B2 overview
Level B2 consists of courses B2.1, B2.2, B2.3, B2.4, lasting 30 hours each: 120 hours in total.
To complete level B2, you must pass all its constituent courses. The placement test guides entry into the appropriate course. Weekly enrolment does not in itself amount to passing a course or the entire level.
Course certificates are issued by Hablo itself. The progress tests and assessments required to obtain them are internal and created by the teaching team; they are not official DELE or SIELE certification exams.
General objectives and content for the level
General objectives:
At this level, you will be able to understand the main ideas of complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical texts within your field of specialisation. You will be able to interact with native speakers with enough fluency and spontaneity for communication to take place without effort on either side. You will also be able to produce clear, detailed texts on a variety of topics and defend a point of view on general issues, outlining the advantages and disadvantages of different options.
As a social agent, the student carries out routine everyday transactions beyond basic needs, including shopping, hospitality, public services and handling unexpected situations. They participate and interact socially in work, academic and social situations, exchanging opinions on general or personal topics with an appropriate level of fluency. They handle spoken and written texts relating to their likes and preferences, as well as specialist documents, and identify the main ideas in order to make value judgements.
As an intercultural speaker, they are aware of cultural diversity and engage with the cultures of Spanish-speaking countries to avoid prejudice, stereotypes or ethnocentric attitudes. They expand their cultural, sociocultural and linguistic knowledge to engage with new realities and strengthen their sensitivity towards the cultures of Spain and Spanish America. They explore cultural references from different periods and perspectives, put social norms and conventions into practice, and handle intercultural situations of moderate complexity, applying techniques that support their role as an intermediary.
As an autonomous learner, they identify, manage and adapt the factors that influence their learning process, recognising progress and gaps. They actively participate in selecting and planning learning and language-use tasks, as well as in group work. They select appropriate resources to consult, practise or reinforce their knowledge.
Specific objectives:
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Reading comprehension |
Listening comprehension |
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1. Read with a high degree of independence, adapting their style and using an active vocabulary, even when encountering less common idioms. 2. Scan lengthy texts quickly to locate details and understand the content of news, reports or articles on various professional topics. 3. Understand long, complex instructions, including all details, rereading the text several times if necessary. |
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Speaking |
Writing |
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Content: what will you learn?
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Functional content |
Grammar content |
Text and vocabulary content |
Cultural content |
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- Ask for and give advice. - Make formal requests or demands. - Establish facts and make value judgements. - Express hypotheses about the past. - Express possible and unlikely conditions in the present and future. - Express irregular conditions in the past. - Express feelings, likes and emotions. - Correct information. - Talk about appearances. - Evaluate information and give opinions. - Make comparisons or establish differences. - Describe through imaginary comparisons. - Define and describe. - Evaluate actions, states, objects and events. - Make judgements. - Express an imminent action. - Express an obligation. - Express an assumption. - Express the beginning and end of an action. - Express the repetition of an action. - Express the continuation of an action. - Express an action in progress. - Express an opinion and evaluate a film. - Make a quantitative evaluation. - Contrast opinions. - Express an opinion while taking into account whether the information is known or unknown to the other person. - Try to persuade someone. - Explain the reasons for something. - Acknowledge that someone is right. - Tell someone they are wrong. - Tell someone they are correct. - Identify and describe objects, places and people. - Give additional information. - Talk about something with emphasis and raise objections. - Ask whether someone knows or is familiar with something or someone. - Reported speech referring to the past. - Reproduce a conversation. - Express surprise, disbelief and indifference. - Convey and summarise information. - Give instructions for making a complaint. - Describe objects, detailing their features to distinguish them from others. - Make complaints, express indignation, politely decline a proposal and express purpose. |
- Pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo: morphology and use. - Contrast between presente and imperfecto de subjuntivo. - Pretérito pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo. - Conditional structures. - Verb agreement in the indicativo and subjuntivo. - The verb parecerse. - Degrees of comparison. - Comparative expressions. - Double participles. - The passive voice. - Ser and estar: changes in meaning. - Descriptive expressions with ser and estar. - Verbal periphrases. - Verbs of change. - Concessive subordinate clauses. - Reduplicative structures. - Adjectival relative clauses. - Relative pronouns and adverbs. - Reported speech. - Sequence of tenses. - Purpose clauses. - Converting reported speech to direct speech. |
- Health. - Health precautions for travel. - History-related vocabulary. - Formal, administrative and legal texts. - Gastronomy and the senses. - Vocabulary relating to family and personal relationships. - Vocabulary relating to carnival celebrations. - Vocabulary relating to family and personal relationships. - Vocabulary relating to the carnival celebration. - Art-related vocabulary. - Vocabulary for critical description and evaluation. - Idiomatic expressions in the plural. - Informative text. - Television-related vocabulary. - Cinema-related vocabulary. - Sports-related vocabulary. - Leisure and free time. - Vocabulary for conducting an auction. - New means of communication: forums, chat, email. - Vocabulary relating to travel, airports and luggage. |
- The healthcare system. - Modernista architecture. - History of Spain. - Exile. - Spanish gastronomy. - Stereotypes about the Spanish-speaking world. - The carnivals of Cádiz. - The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. - Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera. - Famous television personalities. - Spanish-language films. - Spanish cinema. - Spanish film director Pedro Almodóvar. - Bolivia. - Leisure for young people. - Volunteering and NGOs. - New technologies in education: the school of the future. - The debate over the terms castellano and español. - Advertisements and news. |
Course B2.1 · 30 hours
1. General objectives
1.1 As a social agent
By the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Master the morphology and use of the pretérito imperfecto and pretérito pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo.
- Construct complex conditional structures and hypotheses about unfulfilled or impossible situations in the past.
- Contrast all forms and tenses of the subjuntivo (presente, pretérito perfecto, imperfecto and pluscuamperfecto) fluently and accurately.
- Express opinions, evaluations, emotions and wishes in past or hypothetical time frames.
1.2 As an intercultural speaker
By the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Adapt sociolinguistic register to the level of formality of interactions in the Spanish-speaking world.
- Understand and apply stylistic devices and expressive nuances characteristic of educated language and argumentative discourse.
1.3 As an autonomous learner
By the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Systematise the sequence of tenses between the indicativo and subjuntivo using advanced outlines.
- Develop independence in self-correction and in fluently adding nuance to complex, hypothetical arguments.
2. Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Reading comprehension: Interpret essays, complex opinion articles, literary texts and analyses containing past hypotheses and impossible comparisons.
- Listening comprehension: Identify nuances of qualification, regret, wishes and hypotheses in academic or professional debates and formal speeches.
- Speaking: Express impossible wishes, argue hypotheses about events that did not occur and defend positions in complex scenarios.
- Spoken interaction: Debate controversial situations, negotiate past alternatives and respond spontaneously to shifts in argument.
- Writing and written interaction: Write argumentative texts and reports expressing hypotheses, past causes and evaluations with precise temporal nuances.
- Mediation: Explain hypothetical situations to others, convey abstract points of view and summarise complex arguments by combining subjuntivo tenses.
3. Content
- 3.1 Phonetics and spelling: Intonation in complex conditional and hypothetical sentences; spelling and stress in imperfecto and pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo verb forms.
- 3.2 Morphology and syntax: Review of the presente and pretérito perfecto de subjuntivo; pretérito imperfecto de subjuntivo (forms in -ra and -se, uses for wishes, negative opinions, evaluations, emotions, doubt and probability); condicional + imperfecto de subjuntivo; pretérito pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo (form and uses: causes of past feelings, rules of tense sequence, controversial hypotheses about the past); complex comparisons (como si, ni que + subjuntivo); overall contrast of the four subjuntivo forms.
- 3.3 Vocabulary and semantics: Abstract vocabulary for opinions and argumentation; expressions of regret, hypotheses and speculation; advanced argumentative connectors.
