CEFR B2 · Avancé

B2 French - Advanced

The subjunctive, argument and register. The level that opens French universities - and, since 2026, citizenship.

Levels: 12
Grammar points: 77
Active vocabulary: ≈4,000 words
Certified by: DELF B2

Where B2 counts. The level French universities ask for - and, since 1 January 2026, the level asked for naturalisation (it used to be B1).

What you can do at B2

Understand complex text, including technical discussion in your own field.
Interact with native speakers fluently enough that neither side strains.
Argue a position, weigh options and defend a viewpoint in writing.
Handle the subjunctive, the passive and reported speech without stopping to think.

Story length

600–1000 words · 10–15 pages

Typical study time

550–650 guided hours

French you meet here

bien que · enjeu · il aurait fallu

Study-time figures are the guided-hour ranges commonly published by French language schools, counted cumulatively from zero. They describe a classroom average, not a promise.

Why B2 is the level it is

B2 is the level institutions care about. French universities accept it in place of a language test, employers treat it as working proficiency, and since 1 January 2026 it is what naturalisation requires. It is also the level where the grammar stops being about accuracy and starts being about nuance.

The subjunctive is the headline. It is not a tense but a mood, and it is triggered by the grammar around it rather than by meaning you choose: certain verbs, certain conjunctions and certain impersonal expressions demand it, and the fastest route is to learn the triggers as fixed phrases - bien que, il faut que, avant que - rather than to reason it out mid-sentence.

The quieter half of B2 is register. This is where you learn that the same idea has three settings - on va y aller, nous partirons, il conviendrait de partir - and that picking the wrong one is a more visible mistake than a wrong participle agreement. Register is essentially unteachable from rules and almost automatic from wide reading.

The B2 curriculum, unit by unit

12 levels and 77 grammar points, in the order Gallus teaches them. Each unit lists its must-know forms with a real example - the supporting points are covered inside the stories.

B2.1 Subjonctif Présent - Réguliers & Déclencheurs 7 points

Subjonctif présent - formation régulière

que je parle, que tu finisses, qu'il attende, que nous ayons, que vous soyez

Subj: ils-form stem + -e/-es/-e/-ions/-iez/-ent. Être/avoir fully irregular.

Il faut que + subjonctif

Il faut que tu viennes. Il faut qu'elle soit là. Il faut que nous partions.

Impersonal obligation triggering subjunctive

Vouloir que / Souhaiter que + subjonctif

Je veux que tu sois à l'heure. Elle souhaite qu'il parte.

Verbs of will/desire + subjunctive
B2.2 Subjonctif - Irréguliers & Nuances 6 points

Subjonctif - aller, faire, pouvoir, vouloir, savoir

que j'aille, que je fasse, que je puisse, que je veuille, que je sache

Five fully irregular subjunctive stems - must be memorised

Subjonctif - venir/tenir, prendre

que je vienne, que tu tiennes, qu'il revienne; que je prenne, qu'ils prennent

Stem-changing subjunctives for common verbs
B2.3 Conditionnel Passé & Hypothèse Passée 6 points

Conditionnel passé - formation

j'aurais parlé, tu serais venu(e), il aurait fait, elle serait partie

Cond. passé: avoir/être (cond. présent) + past participle

Si + PQP → conditionnel passé (hypothèse passée irréelle)

Si j'avais su, j'aurais agi différemment. Si elle était venue, on aurait pu parler.

Unreal past: if I had known (I would have done)

Devoir/Pouvoir au conditionnel passé

Tu aurais dû l'appeler. Elle aurait pu réussir. J'aurais voulu partir plus tôt.

Should have / could have / would have wanted to
B2.4 Futur Antérieur 6 points

Futur antérieur - formation

j'aurai fini, tu seras arrivé(e), il aura fait, elle sera partie

Future perfect: avoir/être (future) + past participle

Quand/dès que/lorsque/une fois que + futur antérieur

Quand tu auras fini, tu pourras sortir. Dès qu'elle sera arrivée, appelle-moi.

After time conjunctions: future perfect (not present) for sequenced future events
B2.5 Passé Simple - Reconnaissance 7 points

Passé simple - -er verbs + aller (reconnaissance)

il parla, elle chanta, ils allèrent - reading recognition focus

All -er verbs + aller: -a/-as/-a/-âmes/-âtes/-èrent

Passé simple - être, avoir (reconnaissance)

il fut, elle eut, ils furent, elles eurent - recognition

Être → fut/furent; Avoir → eut/eurent

Passé simple - faire, -ir, prendre, venir (reconnaissance)

il fit, elle finit, il vint, ils prirent, elles vinrent - recognition

Key irregular PS forms to recognize in literature
B2.6 Subjonctif Passé & Conjonctions Subjonctives 7 points

Subjonctif passé - formation

que j'aie parlé, que tu sois arrivé(e), qu'il ait fait, qu'elle soit partie

Subj. passé: avoir/être (subj. présent) + past participle - past events within subj. context

Pour que + subjonctif (but)

Je lui explique pour qu'il comprenne. Elle crie pour qu'on l'entende.

In order that / so that (different subjects)

Bien que / Quoique + subjonctif (concession)

Bien qu'il soit fatigué, il continue. Quoiqu'il pleuve, on sort.

