¡Hola y bienvenidos, dulcitos!
In Part One we talked about your why for learning Spanish. And now that you have it, keep it forever and don’t let anyone take it from you! No, but, in all seriousness – now we can move on to Part Two – Your Objective. Everyone’s will be different, and that is perfectly wonderful. Some people may only need to learn a little bit so they can get by when they travel, and others will need to become completely fluent in order to live in a Spanish-speaking country. Whatever the case may be, here you can decide which level of Spanish will be sufficient for your goals. So, how will you know if you’ve learned “enough”? Let’s look at the scale!
A standard measurement of language proficiency is the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CERF), which places you into one of six categories:
Basic User
A1: Beginner
- You can use and understand very basic, everyday phrases
- You can speak about personal details such as stating your name & where you live
- You can interact with someone provided they are speaking very clearly and slowly
A2: Elementary
- You can use and understand common expressions in subject areas like personal/family info, shopping, and local geography
- You can communicate tasks requiring a simple, direct exchange of information on familiar and/or routine subject matters
- You can simply describe immediate environment or needs
___
Independent User
B1: Intermediate
- You can more easily use and understand points related to work, school, leisure activities, and family
- You can deal with most situations that may arise while traveling in Spanish-speaking (or other target language) countries
- You can produce simple text on subjects that are familiar or of personal interest
- You can describe experiences, events, dreams, hopes, and ambitions, and give a brief explanations of opinions and plans
B2: Upper Intermediate
- You can understand main ideas within complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, and also including technical details of your field of specialization
- You can spontaneously interact with native speakers without much strain from either party
- You can produce detailed text on a wide range of topics
____
Proficient User
C1: Advanced
- You can understand a wide range of longer, demanding texts/conversations and can understand implicit meaning
- You can easily express ideas without too much searching
- You can use Spanish (or target language) effectively for social, academic, and professional purposes
- You can create well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects
C2: Proficiency
- You can easily understand virtually anything either heard or read
- You can summarize information from different sources into a coherent presentation
- You can spontaneously express yourself fluently and precisely in complex scenarios
If you’ve already started learning some, you can take a CEFR test that can help you identify exactly where you are now and then you can decide where you need to be. That way you have a clear destination! This is important because you now have a light at the end of the tunnel (sort-of). For me, I only really need to be at B2 level for me to be able to speak amongst family and have mostly effortless conversations in Spanish-speaking countries. Now that I know this, I don’t have to stress about acing the C2 level, because I really don’t need to be there based on my why and my objective.
To learn where you are, I recommend this test from Lengalia.
It’s a little bit long, but I think it’s a solid test.
¡Feliz aprendizaje!
Em