- 3.4 Pragmatics and discourse: Formulating hypothetical wishes and unfulfilled hypotheses; expressing emotions relating to the past; making unreal comparisons; adding nuance to the speaker's position through the subjuntivo.
- 3.5 Intercultural competence: Stylistic devices in argumentation in educated Spanish and social conventions of formal/informal appropriateness.
- 3.6 Strategies: Concept maps of tense sequence, simulations of hypothetical scenarios and specialist debate activities.
4. Methodology
- A communicative, pragmatic and action-oriented approach at B2 level. A combination of textual analysis of authentic samples, guided debates on impossible situations, advanced syntactic systematisation with Drive resources and interactive simulations for spoken and written argumentation.
5. Assessment
5.1 Assessment criteria
- Accuracy in using and contrasting the four subjuntivo forms according to tense agreement.
- Accuracy and fluency in forming complex conditional sentences and unreal comparisons (como si, ni que).
- Mediation skills and strength of argument in presenting hypothetical scenarios.
5.2 Procedures
- Continuous assessment based on written work (hypothetical analyses), contributions to classroom debates, regular syntax checks and assessment of the final debate or simulation.
6. Grading
- Reading comprehension: 20 %
- Listening comprehension: 20 %
- Writing and written interaction: 20 %
- Speaking and spoken interaction: 30 %
- Intercultural awareness, autonomy and attitude: 10 %
- Progression: Achieve an overall 'pass' grade after successfully completing the assessments and presentation for sublevel B2.1.
7. Materials and resources
- Printed: B2-level textbooks (Español en marcha B2, Prisma B2, Vitamina B2) and syntax exercise packs.
- Digital: Infographics contrasting subjuntivo forms, tense outlines and interactive presentations on Google Drive.
- Authentic: Opinion articles, short essays, literary excerpts and audiovisual debates on current affairs.
8. Final task
- Project / Simulation: 'Debating complex hypothetical scenarios' (A debate or practical simulation to resolve past dilemmas and situations, fluently using the full range of subjuntivo tenses and unreal-comparison connectors).
Course B2.2 · 30 hours
1. General objectives
1.1 As a social agent
By the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Master complex conditional sentences using the si-clause in its three types (real, possible and unreal) and a variety of conditional linking words.
- Apply the sequence of tenses (consecutio temporum) with complete accuracy in reported speech and complex subordinate clauses.
- Use advanced comparative structures and correctly integrate verbs with double participles (regular and irregular) according to their adjectival or verbal function.
1.2 As an intercultural speaker
By the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Confidently use formal registers and advanced politeness formulas in written and spoken language in the Spanish-speaking world.
- Understand lexical, stylistic and grammatical subtleties characteristic of educated and professional Spanish.
1.3 As an autonomous learner
By the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Organise and systematise the rules of tense sequence and conditional syntax using grammatical outlines and infographics.
- Develop independence in reviewing, correcting and refining extended discourse while maintaining syntactic cohesion and formal rigour.
2. Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Reading comprehension: Interpret regulations, legal or administrative texts, complex essays and articles dominated by conditional sentences and demanding tense agreement.
- Listening comprehension: Grasp nuances of condition, reservation and explicit or implicit comparison in formal speeches, presentations and debates.
- Speaking: Formulate real, possible and unreal hypotheses using varied linking words, structuring long stretches of discourse without losing formal agreement.
- Spoken interaction: Debate regulations, defend positions subject to specific requirements and negotiate advanced alternatives using polite registers.
- Writing and written interaction: Write formal reports, argumentative texts and complex requests using double participles and elaborate comparative structures.
- Mediation: Explain complex conditions and regulations to others and summarise structured arguments while maintaining the grammatical precision of the original.
3. Content
- 3.1 Phonetics and spelling: Intonation of the protasis and apodosis in complex conditionals; stress and spelling in verb forms requiring demanding tense agreement.
