At the A1 level, learners are expected to understand and use familiar everyday expressions as well as very basic phrases aimed at satisfying concrete needs. They should be able to introduce themselves and others and ask and answer questions about personal details such as where they live, people they know, and things they own. They must be able to interact in a simple way, provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is willing to help.
Students should be able to exchange information about themselves and familiar people, respond to everyday needs (e.g., shopping, interests), and create and maintain social and professional contacts (e.g., introductions, invitations, leisure activities). At this level, communication is primarily oral, mainly in face-to-face interactions, but also in situations that require the use of the telephone or mass media. Additionally, learners should understand the gist or relevant details of texts written in very simple and clear language and express themselves in writing similarly.
Students should be able to understand spoken texts—whether in formal or informal language—that are brief, simply structured, and present information clearly and logically, without flashbacks or shifts in time, and without involving many characters or events. They must understand commonly used phrases and vocabulary related to areas of personal relevance (e.g., family, shopping, work, entertainment, hobbies, etc.).
They should understand their interlocutor in face-to-face interactions and telephone conversations and grasp the general meaning and main points of a simple dialogue between native or non-native speakers using Greek on topics relevant to the learner’s experiences.
Additionally, they must grasp the main message of short spoken texts delivered at a slow but natural pace, such as simple public announcements (e.g., at transportation stations or in shops), telephone information (e.g., about time, movies, theaters, hospitals), weather reports on TV, and simple narratives or descriptions of events, people, objects, places, etc. Understanding these requires the ability to occasionally ask for repetition or rephrasing.
Learners must be able to respond linguistically to everyday transactional situations where Greek is used in a largely fixed, predictable, and repetitive manner. During these interactions, speakers create and maintain social and professional relationships. In more indirect communication scenarios, speakers should understand the gist and some details of spoken or written texts.
Students must also be familiar with relevant social conventions—both linguistic (e.g., attention-getting strategies, addressing others, taking the floor, ending a conversation, choosing levels of formality or familiarity) and non-linguistic (e.g., physical contact, handshakes, kisses, gestures). They should also have some familiarity with key aspects of modern Greek culture, especially related to daily life, living conditions, interpersonal relationships, social life, basic values, and attitudes.
Students must be able to use Greek fluently and spontaneously so that communication with native speakers takes place without strain or difficulty. They should be able to understand the main ideas of both concrete and abstract topics, including more technical topics within their field of specialization. They should be capable of expressing themselves clearly and in detail on a wide range of subjects and explaining a viewpoint on an issue, giving advantages and disadvantages of different options.
Additionally, students at this level must handle daily transactional situations with greater flexibility and readiness, even when complications arise or situations take an unexpected turn.
They must also behave appropriately in line with social conventions—linguistic and non-linguistic (e.g., polite expressions, degree of formality or familiarity, gestures, physical distance, and contact). They should be familiar with core aspects of modern Greek culture (e.g., living conditions, social life, core values), aware of cultural differences and related customs and traditions, and conscious of possible misunderstandings that may arise from these differences. Crucially, they should also understand key sociocultural differences between their own society and the mindset of native Greek speakers.
Students should have the ability to understand and use the Greek language to such a degree that they can respond linguistically in situations they are likely to encounter—whether as visitors or temporary residents in Greece, Cyprus, or Greek-speaking communities abroad, or even when meeting visitors or permanent/temporary residents who speak Greek in their own country.
These situations include not only practical everyday transactions but also personal interactions aimed at creating and maintaining social relationships, or handling matters (directly or indirectly) related to various areas of public life (e.g., business, education, social welfare, etc.).
Specifically, learners should be able to understand a wide range of spoken or written texts that are long and demanding, and recognize implicit meanings. They must be able to summarize information from different spoken or written sources, reconstruct arguments and narratives, and present them coherently. They should also be capable of expressing themselves spontaneously, without searching for expressions, and with the appropriate degree of formality or friendliness for each context.
In general, they should be able to use the language flexibly and effectively for social, academic, and professional purposes.
