CEFR B1 in Italian: what you can do

B1 is where Italian starts to feel useful in everyday life. You can follow the main points of clear speech on familiar topics, deal with most situations you meet while travelling or working in Italy, and tell a story with a beginning, middle and end.

What you can do

• Describe experiences, events, hopes and plans, and give short reasons and explanations.
• Understand the main points of TV and radio programmes on familiar topics when spoken clearly.
• Read straightforward texts on everyday subjects, including simple news articles.
• Write simple connected text on topics you know, such as a travel diary or a letter.
• Cope with most conversations at a shop, office, bank or doctor.

A quick self-check

You are probably at B1 if you can do most of these:

• Tell a story using both the passato prossimo and the imperfetto.
• Give an opinion and a reason: Secondo me, è una buona idea perché...
• Talk about a film or book you liked, without preparing.
• Understand the outline of a conversation between native speakers, even if you miss details.

Typical grammar at B1

The future

The simple future is formed from the infinitive: parlerò, vedrò, partirò. It is also used for probability: Sarà a casa ("He is probably at home").

The conditional

The present conditional expresses politeness and hypotheses: Vorrei un caffè. Potresti aiutarmi? Mi piacerebbe viaggiare.

The imperative

Learn the tu forms (parla, prendi, senti) and the Lei forms (parli, prenda, senta) for instructions and requests. Pronouns attach to the tu form: Dimmi, fallo, dammelo.

Combined pronouns

Two pronouns can combine: me lo dai, glielo dico, ce ne sono. They are a mark of the level, and need practice.

Comparatives and superlatives

Più... di, meno... di, come, and the absolute superlative in -issimo: bellissimo, buonissimo.

Introduction to the subjunctive

The present subjunctive appears after verbs of opinion and doubt: Penso che sia giusto. Credo che venga. It is a main subject of B2, but you should recognise it now.

Vocabulary themes

• Work, studies and careers
• Feelings, opinions and relationships
• Media, news and technology
• Travel experiences and culture
• Health, environment and society

What you may find hard

• The subjunctive. It rarely appears in A1 and A2, and it appears everywhere at B1.
• Fluency. You may know the words but hesitate. Speak aloud every day.
• Listening to natural speech. Real Italian is fast and uses contractions, regional words and filler words like allora, cioè, insomma.

The exams

CELI 2 and CILS B1 are the certificates most often asked for by employers. The CILS B1 Cittadinanza is also accepted for Italian citizenship applications.

How to practise at this level

Start reading short news stories and graded readers, write a weekly journal, and have conversations with a partner. Then look at B2.