CEFR A1 · Starter · First words, first courage

A1 English level — what it actually means

A1 is the beginner band. At A1 you can say who you are, where you are from and what you do, in short sentences, and you understand somebody who speaks slowly and helps you. You are at A1 if you can introduce yourself and ask a simple question, but a normal-speed conversation goes past you. Almost everybody who "learned English in school but cannot speak it" is above A1 in reading and at A1 in speaking — the two do not have to match.

At A1 you can

Introduce yourself and handle simple, everyday exchanges — slowly, with help.

What is actually blocking you at A1

The one thing between A1 and the next band, named rather than hinted at.

The blocker at A1 is word order, not vocabulary. English fixes the subject before the verb and Hindi does not, so the sentence has to be rebuilt rather than translated. Start with the present simple, the verb "be", and yes/no questions.

Grammar at A1

These are the 32 structures CoCap files at A1. Not a syllabus somebody guessed — the same one the app teaches from.

Phrases to own at A1

Fixed shapes written for A1, most useful first. These are what you can start saying today.

My name is {NAME}
My name is Priya.
मेरा नाम ___ है।
I am from {PLACE}
I am from Indore.
मैं ___ से हूँ।
Nice to meet you
Nice to meet you.
आपसे मिलकर अच्छा लगा।
I want to {VERB}
I want to learn English properly this year.
मैं ___ करना चाहता/चाहती हूँ।
I need to {VERB}
I need to finish this before six.
मुझे ___ करना ज़रूरी है।
I have to {VERB}
I have to leave by six.
मुझे ___ करना पड़ेगा।
I like {-ING}
I like reading in the morning.
मुझे ___ करना पसंद है।
Can I {VERB}?
Can I ask you something?
क्या मैं ___ कर सकता/सकती हूँ?
Can you {VERB}?
Can you send me the file?
क्या आप ___ कर सकते हैं?
Could you please {VERB}?
Could you please repeat that?
क्या आप कृपया ___ करेंगे?
Where is {NOUN}?
Where is the station?
___ कहाँ है?
I don't know
I don't know.
मुझे नहीं पता।

Questions about A1

What does A1 English mean?: A1 is the beginner band. At A1 you can say who you are, where you are from and what you do, in short sentences, and you understand somebody who speaks slowly and helps you. You are at A1 if you can introduce yourself and ask a simple question, but a normal-speed conversation goes past you. Almost everybody who "learned English in school but cannot speak it" is above A1 in reading and at A1 in speaking — the two do not have to match.
What can you do at A1?: Introduce yourself and handle simple, everyday exchanges — slowly, with help.
What is stopping most learners at A1?: The blocker at A1 is word order, not vocabulary. English fixes the subject before the verb and Hindi does not, so the sentence has to be rebuilt rather than translated. Start with the present simple, the verb "be", and yes/no questions.
How do you go from A1 to A2?: The blocker at A1 is word order, not vocabulary. English fixes the subject before the verb and Hindi does not, so the sentence has to be rebuilt rather than translated. Start with the present simple, the verb "be", and yes/no questions. The practical route is to work through the 32 grammar structures at A1 until they are automatic under time pressure, then start producing the A2 ones out loud. Reading them is not enough — the gap between A1 and A2 is a production gap, not a knowledge gap.

Where A1 sits

The band before and the band after.

NextA2 English level

Reading it is not the same as saying it.

CoCap works your level out from how you actually speak, not from a multiple-choice quiz — and then picks what to practise next. Free.

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