What level am I?

We teach courses at beginner, intermediate, and advanced levels, based on the ACTFL (American Council for Teaching of Foreign Languages) scale. The levels are further divided into three sub-levels: low, mid, and high. We determine your level through a short structured interview. However, you can get an approximate idea through the following descriptions.

 Beginner

An absolute beginner cannot communicate at all. If you are beginner mid or high level, you can communicate minimally on everyday topics, but cannot yet ask and answer all basic questions.

It takes about 3-4 weeks of intensive study to move from absolute beginner to intermediate level.

 Intermediate

Intermediate Low: Can speak on familiar topics, ask and answer simple questions, initiate and respond to simple statements, and carry on face-to-face discussions.

Intermediate Mid: Can participate in simple conversations about personal history, leisure time activities, and practical  topics.

Intermediate High: Can get the gist of conversations on familiar topics, though find it hard to tune in on long conversations or in unfamiliar situations. Speak mostly in short, discrete sentences or strings of sentences, but show occasional bursts of spontaneity. Can handle some advanced functions, but still speak with many errors.

 Advanced

You can narrate, describe, compare, explain, discuss, and handle some formal situations. Speak in paragraphs.

It takes several months of intensive study, or several years of consciously learning Tetun while living in Timor, to reach advanced level.