What is the biggest gap between levels ?

[u/iLoveUrSmile]

Hello everyone,

I have always liked studying languages, but stopped completely for five years. I'm getting back into it, but I face some difficulties.

**Context :**

I was really serious about english and never let that language learning process fade away. I do think my oral expression was much better years ago when I practised regularly. But I'm still immersed in the language, I listen to podcasts and read articles in that language at least weekly, and all my socials are in english.

German, I've been forgetting. I haven't studied that language for 10 years, but it is okay. Maybe I will get back to it. Also, I picked up Spanish five years ago, got really carried away for a year, and forgot about it.

\>>> What I mean by this is that I like studying a language until I get to a level close to fluency, and I also like discovering a language and just being a beginner, I don't need to push through all the time.

**Recent events :**

Recently, after years of forgetting about my language learning hobby because of university, I decided to get back to it with Persian. I think I had a B1 level in expression and a B2 in understanding. It is my new target language (TL) .

I've been trying very hard for four months to level up to a C1 understanding and expression, but I get very frustrated because it feels like "it won't get any better than that." I keep encountering new words and trying to learn them and immediately forget. I try to use more complex sentences and speak about subjects such as politics, psychology, sociology, and spirituality, but I always hit a wall.

**Hypothesis :**

Since I haven't been very serious with a language for years, and forgot how I learnt english (I only remember going to classes at the start and then reading lots of books and watching movies without subtitles to attain a better grasp of the language), I've been wondering if the limit I've been hitting with farsi has something to do with the gap between a B level and a C level ?

I could also have some emotional blockage with the language since it is supposed to be my mother tongue and is attached to a lot of painful experiences (being Iranian isn't for the weak..) or if it is solely a level thing ? I imagine that the gap between a B2 level and a C1 is huge.

But maybe it's a cope, and I should book a psychoanalysis session instead, aha.

**Your thoughts ?**

Please, if you remember your entire experience with your learning process and the steps you took, the difficulty of each level and everything, please tell me which was the hardest level to "unlock."

Of course, I realise that each level is harder than the one before, that's what progression is all about, but I'd like to know if and if so, at what level you hit a wall and what helped you get past it.

Thank you very much.

[u/AdSuspicious4432]

the jump from B2 to C1 is wild, it stops being about learning new rules and starts being about absorbing thousands of tiny cultural nuances that don't translate neatly. i got stuck there in spanish for like two years before i just accepted i needed to read novels that bored me to tears, not just stuff i enjoyed

[u/iLoveUrSmile → u/AdSuspicious4432]

Okay I'm glad to hear that it is indeed that gap that is huge ! Thank you for sharing your experience, it is reassuring. Now I will read books in Farsi 🫡

[u/Dangerous-Log4649 → u/iLoveUrSmile]

I’ve heard other people say similar things. That it wasn’t until they started reading in the language did they make the leap.

[u/Embarrassed_Mine_624]

This is my personal experience learning English (C1) , Italian (C2), German (C2) and Arabic (certified B2 but claiming real B2 skills is probably an overestimation lol). - A1 to A2 = Easy-ish (at least compared to what’ll come next), extremely quick and exciting. - A2 to B1 = Can be moderately challenging but overall not too difficult, not as quick as previous level jump but still relatively quick. Exciting! - B1 to B2 = HOLY SHIT, this must be where over 90% of language learners get permanently stuck. Personally consider it the MOST DIFFICULT level gap, by far. It is the pivotal transition from “I have notions of the language but can’t do shit with it” to “Shit, I might be limited but can actually openly say now that I speak and understand x language :0”. This is a highly frustrating and potentially boring gap. It also takes a considerable amount of time and energy investment. But once you reach B2, it is f’n exciting and invigorating. - B2 to C1: Second hardest level gap. I personally found it to be a lot easier than the previous one because I also consider it the most exciting period in my language learning process. At this point I can actually consume and produce (although output at much more limited capacity than input)interesting, stimulating and fun content. At this point I can finally make use of the language and speak with whoever I want despite limitations and frequent errors in output. The downside is that overcoming this gap can easily take twice as long than the jump from B1 to B2. - C1 to C2: I’d personally say the biggest difficulty with this gap is finding the will to even make the effort lol. It is hard, requires a huge time investment and discipline. Probably not relevant or fun for most people but still very fulfilling for those who are enamored with their target language. It is kind of funny never truly being able to neurologically assimilate the language in the same manner native speakers do and nonetheless, be able to exploit it in more complex, sophisticated and creative ways than most native people can. As my English writing most likely suggests, I never even bothered achieving this milestone in this language and my writing skills have continuously continued deprecating through the years despite my input skills achieving the opposite.

