Dutch as a second language
What you can actually do at each level, and what has to change to reach the next one. Levels are the Common European Framework (CEFR) — the same scale used across Europe and in the Dutch civic-integration and study exams.
The Council of Europe's own level below A1, added in the 2020 Companion Volume — for absolute beginners with nothing to build on yet.
Survival Dutch — familiar, concrete situations only.
English — Council of Europe global scale "Can understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type. Can introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has. Can interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help." Council of Europe, 2001, Table 1, p. 24
Nederlands — accredited translation, Gesprekken voeren "Ik kan deelnemen aan een eenvoudig gesprek, wanneer de gesprekspartner bereid is om zaken in een langzamer spreektempo te herhalen of opnieuw te formuleren en mij helpt bij het formuleren van wat ik probeer te zeggen. Ik kan eenvoudige vragen stellen en beantwoorden die een directe behoefte of zeer vertrouwde onderwerpen betreffen." Fasoglio et al. (Eds.), 2015, p. 53
Personal, routine topics — work, family, shopping, home.
English — Council of Europe global scale "Can understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment). Can communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters. Can describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need." Council of Europe, 2001, Table 1, p. 24
Nederlands — accredited translation, Gesprekken voeren "Ik kan communiceren over eenvoudige en alledaagse taken die een eenvoudige en directe uitwisseling van informatie over vertrouwde onderwerpen en activiteiten betreffen. Ik kan zeer korte sociale gesprekken aan, alhoewel ik gewoonlijk niet voldoende begrijp om het gesprek zelfstandig gaande te houden." Fasoglio et al. (Eds.), 2015, p. 57
Most everyday situations, including unfamiliar ones.
English — Council of Europe global scale "Can understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc. Can deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken. Can produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest. Can describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans." Council of Europe, 2001, Table 1, p. 24
Nederlands — accredited translation, Gesprekken voeren "Ik kan de meeste situaties aan die zich kunnen voordoen tijdens een reis in het gebied waar de betreffende taal wordt gesproken. Ik kan onvoorbereid deelnemen aan een gesprek over onderwerpen die vertrouwd zijn, of mijn persoonlijke belangstelling hebben of die betrekking hebben op het dagelijks leven (bijvoorbeeld familie, vrijetijdsbesteding, werk, reizen en actuele gebeurtenissen)." Fasoglio et al. (Eds.), 2015, p. 65
Same skills as B1, held with more confidence — and the point where the kind of work changes. Not a ceiling, and not a flat plain with nothing beyond it.
How fast you move, and what helps most →
Fluent enough that conversation stops requiring effort from either side.
English — Council of Europe global scale "Can understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation. Can interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party. Can produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options." Council of Europe, 2001, Table 1, p. 24
Nederlands — accredited translation, Gesprekken voeren "Ik kan zodanig deelnemen aan een vloeiend en spontaan gesprek, dat normale uitwisseling met moedertaalsprekers redelijk mogelijk is. Ik kan binnen een vertrouwde context actief deelnemen aan een discussie en hierin mijn standpunten uitleggen en ondersteunen." Fasoglio et al. (Eds.), 2015, p. 72
Language adapts to the situation, rather than the other way round.
English — Council of Europe global scale "Can understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts, and recognise implicit meaning. Can express him/herself fluently and spontaneously without much obvious searching for expressions. Can use language flexibly and effectively for social, academic and professional purposes. Can produce clear, well-structured, detailed text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices." Council of Europe, 2001, Table 1, p. 24
Nederlands — accredited translation, Gesprekken voeren "Ik kan mezelf vloeiend en spontaan uitdrukken zonder merkbaar naar uitdrukkingen te hoeven zoeken. Ik kan de taal flexibel en effectief gebruiken voor sociale en professionele doeleinden. Ik kan ideeën en meningen met precisie formuleren en mijn bijdrage vaardig aan die van andere sprekers relateren." Fasoglio et al. (Eds.), 2015, p. 79
Precision and ease, at any level of complexity.
English — Council of Europe global scale "Can understand with ease virtually everything heard or read. Can summarise information from different spoken and written sources, reconstructing arguments and accounts in a coherent presentation. Can express him/herself spontaneously, very fluently and precisely, differentiating finer shades of meaning even in more complex situations." Council of Europe, 2001, Table 1, p. 24
Nederlands — accredited translation, Gesprekken voeren "Ik kan zonder moeite deelnemen aan welk gesprek of discussie dan ook en ben zeer vertrouwd met idiomatische uitdrukkingen en spreektaal. Ik kan mezelf vloeiend uitdrukken en de fijnere betekenisnuances precies weergeven. Als ik een probleem tegenkom, kan ik mezelf hernemen en mijn betoog zo herstructureren dat andere mensen het nauwelijks merken." Fasoglio et al. (Eds.), 2015, p. 83
Not "sounding native" — C2 is about precision and appropriacy, not accent. Very few learners need it, and it's never really finished.
Note on C2.1 / C2.2 — what we could and couldn't confirm →Time and effort.
How long a level takes depends on what you put into it. First a simple picture from our own teaching, then what the research does and does not say.
Our rule of thumb, not a measurement. No study we found measures these exact numbers. We use them to show the shape of progress: steady and incremental, with a diminishing return for every extra hour, not exponential.
One class and one hour of homework a week.
Baseline, 1×.
About 2 hours a week. On the 200-hour yardstick below, one step up a level takes about 100 weeks, roughly two years.
Two classes and two hours of homework a week.
About 1.5×, not 4×.
Twice the hours, but not twice the speed: each extra hour is worth a bit less than the one before. About 67 weeks, roughly 15 months. This only works if the homework and the self-study really happen.
The same, plus vocabulary practice every day.
Faster still.
Learning words with spaced review is where extra minutes pay off most. We don't put a number on it.
What we don't know. The 1.5× factor above is ours. The hours are guidelines, and the Cambridge ones are for English. Counts of words at B1 range from about 2,000 to 4,000 depending on what is counted and whether it is receptive or productive.