- 3.2 Morphology and syntax: Integrated review of all subjuntivo forms; conditional sentences with si (types I, II and III); alternative conditional linking words (a condición de que, con tal de que, siempre que, a no ser que, como no, en caso de que); sequence of tenses (consecutio temporum) in verbal subordination; complex comparative structures (tanto más... cuanto que, cada vez más/menos, etc.); double participles (regular and irregular forms: atendido/atento, impreso/imprimido, elegido/electo).
- 3.3 Vocabulary and semantics: Formal vocabulary for regulations, requirements and statutes; adjectives derived from double participles; connectors for qualifying arguments.
- 3.4 Pragmatics and discourse: Formulating real, possible and unreal hypotheses; establishing conditions and restrictions; structuring long discourse with correct agreement; adding nuance to comparisons and using an educated register.
- 3.5 Intercultural competence: Academic and administrative politeness formulas in the Spanish-speaking world; subtleties of educated language in formal contexts.
- 3.6 Strategies: Syntactic analysis using specialised infographics (RutaELE on Drive), systematisation of double-participle lists and formal argumentation simulations.
4. Methodology
- A communicative, pragmatic and action-oriented approach at advanced level (B2). A combination of grammatical analysis of formal texts, specialist debate activities on regulations and conditional scenarios, academic/formal writing workshops and visual Drive resources.
5. Assessment
5.1 Assessment criteria
- Syntactic accuracy and variety in using conditional linking words and forming complex hypotheses.
- Rigour in applying tense agreement in medium-length and long spoken and written discourse.
- Accuracy in using advanced comparatives and selecting double participles according to grammatical function.
5.2 Procedures
- Continuous assessment through writing tasks (EE in session 7 and formal writing) and speaking tasks (EO in session 7 and classroom debates), regular checks on tense agreement and assessment of the final task.
6. Grading
- Reading comprehension: 20 %
- Listening comprehension: 20 %
- Writing and written interaction: 20 %
- Speaking and spoken interaction: 30 %
- Intercultural awareness, autonomy and attitude: 10 %
- Progression: Achieve an overall 'pass' grade after successfully completing the assessments and presentation for sublevel B2.2.
7. Materials and resources
- Printed: Advanced textbooks (Español en marcha B2, Prisma B2, Vitamina B2) and supporting syntax worksheets.
- Digital: RutaELE infographics on Google Drive covering conditional linking words, consecutio temporum outlines and double-participle lists.
- Authentic: Laws, regulations, formal agreements, opinion articles and popular science or academic texts.
8. Final task
- Project / Writing: 'Debating and drafting complex regulations' (Participation in a formal debate or preparation of an academic proposal/composition based on conditional argumentation, setting requirements and comparing complex socioeconomic or institutional scenarios).
Course B2.3 · 30 hours
1. General objectives
1.1 As a social agent
By the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Master periphrastic passive and se-passive constructions to depersonalise discourse in formal and journalistic contexts.
- Use a wide variety of modal periphrases (obligation, probability, possibility) and aspectual periphrases (phase and progression of an action) accurately.
- Use complex concessive clauses with varied linking words (a pesar de que, pese a que, si bien, aun cuando, por más/mucho/muy que...) in the indicativo and subjuntivo.
- Consolidate the use of non-defining relative clauses and their contrast with defining clauses to add details or informative asides.
1.2 As an intercultural speaker
By the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Understand and apply the sociolinguistic appropriateness required in formal written, administrative and journalistic communication in the Spanish-speaking world.
- Identify and appreciate argumentative nuances, objections and concessive turns in cultural and public-opinion debates.
1.3 As an autonomous learner
By the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Systematise the meaning of concessive linking words and the range of periphrases using summary outlines and explanatory tables.
- Develop independence in writing rigorous journalistic or argumentative texts, correcting cohesion and syntactic structure.
2. Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Reading comprehension: Interpret news, features, advanced opinion articles and formal reports with extensive use of passives, concessive structures and complex relative clauses.
- Listening comprehension: Identify objections, nuances of obligation/probability and depersonalised information in news broadcasts, presentations and debates.
- Speaking: Present reasoned objections, qualify attitudes towards ongoing actions and present formal topics using depersonalised discourse.