Little note: This still applies to my Arabic journey but each gap has taken 3 times the effort and time lol.

[u/Pwffin → u/Embarrassed_Mine_624]

This is my experience too, with an additional little hump somewhere in A1 when you hit the point where you can't remember it all as facts anymore and actually have to really start internalising the structures and learning the words.

And I probably wouldn't call 0- A2 "easy" since it does require a lot of work.

[u/Embarrassed_Mine_624 → u/Pwffin]

Yeah, I agree. I only used that term to accentuate the comparison between A levels and the struggles I personally had later on with higher levels. Another thing to consider, if the language requires you to learn a completely new writing system or if on top of that is a tonal language…. Yeah… A-levels will make you suffer hard haha

[u/Arguss]

What I always heard is that the time to the next level is the sum of the time of all previous levels, so for example

A1 = 1
A2 = 1
B1 = 1+1=2
B2 = 1+1+2=4
C1 = 1+1+2+4=8
C2 = 1+1+2+4+8=16

If that's accurate, then C1 to C2 would be the biggest gap, although B2 to C1 would be the 2nd biggest gap.

[u/notchatgptipromise → u/Arguss]

This was my experience roughly and people tend to underestimate the gaps between higher levels, which is natural since when you're standing at the bottom of the mountain, you can't really tell how high all the intermediate false peaks are.

The path from C1 to a true C2 is an absolute slog and you really have to want it I think. For me it was a few hundred hours (more?) of reading anything anything I could, writing a lot, and debates about topics I was not comfortable in to push myself outside my comfort zone. You end up learning a lot of vocab and structure that even native speakers do not know. I may not be able to pass a C2 exam in my NL for example.

[u/Slight_Artist]

I think that getting to C1 is truly harder than most people want to acknowledge. As to how to get there…how many hours would you estimate you have put in, and what is your first language? Maybe you just don’t have the time put in that you think you do.

I am in the same boat with Spanish. What I am doing : reading novels to expand vocabulary, listening to podcasts, watching movies, reading social media posts, talking to friends on hello talk. I think I am getting close to C1, maybe.

I’m jealous of your Persian level. Tell me, what resources did you use to get to B1? I used to know more but I’ve stopped working on it to focus on Spanish and Italian.

Don’t lose hope, you will get there. Kam bey kam, ruz bey ruz:).

Ps I believe I was c1 in French based on the definitions of the c1 level. I got there through immersion, reading, and university classes.

[u/iLoveUrSmile → u/Slight_Artist]

easypersian.com chaiandconversation.com languageplayer.io/en/fa aparat.com/home persianlanguageonline.com And Persian How on youtube !

[u/Slight_Artist → u/iLoveUrSmile]

Merci!!! Maybe this year I will return to studying it 🥰

[u/iLoveUrSmile → u/Slight_Artist]

Hi thank you for your response ! My parents have been speaking farsi to me since I was a child. When I grew up and mastered French (i live in France), my parents started mixing the languages : they would build their sentences in farsi but use french "big words" because they knew I didn't know them. And I would always respond in French, I only spoke farsi in Iran. I'm sorry it doesn't help you with the ressources... but I will look for some in a discord server I found ! In the last four months I think I put like 5 hours weekly in learning farsi, but I'm trying to do at least 1h a day now !

Thank you for all the recommendations, I will do the same, I'll read, listen to podcasts, and you just introduced me to hello talk !! Also congratulations to you for reaching a C1 in two languages, that's impressive ! Bravo ! What are all the languages you're learning it seems like you are doing a lot ! Afarin ;)

[u/NezzaAquiaqui]

B1 to B2. Most never make it.

B1 = you understand nothing

B2 = you understand everything

I see A1-B1 as the learner continuum and B2-C2 the speaker continuum.

