task.
- Using tu forms with an examiner role-played as an official.
- Speaking fast but with flattened endings, so case meaning is lost.
- Ignoring the second part of a two-part question.
- Overusing labai and gerai instead of precise vocabulary.