Spanish & French
A1, A2, B1, B2: What the CEFR Levels Mean, in Plain English
What A1 to C2 mean in plain English, how long each level takes, and what A1, A2 and B1 look like in one real news story and in 5,000 articles.
Moving up a level: A1, A2, B1 and beyond
What the CEFR levels mean, how to move from A1 to A2, A2 to B1 and B1 to B2, why learners stall at each stage, and how long each step takes.
French
How to Go From A1 to A2 French: Your First Big Step in the Language
How to go from A1 to A2 French — what changes at A2, how long it takes, and three practical moves that get you there faster.
Spanish
How to Go From A1 to A2 Spanish: Your First Big Step in the Language
How to go from A1 to A2 Spanish — what changes, how long it takes, and the three moves that get you there faster than most learners expect.
French
How to Go From A2 to B1 French: Breaking the Intermediate Plateau
Stuck at A2 French? Here's why the B1 transition is harder than most learners expect — and six strategies that actually close the gap.
Spanish
How to Go From A2 to B1 Spanish: Breaking Through the Intermediate Plateau
Stuck at A2 Spanish? Here's why B1 is harder to reach than most learners expect — and the specific habits that actually close the gap.
Spanish
How to Go From B1 to B2 Spanish: Moving Into Advanced Territory
B1 to B2 is the hardest jump in Spanish. Here's why learners plateau and how consistent reading of progressively authentic content breaks through.
French
How to Go From B1 to B2 French: Breaking Into Advanced French
The B1–B2 jump is the hardest transition in French learning. Here's why the plateau happens and exactly how reading breaks it.
Spanish & French
The Intermediate Plateau: Why Language Learning Stalls at A2 (And How to Break Through)
The intermediate plateau is the single biggest reason adult learners quit. Here's why it happens and what the research says breaks through it.
French
How Long Does It Take to Learn French, and to Reach B1?
About 360–400 hours to reach B1 French. What the official estimates measure, a calendar, and what B1 reading looks like in a month of real stories.
Spanish
How Long Does It Take to Learn Spanish? The Honest Answer
The honest answer: hour estimates by CEFR level, calendar timelines at different daily study amounts, and what actually determines your speed.
More topics
Getting startedWhere to begin if you are new to Spanish or French.
Vocabulary & grammarHow many words you need at each level, false friends, and the grammar that confuses learners most, as it appears in real news.
News & sourcesHow to learn by reading the news, which news sites to start with at each level, and when you are ready for El País, BBC Mundo and Le Monde.
Reading methodWhat the research says about reading and comprehensible input, reading compared with listening, and why graded readers often fail adult learners.
Habit & practicePractical guides to better reading comprehension in Spanish and French, and to reading for work.
Tools & appsHonest comparisons of apps, podcasts and tools for Spanish and French learners, and how reading practice fits next to each one.
Exam prepWhat the reading sections of the Spanish and French exams test, and how daily reading builds the skills they need.