- Spoken interaction: Debate matters of public opinion, concede opposing points of view using concessive linking words and defend positions in a round-table discussion.
- Writing and written interaction: Write well-structured opinion articles, chronicles, press releases and reports with se-passives and explanatory asides.
- Mediation: Explain formal texts or depersonalised news reports to others and summarise complex arguments, conveying the speaker's objections and nuances.
3. Content
- 3.1 Phonetics and spelling: Intonation of explanatory asides in relative clauses; pauses and intonation contours in intensifying concessive structures (por más que...).
- 3.2 Morphology and syntax: The passive voice (ser + participio) and se-passive (se + verbo); modal periphrases (deber + infinitivo, deber de + infinitivo, tener que, haber de, poder); aspectual periphrases of phase and progression; concessive clauses (aunque, a pesar de que, pese a que, si bien, aun cuando, por más / mucho / muy + que + indicativo/subjuntivo); non-defining relative clauses (use of commas, pronouns el que, el cual, cuyo).
- 3.3 Vocabulary and semantics: Vocabulary from journalism, politics, society and opinion; connectors for objections and argumentative qualification.
- 3.4 Pragmatics and discourse: Depersonalising discourse and focusing attention on the process; expressing the speaker's attitude and the state of an action; expressing opposition, objections and concessions of difficulty in argumentation.
- 3.5 Intercultural competence: Conventions of journalistic and institutional language in the Spanish-speaking world; politeness through argumentative concession.
- 3.6 Strategies: Analysis of the written press, syntactic maps of concessive connectors, journalistic debate activities and integration of passive-construction outlines.
4. Methodology
- A communicative, pragmatic and action-oriented approach at advanced B2 level. Use of authentic journalistic and informative texts, structured debates on current affairs, formal article-writing workshops and digital summary resources.
5. Assessment
5.1 Assessment criteria
- Appropriate and varied use of the passive and se-passive in formal informative contexts.
- Accuracy in mood selection (indicativo/subjuntivo) with complex concessive connectors.
- Fluent integration of modal/aspectual periphrases and non-defining relative clauses in written and spoken production.
5.2 Procedures
- Continuous assessment based on written work (articles and reports), spoken contributions (session 7 and concession debates), syntax checks and assessment of the final task.
6. Grading
- Reading comprehension: 20 %
- Listening comprehension: 20 %
- Writing and written interaction: 20 %
- Speaking and spoken interaction: 30 %
- Intercultural awareness, autonomy and attitude: 10 %
- Progression: Achieve an overall 'pass' grade after successfully completing sublevel B2.3.
7. Materials and resources
- Printed: B2-level textbooks (Español en marcha B2, Prisma B2, Vitamina B2) and opinion-article packs.
- Digital: Periphrasis outlines, tables of concessive linking words and passive-construction infographics on Google Drive.
- Authentic: Digital press, editorials, news bulletins and television or radio debates from the Spanish-speaking world.
8. Final task
- Project / Writing: 'Opinion article and journalistic debate' (Writing a press article or participating in a formal debate on a controversial topic, applying advanced concessive structures, passive constructions and modal periphrases to articulate a well-founded critical position).
Course B2.4 · 30 hours
1. General objectives
1.1 As a social agent
By the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Master the prepositions required by Spanish verbs (acordarse de, pensar en, insistir en, aspirar a, etc.) and use them accurately in written or spoken interaction.
- Use and consolidate advanced verbs of change and their combination with verbal periphrases to express nuances of physical, psychological or social transformation.
- Transform speeches, statements and conversations from direct to reported speech with complete temporal and pragmatic accuracy.
- Systematically integrate and consolidate all verb tenses and complex structures at B2 level.
- Successfully complete the internal skills progress tests created by the school (reading comprehension, listening comprehension, written and oral expression) for level B2.
1.2 As an intercultural speaker
By the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Adapt sociolinguistic register when reporting information, quotations or statements by others in formal and informal settings in the Spanish-speaking world.
