Interpersonal and Presentational Communication (Spanish)
Domain 3: Interpersonal and Presentational Communication (Spanish)
This domain covers two modes. Interpersonal communication is unrehearsed, two-way negotiation of meaning; presentational communication is planned, one-way production for an audience. Items ask you to select appropriate language, repair breakdowns, or organize a message.
Core rules
- Interpersonal: manage turns, ask for clarification (¿Cómo dijiste?, ¿Puedes repetirlo?), and circumlocute when a word is missing (la cosa que sirve para...). Repair is a communicative skill, not failure.
- Register: tú vs. usted depends on power, distance, and setting; vosotros is familiar plural in Spain, while ustedes is plural in Latin America and formal in Spain. Address forms must stay consistent.
- Speech acts differ across cultures: English Can you...? may translate to ¿Puedes...? but politeness in Spanish often uses ¿Podría...?, ¿Le importaría...?, or conditional forms.
- Presentational: plan introduction–development–conclusion; use cohesive devices (en primer lugar, además, por otro lado, en conclusión); match text type (email, speech, article) and audience.
- Accuracy matters, but the rubric usually weighs comprehensibility, task completion, and cultural appropriateness alongside grammar.
Worked example
Task: write to a university office to request information. Choosing Querido profesor may be too intimate; Estimado profesor or Estimados señores fits formal distance. Use Le escribo para solicitar... and close with Atentamente. If the same message went to a classmate, Hola, ¿me puedes...? would be appropriate. The reasoning is relational: power and distance determine pronoun, greeting, and request form.
Traps
Mixing tú/usted mid-message; translating English politeness literally; overusing subject pronouns (yo pienso) where Spanish drops them; writing a presentational text with no audience awareness; and treating fluent speed as the only interpersonal criterion.