Romanian B1 level means you can get through daily life in Romanian on your own: tell a story in the past, explain plans and opinions, and follow clear speech on familiar topics. In Romania it is proved by a certificat de competență lingvistică (certificate of linguistic competence) issued by accredited universities, the Romanian Language Institute or Romanian cultural institutes abroad. From A2, allow about 150 to 200 more hours.
What can you do at Romanian B1 level?
The CEFR describes B1 as understanding the main points of clear speech on familiar matters, coping with most situations while travelling, and describing experiences, plans and opinions in simple connected text. Romanian is a Romance language with features that surprise speakers of Spanish or Italian: the definite article attaches to the end of the noun (casa, the house; omul, the man), nouns change form in the genitive and dative (casei, omului), and there is a neuter gender.
With B1 you can:
- Tell what happened with the compound past: am fost, am văzut, am mâncat.
- Use the subjunctive after verbs like vreau, trebuie and pot: vreau să plec (I want to leave).
- Talk about the future with o să plec in speech and voi pleca in writing.
- Use object pronouns and doubling: Pe Maria o cunosc. (I know Maria.)
- Address strangers politely with dumneavoastră.
Typical B1 sentences:
- Anul trecut am fost la Brașov cu niște prieteni. (Last year I went to Brașov with some friends.)
- Dacă nu plouă, sâmbătă mergem la munte. (If it doesn't rain, we're going to the mountains on Saturday.)
- Cred că ar trebui să plecăm mai devreme, ca să prindem trenul. (I think we should leave earlier to catch the train.)
- Filmul pe care mi l-ai recomandat mi-a plăcut foarte mult. (I really liked the film you recommended to me.)
- Vreau să învăț să gătesc mâncăruri românești. (I want to learn to cook Romanian dishes.)
Which exam proves Romanian B1 level?
Romania certifies Romanian as a foreign language through the certificat de competență lingvistică. Accredited universities that run a preparatory year in Romanian issue it, and so do the Romanian Language Institute (ILR) and Romanian cultural institutes abroad. People who learned Romanian on their own can get one through an evaluation, with B1 as the minimum level certified.
| Exam | Who runs it | Levels | CEFR link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Certificat de competență lingvistică | Accredited Romanian universities, the Romanian Language Institute, Romanian cultural institutes abroad | CEFR level stated on the certificate, minimum B1 | Official |
| Preparatory year final exam (anul pregătitor) | Accredited Romanian universities | Minimum B1 | Official, set by ministerial order |
| ECL Romanian | ECL Consortium | A2, B1, B2, C1 | Official, levels aligned with CEFR |
For official uses in Romania, such as university admission or citizenship, the certificate of linguistic competence is the document the rules name. Check which institutions the office that will read it accepts.
Romanian A2 vs B1: what changes?
A2 Romanian covers routines and simple needs. B1 gives you the grammar for longer stories and opinions:
- The subjunctive everywhere. Trebuie să, vreau să, înainte să: Romanian uses să where English uses an infinitive.
- Two futures and the conditional. O să plec against voi pleca, and aș vrea (I'd like) for polite requests.
- Genitive and dative. Prietenul Mariei (Maria's friend), casa vecinului (the neighbour's house), un prieten al meu (a friend of mine).
- Pronoun doubling. I-am spus lui Andrei. (I told Andrei.)
- Se constructions. Se spune că... (It's said that...), se vinde (for sale).
- Connectors. Pentru că (because), deși (although), totuși (still).
