B1 English level — what it actually means

• Calling something somethingB1Say what something was made, called or considered
• Present PerfectB1Talk about experience and about what has changed
• be about to / be due toB1Say something is going to happen in the next moment
• Telling a storyB1Tell what happened without losing your listener
• Verbs that never take -ingB1Stop saying "I am knowing"
• for / sinceB1Say how long, without the mistake everybody makes
• already / yet / just / everB1Say whether something has happened or not, yet
• When I arrive, I will callB1Talk about two future things without saying "will" twice
• may / mightB1Say something is possible without claiming it is certain
• will / wouldB1Soften what you say so it does not sound blunt
• would ratherB1Say which of two things you prefer, right now
• had betterB1Warn somebody without threatening them
• be allowed toB1Talk about permission that somebody else gives
• have got toB1Say you must do something, the way people speak
• Compound & complexB1Join two ideas so the link between them is obvious
• What a day! How lovely!B1React out loud like a person, not a report
• So do I / Neither do IB1Agree with somebody in three words
• Question tagsB1Check something without turning it into an interrogation
• Who called you?B1Ask who did something without breaking the sentence
• Don't you know?B1Express surprise, or check something you already believe
• I don't know where he livesB1Report a question inside a statement
• What is it like?B1Ask somebody to describe a place, a person or a job
• although / howeverB1Say two things that do not fit together
• so / yet / norB1Join clauses the way written English does
• until / since / onceB1Say when something stops, starts, or follows
• as soon as / wheneverB1Say one thing happens the moment another does
• so that / in order toB1Say what you did something FOR
• during / by / until / from…toB1Talk about deadlines and stretches of time
• across / through / along / pastB1Describe a route, not just a destination
• Verb + prepositionB1Stop dropping the preposition after common verbs
• Adjective + prepositionB1Describe how you feel about something correctly
• Preposition + -ingB1Put a verb after a preposition without breaking it
• Fixed phrasesB1Recognise the phrases you cannot work out from the words
• few / a few / little / a littleB1Say how little there is, and whether that is a problem
• all / bothB1Include everything, or exactly two things
• most / several / plenty ofB1Describe an amount more precisely than "many"
• some of the / most of myB1Talk about part of a group you have already named
• 's or of?B1Choose the natural way to show belonging
• Reflexive (myself)B1Use "myself" only where it belongs
• who / which / thatB1Say which person or thing you mean
• each other / one anotherB1Say two people did the same thing to each other
• where / when as relativesB1Describe a place or a time with a clause
• Adjective orderB1Stack two adjectives without sounding foreign
• Where an adverb goesB1Put an adverb where an English speaker would put it
• bored or boring?B1Never say "I am boring" about yourself again
• so / suchB1Emphasise a quality without picking the wrong word
• less / the leastB1Compare downwards instead of upwards
• much bigger, a bit cheaperB1Say how much bigger, not just that it is bigger
• prefer / rather thanB1Say which of two things you like more
• Second conditionalB1Imagine a situation that is not real
• Suppose / What if…?B1Raise a possibility in conversation
• Gerunds & infinitivesB1Know whether to say "to go" or "going"
• Phrasal verbsB1Use the two-word verbs people actually say
• want somebody to do somethingB1Say what you want somebody else to do
• make / let / helpB1Say somebody made you or let you do something
• Verbs that need an objectB1Stop leaving a verb hanging without its object
• Defining relative clausesB1Say exactly which person or thing you mean
• The book I boughtB1Drop the relative pronoun where English drops it
• I know what he wantsB1Put a question word inside a statement
• I asked if / whether…B1Report a yes/no question
• Adverb clausesB1Attach a reason, a time or a contrast to a sentence
• say or tell?B1Pick the right reporting verb every time
• each, every, everyoneB1Use a singular verb where English insists on one
• no, not, none, neverB1Say no without using two negatives at once
• I'd prefer / I'd ratherB1Say what you would rather do, politely
• So do I. Neither do I.B1Agree with what somebody just said
• So you mean…? Is that right?B1Check you understood before acting on it

• I've been {-ING}

  I've been working here for two years.

  मैं ___ करता/करती आ रहा/रही हूँ।

• In my opinion, {CLAUSE}

  In my opinion, the second option is safer.

  मेरी राय में, ___।

• I don't think {CLAUSE}

  I don't think that is the real reason.

  मुझे नहीं लगता कि ___।

• I see your point, but {CLAUSE}

  I see your point, but the timing does not work for us.

  मैं आपकी बात समझता हूँ, पर ___।

• The reason I {VERB} is that {CLAUSE}

  The reason I applied is that I want to work on bigger projects.

  मैं ___ इसलिए ___ क्योंकि ___।

• What I mean is {CLAUSE}

  What I mean is that we should test it first.

  मेरा मतलब है कि ___।

• I'd rather {VERB}

  I'd rather stay home tonight.

  मैं ___ करना ज़्यादा पसंद करूँगा/करूँगी।

• If I were you, I'd {VERB}

  If I were you, I'd talk to the manager first.

  अगर मैं आपकी जगह होता, तो मैं ___ करता।

• What I meant was {CLAUSE}

  Sorry, what I meant was that we need one more day.

  मेरा मतलब यह था कि ___।

• Just to clarify, {CLAUSE}

  Just to clarify, we are talking about next Friday, not this one.

  बस स्पष्ट करने के लिए, ___।

• I was wondering if {CLAUSE}

  I was wondering if we could move the meeting.

  मैं सोच रहा/रही था/थी कि क्या ___।

• Can I add something here

  Can I add something here?

  क्या मैं यहाँ कुछ जोड़ सकता/सकती हूँ?

What does B1 English mean?

B1 is the independent band, and it is the level most learners are really aiming at. At B1 you handle most situations without help, tell a story about something that happened, and give reasons for an opinion. Your grammar is not clean — the tenses slip under pressure — but the listener never has to rescue you. You are at B1 if you can hold a five-minute conversation with a stranger about your work and come out of it having said what you meant.

What can you do at B1?

Handle most situations while travelling, describe experiences, and give reasons for your opinions.

What is stopping most learners at B1?

The blocker at B1 is the present perfect — the difference between "I worked there" and "I have worked there" — and its companion, "since" against "for". This one tense is the commonest reason otherwise fluent Indian English is marked as non-native.

How do you go from B1 to B2?

The blocker at B1 is the present perfect — the difference between "I worked there" and "I have worked there" — and its companion, "since" against "for". This one tense is the commonest reason otherwise fluent Indian English is marked as non-native. The practical route is to work through the 67 grammar structures at B1 until they are automatic under time pressure, then start producing the B2 ones out loud. Reading them is not enough — the gap between B1 and B2 is a production gap, not a knowledge gap.

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