CEFR A1 · Starter · First words, first courage
A1 English level — what it actually means
A1 is the beginner band. At A1 you can say who you are, where you are from and what you do, in short sentences, and you understand somebody who speaks slowly and helps you. You are at A1 if you can introduce yourself and ask a simple question, but a normal-speed conversation goes past you. Almost everybody who "learned English in school but cannot speak it" is above A1 in reading and at A1 in speaking — the two do not have to match.
At A1 you can
Introduce yourself and handle simple, everyday exchanges — slowly, with help.
What is actually blocking you at A1
The one thing between A1 and the next band, named rather than hinted at.
The blocker at A1 is word order, not vocabulary. English fixes the subject before the verb and Hindi does not, so the sentence has to be rebuilt rather than translated. Start with the present simple, the verb "be", and yes/no questions.
Grammar at A1
These are the 32 structures CoCap files at A1. Not a syllabus somebody guessed — the same one the app teaches from.
- Who does whatA1Put an English sentence in the right order the first time
- Saying what something isA1Describe a person or a thing in one short sentence
- Where and when go at the endA1Add a place and a time without breaking the sentence
- am / is / areA1Say who you are and how things are
- was / wereA1Say how things were, not how they are
- have / has for owningA1Say what you own, and who you have in your family
- do / does / did as the helperA1Turn any sentence into a question or a negative
- There is / There areA1Say that something exists, or that a place has something in it
- Short formsA1Sound normal instead of like a textbook
- Present SimpleA1Talk about what you do every day
- Present ContinuousA1Say what is happening right now
- Past SimpleA1Tell somebody what happened yesterday
- can / couldA1Say what you can do, and ask for things politely
- Simple sentencesA1Say one clear thing without getting tangled
- NegativesA1Say no without breaking the verb
- ImperativesA1Give an instruction that does not sound rude
- Yes / No questionsA1Ask something that can be answered yes or no
- Wh- questionsA1Ask for the information you actually need
- Yes, I do. No, she isn't.A1Answer a question without sounding curt or robotic
- and / but / orA1Join two short sentences into one
- because / soA1Explain why something happened
- Time: in / on / atA1Say when something happens without guessing
- Place: in / on / atA1Say where something is
- next to / opposite / in front ofA1Give somebody directions they can follow
- a / an / theA1Stop dropping the little words English cannot do without
- PluralsA1Say more than one without hesitating
- PossessivesA1Say whose something is
- Personal & possessiveA1Use the right word for the doer, the receiver and the owner
- this / that / these / thoseA1Point at something, near or far, one or many
- me / him / her / themA1Say who something was done to
- Adverbs of frequencyA1Say how often you do something
- Let's…A1Propose doing something together
Phrases to own at A1
Fixed shapes written for A1, most useful first. These are what you can start saying today.
My name is {NAME}
My name is Priya.
मेरा नाम ___ है।
I am from {PLACE}
I am from Indore.
मैं ___ से हूँ।
Nice to meet you
Nice to meet you.
आपसे मिलकर अच्छा लगा।
I want to {VERB}
I want to learn English properly this year.
मैं ___ करना चाहता/चाहती हूँ।
I need to {VERB}
I need to finish this before six.
मुझे ___ करना ज़रूरी है।
I have to {VERB}
I have to leave by six.
मुझे ___ करना पड़ेगा।
I like {-ING}
I like reading in the morning.
मुझे ___ करना पसंद है।
Can I {VERB}?
Can I ask you something?
क्या मैं ___ कर सकता/सकती हूँ?
Can you {VERB}?
Can you send me the file?
क्या आप ___ कर सकते हैं?
Could you please {VERB}?
Could you please repeat that?
क्या आप कृपया ___ करेंगे?
Where is {NOUN}?
Where is the station?
___ कहाँ है?
I don't know
I don't know.
मुझे नहीं पता।
Questions about A1
- What does A1 English mean?
- A1 is the beginner band. At A1 you can say who you are, where you are from and what you do, in short sentences, and you understand somebody who speaks slowly and helps you. You are at A1 if you can introduce yourself and ask a simple question, but a normal-speed conversation goes past you. Almost everybody who "learned English in school but cannot speak it" is above A1 in reading and at A1 in speaking — the two do not have to match.
- What can you do at A1?
- Introduce yourself and handle simple, everyday exchanges — slowly, with help.
- What is stopping most learners at A1?
- The blocker at A1 is word order, not vocabulary. English fixes the subject before the verb and Hindi does not, so the sentence has to be rebuilt rather than translated. Start with the present simple, the verb "be", and yes/no questions.
- How do you go from A1 to A2?
- The blocker at A1 is word order, not vocabulary. English fixes the subject before the verb and Hindi does not, so the sentence has to be rebuilt rather than translated. Start with the present simple, the verb "be", and yes/no questions. The practical route is to work through the 32 grammar structures at A1 until they are automatic under time pressure, then start producing the A2 ones out loud. Reading them is not enough — the gap between A1 and A2 is a production gap, not a knowledge gap.
Where A1 sits
The band before and the band after.
Reading it is not the same as saying it.
CoCap works your level out from how you actually speak, not from a multiple-choice quiz — and then picks what to practise next. Free.
Find out your real level →