CEFR A1–C2 · Brazilian Portuguese
Free Brazilian Portuguese level test
Ten minutes, no sign-up: find your CEFR level in Brazilian Portuguese, how many words you know, and real books to start reading at your level.
About 10 minutes · no sign-up · free
How the test works
The test has three parts and takes about ten minutes. It's a placement test rather than a proficiency exam: what it tells you is where to start reading, which is the thing that moves you towards fluency.
- 1
Words, about two minutes
You'll see 53 words one at a time and say whether you know each one. About a quarter of them are made up: they look Portuguese but aren't words. Saying you know one of those lowers your estimate, because it shows how much guessing is in your other answers. Honest answers give the best result.
- 2
Reading, about five minutes
Five short passages from real Brazilian texts, our own graded stories and stories by Lima Barreto, each with one or two questions about what it means. The test starts at A2 and adapts as you go: get a passage right and the next one is harder, miss one and the next is easier.
- 3
Grammar in context, about two minutes
Eight sentences with a gap, in the Portuguese Brazilians actually use: a gente vai, tô, ir with an infinitive for the future, the past tenses, and the subjunctive after quando and se.
Speaking and writing aren't tested: an online test can't score them reliably, and a number that looked precise would be worse than none.
No accents on your keyboard? You won't need them for the test, but the Portuguese keyboard types them anywhere.
Sample questions
Two questions like the ones in the test, with the answers explained. Neither is asked in the test itself.
Reading · A2
A padaria da esquina abre às seis da manhã. O seu Antônio chega às cinco para fazer o pão. Quando os primeiros clientes entram, o pão francês ainda está quente. Às sete já tem fila na porta, e às nove quase não sobra nada.Why is there a queue at seven?
- The bakery opens at seven
- People want the fresh bread before it runs out(the answer)
- Seu Antônio arrives late
- The bread is cheaper in the morning
The passage never says why there is a queue, but it says the bread is still warm when the first customers arrive and that by nine almost nothing is left. People come early for fresh bread before it runs out. Reading questions ask what a passage means, not which words it uses.
Grammar in context · B1
Ontem a gente _____ um filme muito bom.
- via
- viu(the answer)
- vê
- veja
One finished event yesterday takes the preterite, and a gente takes the ele/ela form: a gente viu. Via would describe something that used to happen, or was going on when something else happened.
What each level means in Brazilian Portuguese
The six CEFR levels are the scale schools, universities and employers in Europe and much of the world use. Here is what each looks like in Brazilian Portuguese, with something from our shelf you could read at that level.
A1 · Beginner
You understand everyday expressions and very simple sentences: introducing yourself, asking where something is, ordering at a café. You can read a short message or a sign, and texts about familiar things with help on most words.
Vocabulary: fewer than about 1,500 words.
A2 · Elementary
You read short, simple texts on everyday subjects, like a message from a friend or a story told in order, and handle routine conversations about family, work, shopping and where you live. You can talk about the past in simple terms.
Vocabulary: about 1,500 to 3,000 words.
B1 · Intermediate
You follow the main points of clear texts on familiar subjects and can read a story written for learners with only some help. You cope with most situations while travelling in Brazil, tell a story, and give reasons and opinions briefly.
Vocabulary: about 3,000 to 5,000 words.
B2 · Upper intermediate
You read articles and contemporary fiction and follow the argument, and you talk with Brazilians fluently enough that neither side has to strain. Unfamiliar words still turn up on most pages, but they no longer stop you.
Vocabulary: about 5,000 to 8,000 words. On our shelf: "Barca" (Artur de Azevedo, B2).
C1 · Advanced
You read long, demanding texts, including literature written a century ago, and catch what is implied: irony, tone, what a writer leaves unsaid. You use the language flexibly at work and in study.
Vocabulary: about 8,000 to 12,000 words. On our shelf: A 'Réclame' (Artur de Azevedo, C1).
C2 · Proficient
You understand almost everything you read or hear, regional speech and old-fashioned literary prose included, and can express fine shades of meaning. What separates it from C1 is mostly range and precision.
Vocabulary: more than about 12,000 words. On our shelf: A 'Réclame' (Artur de Azevedo, C1).
Word counts are rough guides to the words you recognise when reading, not rules.
How many words do you know?
The first part of the test estimates how many Portuguese words you recognise. The words come from five groups by how common they are in Brazilian Portuguese, from the 1,000 most frequent to those ranked around 20,000, using a frequency list built from Brazilian film and television subtitles.
In each group, the share of words you know stands for the whole group: knowing six of the eight words ranked between 2,001 and 5,000 counts as about 2,250 of those 3,000 words. The share of made-up words you said you knew is taken off every group's share, because it shows how much guessing went into them.
A few thousand of the most common words make up most of what you hear and read every day, which is why a learner with 3,000 words can read a story written for B1 with only occasional help. Comfortable reading of adult fiction usually takes 8,000 or more. The test counts up to 20,000.
The most common Brazilian Portuguese words, with meanings and examples
Is this an official level? About CELPE-Bras
No. Brazil's official certificate of Portuguese as a foreign language is CELPE-Bras (Certificado de Proficiência em Língua Portuguesa para Estrangeiros). It is run by Inep with the ministries of Education and of Foreign Affairs, held twice a year in Brazil and abroad, and has a written part, with reading, listening and writing tasks, and a face-to-face oral part. It certifies four levels: Intermediário, Intermediário Superior, Avançado and Avançado Superior. Universities, professional bodies and immigration processes ask for it when you need to prove your Portuguese.
This test is a free estimate and a starting point: it tells you where to begin reading, not what a certificate would say. If you're preparing for CELPE-Bras, reading real Brazilian texts at the edge of your level is good preparation for its tasks, which are built on real texts too.
Questions
How accurate is this test?
It's an estimate. It combines three measures, vocabulary, reading and grammar, so one lucky guess doesn't decide the result, and it reports a range such as “around B1, upper end” rather than a single grade. It's good for choosing where to start reading. It isn't a substitute for an exam, and it doesn't test speaking or writing.
How long does it take?
About ten minutes: two for the words, five for the reading passages and two or three for the grammar sentences.
Is it free?
Yes. You don't need to sign up to take it or to see your result. If you like, you can have your result and a seven-day reading plan sent to you by email.
What does B1 mean?
B1 is the third of the six CEFR levels, the first of the two “independent user” levels. At B1 you understand the main points of clear texts on familiar subjects, cope with most situations while travelling, and can describe experiences and give brief reasons and opinions.
How long does it take to reach B1 or B2?
It depends on how much time you put in, how you study and which languages you already know. As a rough guide, Cambridge English estimates around 350–400 hours of guided learning to reach B1 in English and 500–600 for B2, counting from the start; Portuguese for an English speaker is similar, and speakers of Spanish or Italian usually get there faster. Reading at your level every day adds hours that classes alone can't.
Is it Brazilian or European Portuguese?
Brazilian. The texts are Brazilian, the grammar is how Brazilians use it (você and a gente, ir with an infinitive for the future, tô for estou) and the word list comes from Brazilian Portuguese. Most of the reading would be just as hard in Portugal, but some of the grammar answers would differ.
Can I take it again?
Yes, as often as you like. The words and sentences are drawn fresh each time, so a retake isn't the same test. Leave a few weeks of reading between attempts to see a real change.