Guide
English CEFR levels, explained.
The CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages) is the global standard for describing language fluency levels. There are six: A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, C2 — from your first English word to near-native mastery. Here's exactly what you learn at each stage and how long it typically takes.
The six fluency levels at a glance
| Level | Name | Study time |
|---|---|---|
| A1 | Beginner | ≈ 80 hours |
| A2 | Elementary | ≈ 180 hours |
| B1 | Intermediate | ≈ 350 hours |
| B2 | Upper-Intermediate | ≈ 550 hours |
| C1 | Advanced | ≈ 800 hours |
| C2 | Mastery / Proficient | ≈ 1,000+ hours |
Beginner
Introduce yourself, ask and answer simple personal questions, order food, and understand very slow, clear speech.
What you learn
- The alphabet and English sounds (IPA basics)
- Numbers, days, months, colors, family vocabulary
- Present simple tense (I am, you are, he/she works)
- Basic greetings and survival phrases
- ~500 high-frequency words
Elementary
Hold short conversations about daily life — shopping, work, hobbies — and write simple notes and messages.
What you learn
- Past simple and future with 'going to' / 'will'
- Common prepositions of time and place
- Comparatives and superlatives (bigger, the biggest)
- Travel, food, shopping, and workplace vocabulary
- ~1,000–1,500 active words
Intermediate
Handle most situations while traveling, describe experiences and plans, and explain your opinions briefly.
What you learn
- Present perfect vs past simple
- First and second conditionals (if I have… / if I had…)
- Phrasal verbs and common idioms
- Connectors: although, however, despite, in order to
- ~2,500 active words
Upper-Intermediate
Interact with native speakers fluently and spontaneously. Write clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects.
What you learn
- All conditionals including mixed conditionals
- Passive voice across all tenses
- Reported speech and modal verbs of deduction
- Nuanced vocabulary: synonyms, register, collocations
- ~4,000 active words
Advanced
Use English flexibly for social, academic, and professional purposes. Understand demanding longer texts and recognize implicit meaning.
What you learn
- Advanced cohesive devices and discourse markers
- Inversion and emphasis structures
- Subtle idioms, phrasal verbs, and colloquialisms
- Academic and business writing conventions
- ~8,000 active words
Mastery / Proficient
Understand virtually everything heard or read. Express yourself spontaneously, very fluently, and precisely — close to a well-educated native speaker.
What you learn
- Near-native pronunciation and reduced accent
- Literary, technical, and historical vocabulary
- Fine shades of meaning, irony, and humor
- Confident debate, negotiation, and public speaking
- 16,000+ words of passive vocabulary
Which CEFR level is "fluent"?
B2 is the start of conversational fluency — you can hold real conversations without translating in your head. C1 is professional fluency: you can work, study, and present in English. C2 is mastery, indistinguishable from a well-educated native speaker in most contexts.
Find your level. Start learning.
Lingua maps every course to a CEFR level — from Foundations (A1) to Mastery (C2). Take the placement test and start at the right tier.
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