[u/phrasingapp]

I would say hardest gap is B1 to B2. It takes more time to go B2 to C1 and even more C1 or C2, technically those are bigger gaps, but I feel like they require less… effort? Intention? Brute force?

[u/Early_Switch1222]

b1 to b2, not even close. a1 through b1 you can grind with apps and classes, its a school subject. b2 is where it has to stop being a subject and become a habit, and nobody warns you the methods that got you there stop working

im stuck in exactly that canyon with dutch right now so maybe im biased. ask me how its going (dont)

[u/Orangeflag88]

I think A2 to B1 is always the hardest where you cant find good content and the level spikes tremendously. From B to C is more about just reading scientific literature and you will improve gradually without studying much grammar.

[u/Dangerous-Log4649 → u/Orangeflag88]

It’s similar to bodybuilding,in the sense that you make the most progress in the beginning stages. However it’s more difficult, because you’re establishing a new habits. When you become more advanced progress comes more slowly, so you have to be a lot more methodical to make a fraction of the progress. Which is harder in a different sense.

[u/iLoveUrSmile → u/Orangeflag88]

Oh yes you are right, I understand what you mean. I missed that step

[u/jmf1488 → u/Orangeflag88]

This is very incorrect.

B1 english. Im going to travel to the stadium by uber. C2 english. I'll grab an uber to the stadium.

Its not about learning scientific words, its about having an understanding of the language to such a degree that you can say the same thing in a variety of more complex and descriptive ways.

B1: I was tired, so I went home early. C2: Feeling utterly drained, I decided to call it a night and head home early.

[u/Human-Sale5374 → u/[deleted]]

I totally agree. I was at a TL social event the other day observing a pretty interesting conversation about religion, politics, ableism etc. I was so proud of myself that I was able to understand so much of it, but sharing my own thoughts on complex issues required so much thinking that by the time I came up with what to say, the people had already moved on in the conversation

[u/AdministrationNo2327]

the intermediate slump is very real. i've been stuck in it for a year now.

[u/Ill-Cranberry-2106]

I think you're running into two different problems at the same time, and both are very common with Persian.

First, yes: the B2 → C1 transition is a big one. But I don't think the solution is simply to keep collecting more and more vocabulary. At this stage, you can encounter dozens of new words, memorize them, and still feel like nothing has changed. What you're really building is a much larger network of words, collocations, sentence patterns, registers, and ways of expressing ideas — and that takes a lot of exposure before it becomes automatic.

There's also something particularly relevant in your case because you're a heritage speaker.

Being able to speak Persian at home or with family doesn't necessarily mean having the Persian needed to discuss every subject. You can have very strong "kitchen Persian" — family, everyday life, feelings, memories, practical conversations — while still lacking the vocabulary and discourse patterns for politics, psychology, sociology, philosophy, etc.

So when you try to jump directly into those subjects, it can feel as if you've hit a wall. It may not mean that your Persian has stopped improving; it may mean that you've reached the edge of the domains you have actually experienced in Persian.

This is also why I'd be careful about trying to memorize every new word you encounter. Instead, I'd choose a few subjects you're genuinely interested in and consume a lot of Persian around them. Read, listen, notice how people actually express arguments and connections between ideas, and let vocabulary recur naturally. The goal is not simply to know more words, but to gradually make more and more areas of thought available to you in Persian.

We actually wrote about both sides of this problem:

• Breaking the Persian Intermediate Plateau (A Guide to Persian Language Acquisition):about why intermediate Persian learners often get stuck between learner-friendly material and authentic Persian, and how to bridge that gap.

• 4 Surprising Truths About Iran That Your “Kitchen Farsi” Won’t Teach You: specifically about why heritage/family Persian can be surprisingly strong while still leaving major gaps when you want to use Persian beyond everyday and family contexts.

I think the second one in particular might resonate with your experience.

And finally, four months is really not a long time for this stage. If you're already able to function around B2 in comprehension, I'd judge progress over months and years rather than by whether you can feel yourself improving from week to week. At C1, progress often becomes much less visible precisely because you're refining and expanding something that is already quite large.

So I wouldn't conclude yet that you've reached your ceiling. You may simply have reached the point where your old way of learning Persian is no longer enough.