B1 — Intermediate
Esperanto B1 level: independent communication on familiar topics, reading authentic texts. ~200–400 hours.
What You Can Do at B1
At B1 you can:
- Communicate independently on a wide range of familiar topics without preparation
- Narrate events, experiences, and plans in detail across all tenses
- Read authentic Esperanto texts with occasional dictionary use
- Understand the main points of clear standard Esperanto on familiar topics
- Write clear text on topics of personal interest
- Describe experiences and explain opinions and plans
- Handle most situations while traveling in Esperanto-speaking communities
- Understand Muzaiko radio and simple podcasts with effort
Core Grammar at B1
| Feature | Notes |
|---|---|
| Full participle system | -anta/-inta/-onta (active); -ata/-ita/-ota (passive) — 6 participles |
| Compound tenses | Mi estas manĝanta (I am eating), Mi estis manĝinta (I had eaten) |
| Passive voice | La libro estas legata (The book is being read) |
| Reflexive pronoun si | Li kombas sin (He combs himself) vs. Li kombas lin (him, someone else) |
| Suffix -iĝ- | become/intransitive: ruĝiĝi (to turn red), sidiĝi (to sit down) |
| Suffix -ig- | make/cause: ruĝigi (to make red/redden), sidiĝigi (to make sit) |
| Suffix -ad- | ongoing/repeated action: labori→laboradi (to keep working) |
| Suffix -ebl- | possible: farebla (doable), komprenebla (understandable) |
| Suffix -ind- | worth doing: vidinda (worth seeing), leginda (worth reading) |
| Suffix -em- | tendency/inclination: laborema (hardworking), dormema (sleepy) |
| Prefix ek- | beginning of action: ekkrii (to cry out), ekdormi (to fall asleep) |
| Prefix dis- | dispersion: disdoni (to distribute), disigi (to separate) |
| Prefix mis- | wrongly: miskompreni (to misunderstand), misuzi (to misuse) |
| Accusative of direction | Iri Parizon (to go to Paris — direction, not position) |
| Accusative of time | Ŝi laboris la tutan tagon. (She worked the whole day.) |
B1 Vocabulary Sample
Abstract Nouns & Concepts
| Esperanto | English |
|---|---|
| problemo | problem |
| solvo | solution |
| decido | decision |
| rezulto | result |
| kialo | reason, cause |
| celo | goal, aim |
| avantaĝo | advantage |
| malavantaĝo | disadvantage |
| situacio | situation |
| ebleco | possibility |
| neceso | necessity |
| kondiĉo | condition |
| efiko | effect |
| influo | influence |
| rilato | relationship, relation |
| sento | feeling |
| penso | thought |
| opinio | opinion |
| konvinko | conviction |
| atento | attention |
Verbs — Complex Actions
| Esperanto | English |
|---|---|
| konsideri | to consider |
| proponi | to propose |
| sugesti | to suggest |
| klarigi | to explain, clarify |
| pruvi | to prove |
| kompari | to compare |
| analizi | to analyze |
| pritrakti | to deal with, handle |
| ricevi | to receive |
| sendi | to send |
| interesiĝi | to be interested in |
| klopodi | to strive, endeavor |
| atingi | to reach, achieve |
| eviti | to avoid |
| permesi | to allow |
| malpermesi | to prohibit |
| prezenti | to present, introduce |
| reprezenti | to represent |
| entrepreni | to undertake |
| plani | to plan |
Society & Daily Life
| Esperanto | English |
|---|---|
| registaro | government |
| leĝo | law |
| politiko | politics |
| ekonomio | economy |
| societo | society |
| kulturo | culture |
| tradicio | tradition |
| historio | history |
| edukado | education |
| sano | health |
| malsano | illness |
| mediko | doctor |
| hospitalo | hospital |
| medio | environment |
| klimato | climate |
| naturo | nature |
| arto | art |
| scienco | science |
| teknologio | technology |
| komunikado | communication |
Example Sentences at B1
- Laŭ mia opinio, la problemo estas pli komplika ol ŝajnas. — In my opinion, the problem is more complicated than it seems.
- La libro, kiun mi legis, estis verkita de fama Esperanta aŭtoro. — The book I read was written by a famous Esperanto author.
- Se mi havus pli da tempo, mi lernus pli da lingvoj. — If I had more time, I would learn more languages.
- Li ekdormis dum la prelego, kio estis iom embarasa. — He fell asleep during the lecture, which was a bit embarrassing.
- La kongreso okazos en Bjalistoko la venan someron. — The congress will take place in Białystok next summer.
- Mi ne scias ĉu ŝi estas ferianta aŭ laboranta hodiaŭ. — I don't know whether she is on holiday or working today.
- La situacio pliboniĝis konsiderinde de la lasta renkontiĝo. — The situation has improved considerably since the last meeting.
Reading Milestones at B1
- Gerda Malaperis! — complete all chapters (free at lernu.net)
- Simple Vikipedio articles on topics you know well
- Kontakto magazine (TEJO journal) — contemporary articles
- La Gazeto — culture and literature magazine
- Baza Radioleksikono — basic radio vocabulary guide
Listening Milestones at B1
- Muzaiko — continuous Esperanto radio (music + short segments)
- Kern.punkto — podcast on Esperanto language and community topics
- Evildea's YouTube channel — Australian vlogger, natural speech
- Simple news items on Radio Verda
Best Resources for B1
| Resource | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Complete Esperanto Units 11–20 | Textbook | Grammar consolidation |
| Lernu.net — La Teorio Nakamura | Story course | Upper beginner/lower intermediate |
| Anki — top 2000 roots | SRS | Daily 20–30 new cards |
| Kern.punkto podcast | Podcast | Accessible intermediate listening |
| Vikipedio | Reading | Read articles on familiar topics |
| Gerda Malaperis! audio version | Listening | Full story with audio |
| italki tutors | Speaking | Weekly sessions |
| PMEG | Grammar reference | Consult for grammar questions |
Next Steps → B2
- Expand vocabulary to 2,000+ roots — prioritize the PMEG word frequency list
- Read La Ondo de Esperanto or Monato magazine regularly
- Watch Esperanto YouTube content (Evildea, Easy Esperanto) without subtitles
- Write longer texts: summaries, opinion pieces, journal entries
- Attend an Esperanto event (local club, regional congress, or online event)
- Read the B2 guide for your next targets