CEFR A2 · Everyday · You get through the day in English

A2 English level — what it actually means

A2 is the everyday band. At A2 you get through a day in English: you can order food, ask for directions, describe your family and your job, and handle a short exchange in a shop or at a counter. Sentences are still simple and mostly present tense, and you run out of words when the topic moves off familiar ground. You are at A2 if you can be understood in routine situations but cannot yet explain WHY you think something.

At A2 you can

Order, ask, explain and describe familiar things — shopping, travel, your work, your family.

What is actually blocking you at A2

The one thing between A2 and the next band, named rather than hinted at.

The blocker at A2 is the past. Most learners can describe today and stall on yesterday, because the past simple needs a second verb form for every verb and there is no shortcut. Add the past simple, "there is / there are", and the prepositions of time.

Grammar at A2

These are the 54 structures CoCap files at A2. Not a syllabus somebody guessed — the same one the app teaches from.

Phrases to own at A2

Fixed shapes written for A2, most useful first. These are what you can start saying today.

That makes sense
That makes sense.
यह बात समझ आती है।
It looks like {CLAUSE}
It looks like it will rain.
ऐसा लगता है कि ___।
Could you tell me {CLAUSE}?
Could you tell me where the office is?
क्या आप मुझे बता सकते हैं कि ___?
How about {-ING}?
How about meeting at six?
___ करने के बारे में क्या ख़याल है?
I'd like to {VERB}
I'd like to apply for this position.
मैं ___ करना चाहूँगा/चाहूँगी।
I'm going to {VERB}
I'm going to apply for that course next month.
मैं ___ करने वाला/वाली हूँ।
I didn't quite catch that
Sorry, I didn't quite catch that.
मैं ठीक से सुन नहीं पाया/पाई।
Shall I {VERB}?
Shall I call you later?
क्या मैं ___ कर दूँ?
Do you want me to {VERB}?
Do you want me to wait?
क्या आप चाहते हैं कि मैं ___ करूँ?
Would you like me to {VERB}?
Would you like me to check it again?
क्या आप चाहेंगे कि मैं ___ करूँ?
That was my mistake
That was my mistake.
वह मेरी ग़लती थी।
I really appreciate {NOUN}
I really appreciate your help.
मैं ___ की सच में क़द्र करता/करती हूँ।

Questions about A2

What does A2 English mean?: A2 is the everyday band. At A2 you get through a day in English: you can order food, ask for directions, describe your family and your job, and handle a short exchange in a shop or at a counter. Sentences are still simple and mostly present tense, and you run out of words when the topic moves off familiar ground. You are at A2 if you can be understood in routine situations but cannot yet explain WHY you think something.
What can you do at A2?: Order, ask, explain and describe familiar things — shopping, travel, your work, your family.
What is stopping most learners at A2?: The blocker at A2 is the past. Most learners can describe today and stall on yesterday, because the past simple needs a second verb form for every verb and there is no shortcut. Add the past simple, "there is / there are", and the prepositions of time.
How do you go from A2 to B1?: The blocker at A2 is the past. Most learners can describe today and stall on yesterday, because the past simple needs a second verb form for every verb and there is no shortcut. Add the past simple, "there is / there are", and the prepositions of time. The practical route is to work through the 54 grammar structures at A2 until they are automatic under time pressure, then start producing the B1 ones out loud. Reading them is not enough — the gap between A2 and B1 is a production gap, not a knowledge gap.

Where A2 sits

The band before and the band after.

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Reading it is not the same as saying it.

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