Spoken production and interaction (oral)
Spoken production and interaction assesses your ability to speak Maltese in a short presentation or picture description, a role-play, and a discussion with the examiner. Marks come from pronunciation and intelligibility, range and accuracy of vocabulary and grammar, fluency, and the ability to keep the interaction going.
Core oral skills
- Pronounce the distinctive letters: ħ (pharyngeal), għ (usually silent or lengthening), q (glottal stop), x (sh), ż (z), z (ts). Do not replace them with English sounds.
- Use interaction formulas: jekk jogħġbok (please), grazzi/saħħa, skuzi (excuse me), tista' tgħidli...? (can you tell me...?), nixtieq (I would like), naqbel/ma naqbilx (I agree/disagree).
- Link ideas with għax (because), imbagħad (then), però (but), għalhekk (therefore), filwaqt li (while).
- In a picture description, use place prepositions: fuq (on), taħt (under), ħdejn (next to), quddiem (in front of), wara (behind), f’nofs (in the middle).
Worked example
Role-play: buying a bus ticket. You say: “Nixtieq biljett wieħed għal Valletta, jekk jogħġbok.” Reasoning: nixtieq is a polite “I would like”; biljett wieħed shows masculine singular agreement; għal Valletta states the destination; jekk jogħġbok softens the request. If the examiner replies “Fejn se tmur?”, answer with a full clause: “Se mmur il-Belt.” Do not reply with one word.
Traps
- Answering in single words or switching to English when a word is missing.
- Pronouncing għ as a hard /g/ or dropping ħ entirely.
- Forgetting polite openings and closings in role-plays.
- Describing a picture as a list without verbs or connectors.