The Road to C2

Ok, let me explain.


The Common European Framework of Referencing for Language (CEFR) is a scale that many people use to describe language proficiency levels, rather than trying to understand all those arbitrary terms like fluent, intermediate, conversational, etc. There are three levels - A, B, and C - and each level has two sub-levels, so there's A1, A2, B1, B2, C1, and C2. The range is absolute beginner (A1) to "mastery" (C2).

The Cervantes Institute describes C2 level as 

"[...] sufficient linguistic competence to perfectly handle any kind of situation, proving a spontaneous capacity of adaptation to any context, with a great deal of semantic and grammatical precision. The language users express themselves fluently, with a high degree of specialization and complexity."

The C2 test is an extremely rigorous test that lasts over 5 hours and requires you to pass each of the three sections, which test reading and listening comprehension, writing, and speaking. I still don't really have a fully formed idea on the best way to prepare for the exam and how much I would need to improve to pass the test. I know this is a big challenge, but I also know that it's feasible.

To me, C2 means that I should not be limited by my language skills and should be able to use the language in any situation without making too many mistakes (no more than any native speaker would make - and it does happen!).

I think not being limited is what draws me to reach C2 level, because one of the most frustrating things about learning a language is not saying what you want to say because you don't know how to say it. I want to be able to use Spanish in all areas of my life, and I want to be myself when I speak Spanish.

I found that when I was in Spain I was a lot quieter than I normally am and that I just go with the flow more, because it's easier to say yes than to express a more complex opinion. Now, I would still consider myself quite fluent in Spanish, but I felt limited in certain ways.

Because I learned Spanish in school, I feel more comfortable analyzing literature and talking about politics than chatting with people my own age. I find the topics most difficult to talk about to be emotions, regional food, curse words and slang, and a few aspects of daily life. These, unfortunately, are the things you need to be able to talk about when you conduct your life in Spanish and when you have friends you talk to in Spanish.

I have been struggling this year with my Spanish anyway, because I no longer study it formally and am in charge of improving my Spanish instead of letting it decay. When I first started thinking about what I could do to improve, I was stumped. I've never really been in charge of teaching myself a language before, and I'm excited about it, but it's hard.

I figure the best way to improve is to target the weak skills and force myself to work on them. I've already identified things I don't feel as comfortable talking about. I've also decided that I really want to work on expanding my vocabulary and I want to review advanced grammar. I have already started expanding my vocabulary, but I still haven't figured out the best way to review grammar without burning out.

Another important step I have taken is integrating Spanish into my everyday life. That means using it every day. I have been gathering more and more music in Spanish and I listen to it while I do other things, so at some level my brain is thinking about Spanish. I also have befriended a Spanish person, who I talk to pretty much exclusively in Spanish unless we're with people who don't speak Spanish. Unfortunately, he's going back to Spain and I'm going to need to find more Spanish friends.

I have also considered a language exchange through italki, but I prefer having someone who is more of a friend that I can just hang out with and text, because it's natural and fun rather than being a structured learning activity.

According to this quiz, I am at C2 level already, and maybe I am (I highly doubt it), but this is not really about whether I pass a test. The real goal is to improve my Spanish until I am satisfied. I know I will never be done learning Spanish, but I want to be able to work, socialize, write, read, and live in Spanish. Preparing for this test and using these definitions is just an easy way to make this goal more defined and achievable.