- Understand and apply social conventions of interaction and formality characteristic of educated language when relaying interviews, articles or news.
1.3 As an autonomous learner
By the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Systematise the rules for converting to reported speech and verb-preposition tables using summary outlines.
- Independently assess and correct their written and spoken work through practical training with B2-level sample examinations.
2. Learning outcomes
By the end of the course, the student will be able to:
- Reading comprehension: Interpret features, interviews, complex opinion articles and reports with prepositional structures and elaborate reported speech.
- Listening comprehension: Identify statements, nuances of change, reported discourse and formal contributions in audio recordings, lectures and news broadcasts.
- Speaking: Report statements by others, present personal or collective developments and changes, and consolidate overall command of the verbal system in extended presentations.
- Spoken interaction: Relay messages between speakers, discuss interviews or news and perform confidently in simulations of formal oral tests.
- Writing and written interaction: Write interviews in reported speech, summary reports and complex argumentative compositions, respecting the grammar of verb complementation.
- Mediation: Convey information, statements and interviews from others, precisely adapting verb tenses to reported speech, and summarise other speakers' content and arguments.
3. Content
- 3.1 Phonetics and spelling: Intonation when relaying informative quotations; stress and spelling when changing pronouns and adverbs in reported speech.
- 3.2 Morphology and syntax: Prepositions required by verbs (verbs with prepositions); advanced verbs of change (volverse, hacerse, llegar a ser, convertirse en, quedarse, transmutar); contrast and consolidation of verbal periphrases and verbs of change; integrated review of the verbal system (indicativo and subjuntivo); direct and reported speech (changes in verb tenses, pronouns, demonstratives and time/place markers).
- 3.3 Vocabulary and semantics: Reporting verbs (afirmar, sostener, desmentir, señalar, reclamar); vocabulary of transformation and institutional or journalistic relationships.
- 3.4 Pragmatics and discourse: Reporting others' speeches and conversations; expressing actions and opinions with correct verb-preposition combinations; consolidating syntactic and temporal precision in complex discourse.
- 3.5 Intercultural competence: Sociolinguistic appropriateness when quoting others and politeness conventions when relaying discourse in the Spanish-speaking world.
- 3.6 Strategies: Conversion tables for reported speech, verb agreement outlines, mock examinations (CL, CA, EE, EO) and guided self-assessment activities.
4. Methodology
- A communicative, pragmatic and action-oriented approach at B2 level. A combination of discourse-transformation workshops, analysis of authentic journalistic interviews, intensive preparation with official certification test samples and group activities involving spoken and written mediation.
5. Assessment
5.1 Assessment criteria
- Rigour in the use of verb-preposition combinations and precision in transformations into reported speech.
- Fluency, coherence and lexical-syntactic appropriateness in the integrated command of B2 verb tenses.
- Achievement and performance demonstrated in the formal skills tests corresponding to the sublevel.
5.2 Procedures
- Summative and continuous assessment through:
- READING (CL) and LISTENING (CA) test in session 17.
- WRITING and written interaction (EE) test in session 18.
- SPEAKING and spoken interaction (EO) test in sessions 19 and 20.
6. Grading
- Reading comprehension: 20 %
- Listening comprehension: 20 %
- Writing and written interaction: 20 %
- Speaking and spoken interaction: 30 %
- Intercultural awareness, autonomy and attitude: 10 %
- Progression: An overall result of 'pass' is awarded after successfully completing the internal progress tests created by the school and consolidating level B2 in its entirety.
7. Materials and resources
- Printed: Advanced textbooks (Español en marcha B2, Prisma B2, Vitamina B2) and B2 accreditation sample examinations.
- Digital: Verb-preposition outlines, correlation tables for reported speech and Drive materials.
- Authentic: Press interviews, speeches, institutional statements and current news.
8. Final task
- Project / Tests: Complete the internal level B2 progress tests (CL, CA, EE, EO) created by the school, and present or defend a simulated interview/report based on conveying complex information and opinions from others through fluent use of reported speech and the level's advanced structures.