Macedonian B1 level means you can manage daily life in Macedonian: talk about past events and plans, give reasons for an opinion and follow clear speech on familiar topics. The closest formal proof is TEMAK, the test in Macedonian as a foreign language at the Blaže Koneski Faculty of Philology in Skopje, whose intermediate level corresponds closely to B1. Coming from A2, allow about 150 to 200 more hours.
What can you do at Macedonian B1 level?
A B1 user, in CEFR terms, understands the main points of clear speech on familiar matters, copes with most everyday situations and describes experiences, plans and opinions in simple connected text. Macedonian has a few features you meet properly at this level. Nouns have no cases, but the definite article comes in three forms that also show distance: книгата (knigata, the book), книгава (knigava, this book here) and книгана (knigana, that book over there). Stress usually falls on the third syllable from the end, as in литература (li-te-RA-tu-ra).
In practice, at B1 you can:
- Tell what happened using the aorist and the imperfect.
- Make plans with ќе (kje) for the future and да (da) clauses where English uses an infinitive.
- Double object pronouns with definite objects, as Macedonians do.
- Read Cyrillic at normal speed, including the letters ѓ, ќ, ѕ, љ, њ, џ and ј.
- Explain an opinion and keep a conversation going.
Typical B1 sentences:
- Минатата година бевме во Охрид на одмор. (Minatata godina bevme vo Ohrid na odmor.) Last year we were on holiday in Ohrid.
- Ако не врне, во сабота ќе одиме на Водно. (Ako ne vrne, vo sabota kje odime na Vodno.) If it doesn't rain, we'll go up Vodno on Saturday.
- Филмот што ми го препорача беше многу добар. (Filmot shto mi go preporacha beshe mnogu dobar.) The film you recommended to me was very good.
- Сум бил во Скопје неколку пати. (Sum bil vo Skopje nekolku pati.) I've been to Skopje a few times.
- Ја имам прочитано книгата. (Ja imam prochitano knigata.) I have read the book.
Which exam proves Macedonian B1 level?
There is no large international exam for Macedonian. The main test is TEMAK, run by the Blaže Koneski Faculty of Philology at Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje. It has three levels, and the faculty states that basic corresponds closely to A1, intermediate to B1 and advanced to C1. Passing gives you a document stating your level (Faculty of Philology).
| Exam or course | Who runs it | Levels | CEFR link |
|---|---|---|---|
| TEMAK (Test in Macedonian as a Foreign Language) | Blaže Koneski Faculty of Philology, Skopje | Basic, intermediate, advanced | Approximate: basic close to A1, intermediate close to B1, advanced close to C1 |
| Preparatory Macedonian courses | Blaže Koneski Faculty of Philology, Skopje | Beginner (A1) and continuation courses | Courses, not an exam |
For B1, the intermediate TEMAK is the test to aim for. The same university also runs the International Seminar on Macedonian Language, Literature and Culture, a summer school in Ohrid, which is a good way to get intensive practice.
Macedonian A2 vs B1: what changes?
A2 Macedonian covers routines and simple needs. At B1 the verb system opens up:
- Past tenses. The aorist прочитав (prochitav, I read it through) against the imperfect читав (chitav, I was reading), and the л-form сум читал (sum chital).
- The има perfect. Имам прочитано (imam prochitano, I have read) for results that still matter.
- Aspect pairs. Пишува and напише (pishuva, napishe), купува and купи (kupuva, kupi).
- Object doubling. Го видов Марко. (Go vidov Marko.) I saw Marko.
- Three articles in use. -от, -ов, -он and their feminine and neuter partners, chosen by distance.
- Connectors. Затоа што (zatoa shto, because), иако (iako, although), сепак (sepak, still).