Although / even though + subjunctive
B2.7 Discours Indirect au Passé (Concordance des Temps) 7 points

Présent → Imparfait (discours indirect passé)

«Je suis fatigué» → Il a dit qu'il était fatigué.

When verb of saying is past: present in direct → imperfect in indirect

Futur → Conditionnel (discours indirect passé)

«Je viendrai» → Il a dit qu'il viendrait. «Nous partirons» → Ils ont dit qu'ils partiraient.

Future in direct → conditional in indirect (past reference)

PC → Plus-que-parfait (discours indirect passé)

«J'ai fini» → Il a dit qu'il avait fini. «Elle est partie» → Il a dit qu'elle était partie.

Passé composé in direct → PQP in indirect (past reference)
B2.8 Pronoms Doubles & Relatifs Complexes 7 points

Pronoms doubles - COD + COI (3e personne)

Il le lui donne. Elle les leur explique. Je le lui ai dit.

3rd person: COD (le/la/les) BEFORE COI (lui/leur)

Pronoms doubles - 1re/2e pers. + COD

Il me le dit. Tu te le rappelles ? Elle nous les a montrés.

1st/2nd person (me/te/nous/vous) BEFORE 3rd person (le/la/les)
B2.9 L'Infinitif Avancé 6 points

Infinitif passé: après avoir/être + participe

Après avoir mangé, il est sorti. Après être arrivée, elle a appelé.

After having done (same subject): après + avoir/être + past participle

Pour + infinitif passé (cause)

Il a été condamné pour avoir menti. Elle est célèbre pour avoir découvert...

For having done: expressing reason/cause of a past result
B2.10 Relations Logiques avancées - Cause, Conséquence, But 6 points

Cause formelle: étant donné que / vu que / du fait que

Étant donné qu'il est absent, on reporte la réunion. Vu que tu insistes...

Given that / seeing that - formal cause (shared/evident reason)

Conséquence intensifiée: si bien que / tellement que / au point que

Il travaillait tellement qu'il est tombé malade. Elle criait si bien qu'on l'a entendue.

So much that / to the point that - intense consequence
B2.11 Opposition, Concession & Condition B2 6 points

Opposition formelle: en revanche / par contre / or

Il est sympathique; en revanche, il est peu fiable. Or, la situation a changé.

On the other hand / however / now (logical step) - formal connectors
B2.12 Passé Simple - Production & Registre 6 points

Passé simple - production verbes -er + aller

il parla, elle chanta, ils allèrent, nous parlâmes (production)

Writing passé simple: -er → -a/-as/-a/-âmes/-âtes/-èrent

Passé simple - être, avoir, faire (production)

il fut, elle eut, ils firent (production)

Three key irregular PS forms for written formal texts

How to actually get through B2

Learn subjunctive triggers as phrases

Store bien qu'il soit, not "bien que + subjunctive". The trigger and the mood arrive together in real speech, and separating them is what makes people freeze mid-sentence.

Read one register above your comfort

If your French comes mostly from conversation and video, add newspaper editorials and essays. B2 examiners are testing whether you can operate above everyday register, and that only comes from meeting it.

Write argument, not description

The B2 written exam asks you to take a position and defend it. Practise the shape - concede a point, then counter it - because the structure is worth as many marks as the grammar.

Attack your fossilised errors deliberately

By B2 your mistakes are habits, not gaps: gender on a specific set of nouns, one preposition you always get wrong. Generic practice will not touch them. Keep a list and check it.

B2 French - frequently asked questions

Is B2 French fluent?

By any ordinary use of the word, yes. B2 means understanding complex text including technical discussion in your own field, interacting with native speakers without strain on either side, and arguing a position in writing. It is not native-level: idiom, irony and fast group conversation between French speakers are still genuinely hard, and that is what C1 covers.

Do I need B2 for French citizenship?

Yes, since 1 January 2026. Naturalisation now requires B2 in all four skills - listening, reading, writing and speaking - where the requirement used to be B1. An additional civics exam applies as well. Complete files submitted before 31 December 2025 are assessed under the previous rules. Check the current requirement with the préfecture, since this area has changed twice in recent years.

How long does it take to go from B1 to B2?

Typically 200 to 250 additional guided hours, which is a longer stretch than any single level below it. Learners usually feel it as the slowest segment of the whole journey, because the amount of French you have to meet to gain a visible increment keeps growing.

When exactly do I use the subjunctive?

After verbs of will, emotion and doubt taking que - je veux que, j'ai peur que, je doute que; after impersonal expressions such as il faut que and il est important que; and after a fixed set of conjunctions including bien que, avant que, pour que and à condition que. Verbs of certainty take the indicative, which is why je pense que does not trigger it but je ne pense pas que does.

Is DELF B2 enough to study in France?

For most programmes, yes. A DELF B2 exempts you from the TCF or TEF in the great majority of French university applications, and it does not expire, which the TCF does. Selective programmes and anything taught in a heavily literary field may ask for C1.

Previous level

B1 - Intermediate

Next level

C1 - Proficient

The whole roadmap: 61 levels, 424 grammar points

Gallus French is still in development. Leave your e-mail and we will write once, on launch day.

Join the waitlist

See all five levels, A1 to C1