European Portuguese B1 level means you can manage everyday life in Portugal on your own: tell a story in the past, explain your plans and reasons, deal with a landlord or the Loja do Cidadão and follow clear speech on familiar topics. The exam that proves it is the DEPLE, run by CAPLE at the University of Lisbon. Coming from A2, allow roughly 150 to 200 more hours, or about a year at 30 minutes a day.
What can you do at European Portuguese B1?
B1 is the first independent level of the CEFR scale: you describe experiences and plans, give brief reasons and write simple connected text. In European Portuguese, B1 has its own markers, and several of them differ from Brazil.
You use estar a plus the infinitive for actions in progress (estou a trabalhar, I'm working). You put object pronouns after the verb in plain statements (vejo-te amanhã, see you tomorrow) and before it after não, que and certain adverbs (não te vejo, acho que te conheço). You choose between the pretérito perfeito and the imperfeito without much hesitation, and you use the future subjunctive in se and quando clauses: quando chegares, liga-me (when you arrive, call me). Tu is normal with friends and family, while strangers are often addressed as o senhor or a senhora, or simply with the verb on its own.
Typical B1 sentences:
- Estou a aprender português há um ano. (I've been learning Portuguese for a year.)
- Quando era pequena, passava as férias no Algarve. (When I was little, I spent the holidays in the Algarve.)
- Acho que o comboio vai chegar atrasado. (I think the train is going to be late.)
- Pode dizer-me onde fica a farmácia mais próxima? (Can you tell me where the nearest pharmacy is?)
- Se tiver tempo amanhã, ligo-te. (If I have time tomorrow, I'll call you.)
All five are European: estar a with the infinitive, comboio for train, and the pronoun after the verb in dizer-me and ligo-te.
The main B1 hurdle isn't grammar but listening. European Portuguese swallows unstressed vowels, so telefone can sound close to "tlfon", and it takes months of listening before normal-speed speech opens up.
Which exam proves European Portuguese B1?
In Portugal, the reference exams are CAPLE's, from the University of Lisbon, and each one is set at a single CEFR level. The state's Português Língua de Acolhimento (PLA) courses also certify levels.
| Exam or course | Who runs it | Level | CEFR link |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIPLE | CAPLE, University of Lisbon | A2 | Official |
| DEPLE | CAPLE, University of Lisbon | B1 | Official |
| DIPLE | CAPLE, University of Lisbon | B2 | Official |
| PLA course, path B | Public schools and other state-recognised providers | B1 and B2 | Official, certified on the CEFR |
CAPLE holds its exams in May, July and November, in Portugal and abroad. In Lisbon, the university's language institute lists DEPLE on 4 November 2026, a session that was already full by October (ICLP calendar). PLA courses are mostly free, and path B, which covers B1 and B2, takes up to 150 hours, according to Portugal's migration agency, AIMA.
European Portuguese A2 vs B1: what changes?
A2 gets you through shops, cafés and simple exchanges in the present and the past. B1 adds:
- Two pasts used properly. Fui (I went) against ia (I used to go, I was going), for events against background.
- The subjunctive. The present after espero que and quero que (espero que corra bem, I hope it goes well), and the future subjunctive after se and quando.
- Clitic placement. The pronoun after the verb by default (chamo-me, dá-me), before it after negation, question words and que (não me digas, como se chama?).
- Estar a plus infinitive for anything in progress.
- Vocabulary. The words that mark Portugal: pequeno-almoço (breakfast), autocarro (bus), telemóvel (mobile phone), casa de banho (bathroom).
