Greek B1 Level: What It Means and How to Reach It

Greek B1 level means you can manage on your own in Greek: tell a story in the past, give reasons for an opinion, deal with almost anything that comes up on a trip or in daily life, and follow clear speech on familiar topics. The official proof is the Certificate of Attainment in Greek at B1, issued by the Centre for the Greek Language. From A2, budget roughly 225 to 400 more hours, which at half an hour a day means 15 months to just over two years.

What can you do at Greek B1?

B1 is the first independent level of the CEFR: you describe experiences, events and plans, explain your reasons briefly and write simple connected texts. Our guide to the CEFR levels shows the full scale. In Greek, the B1 milestone is aspect.

Every Greek verb has two stems, one for actions seen as ongoing or repeated and one for actions seen as a single whole. At B1 you choose between them without stopping to think: έγραφα (égrafa, I was writing) against έγραψα (égrapsa, I wrote), θα γράφω (tha gráfo, I'll be writing) against θα γράψω (tha grápso, I'll write). You use να with the right stem after θέλω (thélo, I want), you place the small object pronouns correctly (μου το έδωσε, mou to édose, he gave it to me) and you're comfortable with verbs that end in -ομαι, such as έρχομαι (érchome, I come).

Typical B1 sentences:

Όταν ήμουν μικρός, περνούσα τα καλοκαίρια στο χωριό. (Ótan ímoun mikrós, pernoúsa ta kalokéria sto chorió. When I was little, I spent the summers in the village.)
Μένω στην Αθήνα εδώ και δύο χρόνια. (Méno stin Athína edó ke dío chrónia. I've been living in Athens for two years.)
Θα ήθελα να κλείσω ένα τραπέζι για τέσσερα άτομα. (Tha íthela na klíso éna trapézi ya téssera átoma. I'd like to book a table for four.)
Νομίζω ότι η ταινία ήταν καλύτερη από το βιβλίο. (Nomízo óti i tenía ítan kalíteri apó to vivlío. I think the film was better than the book.)
Αν έχεις χρόνο αύριο, πάμε για καφέ. (An échis chróno ávrio, páme ya kafé. If you have time tomorrow, let's go for a coffee.)

Which exam proves Greek B1?

Greece's state certificate of Greek as a foreign language is the Certificate of Attainment. Naturalisation has its own separate exam, with a Greek section at a comparable level.

Exam	Who runs it	Levels	CEFR link
Certificate of Attainment in Greek (Πιστοποίηση Ελληνομάθειας)	Centre for the Greek Language	A1 to C2, labelled Α1 to Γ2	Official: each level matches a CEFR level
Certificate of Sufficient Knowledge for Naturalisation (ΠΕΓΠ)	Greek Ministry of Interior	One exam: Greek plus geography, history, culture and institutions	The Greek part is set at a level comparable to B1

All six levels of the Certificate of Attainment are examined once a year in May; the next main session runs from 11 to 13 May 2027. In 2026 there's also an extra session on 23 October for B1 and for A2 for professional purposes, held in Greece only, with registration that closed on 15 September (Centre for the Greek Language). The naturalisation exam is organised separately by the Ministry of Interior, with its next session announced for 15 November 2026.

Greek A2 vs B1: what changes?

At A2 you know the alphabet well, read slowly and live mainly in the present. B1 adds:

Aspect everywhere. The past continuous (διάβαζα, diávaza, I was reading) next to the simple past (διάβασα, diávasa, I read), and the same pair in the future and after να.
Object pronouns in pairs. Θα σου το στείλω (tha sou to stílo, I'll send it to you), with the pronouns before the verb, or after it in commands: στείλε μου το (stíle mou to, send it to me).
The genitive in full use. Το σπίτι του φίλου μου (to spíti tou fílou mou, my friend's house), plus the genitive plural endings that trip up A2 learners.
Linking words. Επειδή (because), όταν (when), ενώ (while), γι' αυτό (that's why), so you speak in paragraphs rather than single sentences.
Vocabulary. Work, health, the news and feelings, plus words you half know from English, like πρόβλημα and τηλέφωνο.

How long does it take to reach the Greek B1 level?

The US Foreign Service Institute lists Greek in Category III, about 44 weeks or 1,012 class hours to professional working proficiency for English speakers, compared with 30 weeks for Spanish. Cambridge English's figure for English is 350 to 400 guided hours from zero to B1. Allow one and a half to two times that for Greek, and B1 comes at roughly 525 to 800 hours from zero, or 225 to 400 hours after A2.

Daily study	From A2 to B1	From zero to B1
30 minutes	about 15 to 26 months	about 3 to 4.5 years
60 minutes	about 7.5 to 13 months	about 17 to 26 months

The table shows rough averages for English speakers. The alphabet takes a week or two; the verbs and cases take the time. More on the numbers in how long it takes to learn a language.

Why Greek B1 matters

B1 has a legal meaning in Greece. The Centre for the Greek Language states that its B1 certificate proves adequate knowledge of Greek for a long-term residence permit (what the certificate is used for). The naturalisation exam run by the Ministry of Interior sets its Greek section at a level comparable to B1. Both rules apply as of October 2026, and procedures change, so check with the authority handling your case.

In daily life, B1 is when a summer in Greece or Cyprus stops being a phrasebook exercise.

How to reach Greek B1 with Qlango

Qlango teaches Greek from A1 to B2, so B1 is a stage on the way to the top of the course. Lessons come through your own language, which doesn't have to be English.

Short lessons build B1 vocabulary with example sentences, and spaced repetition brings each word back right before you'd forget it.
Writing your answers fixes Greek spelling in your memory, from ι and η to ο and ω; building sentences drills endings and word order.
Word Duel against friends or other learners makes review competitive.
The chat with other learners, with message translation and AI help to write a reply, is where you test your past tenses on real people.
Premium adds offline learning and an AI teacher you can ask about aspect, stems and any sentence you're unsure of.

Our guide to learning Greek covers the alphabet and the letters that mislead English speakers.

FAQ

Is Greek B1 enough to live in Greece?

For everyday life, yes. You can handle shops, doctors, rentals and small talk. Work in Greek, university study and complex paperwork usually need B2 or more.

Which certificate proves Greek B1?

The Certificate of Attainment in Greek at B1, from the Centre for the Greek Language, the state certificate of Greek as a foreign language.

Do I need B1 Greek for a residence permit?

For a long-term residence permit, a B1 certificate is accepted as proof of adequate Greek, according to the Centre for the Greek Language, as of October 2026.

What comes after Greek B1?

B2, where you follow the news, argue a point and handle Greek at work. The Greek B2 page and our explainer on what B2 level means show what changes.

Choose Greek in the list of languages and levels and start with today's lesson.