Upper-intermediate French for professional and academic contexts, abstract arguments, and complex topics.
Roughly 2–3 years of study. DELF B2.
B2 French opens up the conditionnel (j'aimerais, je voudrais, ce serait), the plus-que-parfait (j'avais déjà mangé), and the subjonctif passé (bien que je sois venu). Vocabulary expands to around 4,000 words for politics, economics, environment, ethics, and abstract reasoning. You learn near-synonym distinctions: proposer vs suggérer, affirmer vs prétendre, parvenir vs réussir.
If you can follow a French-language film without subtitles, read Le Monde, and lead a meeting in French, you're around B2. Most learners reach B2 after 2–3 years. DELF B2 is the minimum for most French universities (often paired with TCF or DALF).
At B2 the differentiator is register and connectors. Spoken French uses du coup, en fait, bref, while written French uses cependant, néanmoins, par ailleurs. Read French newspapers daily. Use spaced repetition for verb-noun collocations (prendre une décision, faire face à, mettre en œuvre).