Ukrainian Language Level Description
Ukrainian as a Foreign Language and Heritage Language.
By Christina Pikhmanets
Українська Початковий Базовий Рубіжний Високий Вільне
Нульовий Середній В2
мова А1 А2 В1 С1 володіння С2
Ukrainian Pre- Upper-
Starter Beginner Intermediate Advanced Proficiency
Language Intermediate Intermediate
Starter is a level for complete beginners of the Ukrainian language. No knowledge of
the Ukrainian Cyrillic or basic vocabulary used in spoken or written language.
(A1) Beginner is considered a learner who is familiar with the Ukrainian Cyrillic,
possesses minimal vocabulary and/or understands some basic conversations from
family and everyday life.
At A1 level, Ukrainian learners can:
• Introduce themselves in simple words and phrases (How are you? Nice to meet
you.)
• Talk about their family (their names, age and occupation)
• Understand very basic directions
• Read Cyrillic
• Talk and write about hobbies and interests in simple sentences.
Our Beginner level can be divided into several sublevels (B1, B2, …)
depending on the progress and comfort of a group.
А1 – ПОЧАТКОВИЙ рівень. Засвідчує часткове ознайомлення зі структурою і
системою української мови та можливість простого, короткого і тематично
обмеженого спілкування в прогнозованих повсякденних ситуаціях.
(A2) Pre-Intermediate. A learner at this level is quite comfortable reading Cyrillic.
Can understand simple, everyday conversations in the store, restaurant/cafes, ask for
directions, read short/adapted texts, speak about their everyday routine, work, hobby,
likes/dislikes, family. At the end of this level the learner expands his/her vocabulary
and the ability to use it in more situations. The learner starts talking about past events
and is quite confident in understanding what is being said.
Our Pre-Intermediate level can be divided into several sublevels (P1, P2, …)
depending on the progress and comfort of a group.
At A2 level, Ukrainian learners can:
• Talk with Ukrainian speakers on familiar topics and matters of immediate need
in simple terms
• Understand general, frequently used expressions in areas such as shopping,
family, and city life
• Read short, simple texts containing high frequency vocabulary and
expressions
• Can sing Ukrainian songs
А2 – БАЗОВИЙ рівень. Визначає основні опорні риси володіння українською
мовою як іноземною і засвідчує можливість вибіркового спілкування в
прогнозованих повсякденних ситуаціях.
(B1) At the Intermediate level a learner is almost comfortable in Ukrainian. Feells at
ease when shopping or ordering food in a restaurant. However, a learner might
experience some discomfort discussing professionally oriented topics that require
special terminology and phrases. This is the level when a learner most likely
experiences the plateau effect (a feeling of having no progress with learning). You will
become even more frustrated with conjugations, change of consonants and pronouns,
which means your knowledge is expanding and you are making progress with
language learning.
At B1 level, Ukrainian learners can:
• Talk about experience, preferences and wishes.
• Listen to and understand shows, movies, podcasts in Ukrainian but with the
Ukrainian subtitles on.
• Follow the plot in Ukrainian simple stories (newspapers, magazines, blogs) and
understand what’s going on in the news.
• Write simple texts on topics that are familiar or of personal interest.
*B1 is a starting level required for heritage language learners.
В1 – РУБІЖНИЙ рівень. Визначає необхідний рівень володіння українською
мовою як іноземною та засвідчує можливість розгорнутого спілкування у
повсякденних ситуаціях та в умовах комунікації з елементами
непередбачуваності
(B2) Upper-Intermediate level means that a learner is fluent in Ukrainian! At this
level you have built confidence and control when speaking, writing, listening and
reading in Ukrainian. You can understand your Ukrainian relatives and Ukrainian-
speaking friends or colleagues, study at a school/university or travel to Ukraine and
communicate freely. You can now produce complex sentences and sound natural in
normal conversations. Sure, your Ukrainian has its own pace or accent, and you’re
certainly not quite ready to deliver a speech on space engineering. However, other
then that, you are a confident Ukrainian language speaker.
At B2 proficiency level, Ukrainian learners can:
• Take an active part in discussions and provide relevant explanations and
arguments
• Understand standard speech spoken at a normal speed
• Understand the main ideas when reading a complex text, as well as contemporary
literary prose, articles, and reports.
• Write clear, detailed texts on subjects related to their interests or area of expertise.
В2 – СЕРЕДНІЙ рівень. Визначає достатній рівень володіння українською
мовою як іноземною, досягнення якого свідчить про можливість ефективного
спілкування в україномовному (у т.ч. професійному) середовищі з усвідомленим
використанням більшості виражальних засобів та мовленнєвих умінь (рівень
бакалавра за основним фахом (крім філологічних спеціальностей)).
C1 is an Advanced Ukrainian level. C1 users can speak Ukrainian with ease and
understand the language in all of its complexity. By this point, you a learner is able to
have longer conversations, even about unfamiliar topics. You’ll also comprehend
longer Ukrainian authentic texts. At this stage, you can use Ukrainian day-to-day for
business and academic purposes. If B2 is what many consider “fluent,” then C1 is
fluency with increased nuance and understanding. At C1, you can understand subtle
jokes in the language, and express yourself with colorful native phrases.
At C1 proficiency level, Ukrainian learners can:
• Express ideas fluently, and can make presentations in Ukrainian.
• Understand jokes and implicit meanings within a conversation.
• Understand a wide range complex texts.
• Write extensively on a diverse range of topics, and approach unfamiliar ones
with ease.
С1 – ВИСОКИЙ рівень. Визначає активне володіння українською мовою як
іноземною та можливість компетентного (у т. ч. професійному) середовищі з
осмисленим
мовленнєвих умінь та виражальних засобів професіоналізмів, найуживаніших
ідіом). Рівень магістра філології.
C2 proficiency is the highest Ukrainian level that a learner is on a similar level to a
native speaker (but not quite “native”), with full confidence and control of the
language. C2 level Ukrainian learners are comfortable writing or speaking about any
type of subject. You can also read and comprehend speech without any barrier. C2
means that you’ll find very few (if any) restrictions to conducting your daily life in
Ukrainian, and you are extremely comfortable using it in an academic or professional
setting.
At C2 proficiency level, Ukrainian learners can:
• Express themselves with spontaneity and fluency, and deal with hostile
questioning confidently.
• Write coherently and concisely, with the ability to summarise information to
construct comprehensive arguments.
• Understand everything they hear within the language with ease.
• Read complex, technical texts at speed.
С2 – ВІЛЬНЕ ВОЛОДІННЯ. Визначає вільне володіння українською мовою як
іноземною, свідчить про можливість незалежного спілкування в
україномовному (у т. ч. професійному) середовищі із невимушеним і творчим
використанням усіх мовленнєвих умінь та виражальних засобів (у т. ч. ідіом,
перифраз, метафор, символів, термінології визначеної галузі).
*Our main levels can be divided into several sublevels (B1, B2, …) depending on
the progress and comfort of a group or an individual student.
** Ukrainian as a foreign language is learnt by a person who wants to learn a
new or one more foreign language. The methodology of teaching a foreign language is
used.
Ukrainian as a heritage language is learnt by a person who has cultural and/or
family connections to the target language. The methodology of teaching Ukrainian as a
heritage language must be applied starting from Intermediate (B1) level. In lower levels
with heritage learners the methodology of teaching Ukrainian as a foreign language is
recommended.
