Conversation is central to human communication, enabling individuals to exchange ideas, express emotions, and construct meaning. In media discourse such as talk shows, structured interaction—especially through turn-taking and adjacency pairs—helps maintain coherence and guide discussion. This study, conducted in an EFL context, analyzes the use of turn taking strategies and adjacency pairs in the Mata Najwa talk show, focusing on interactions between Najwa Shihab (host) and Patrick Kluivert (guest). Using Stenstrom’s (1994) turn-taking theory and Paltridge’s (2000) adjacency pair theory, the study investigates how conversational mechanisms contribute to the discourse structure. The findings reveal that turn-holding was the most frequently used strategy, particularly through filled pauses and lexical repetition, suggesting Kluivert's efforts to maintain his turn—likely due to language constraints or the need for careful articulation. Najwa Shihab frequently employed turn-prompting,
encouraging elaboration from the guest. Less frequent pairs include greeting–greeting and farewell–farewell, indicating the formal tone of the discourse. This study contributes to understanding media discourse structures and offers pedagogical insights for EFL learners. Recognizing turn-taking and adjacency pairs can enhance learners’ conversational competence. Future research may involve comparative studies across various talk shows.