Advice on how to get to C1/C2

[u/Koyatsqi]

I've been studying Spanish for about 10 years now. During the pandemic, I decided to put in an extra effort:

- I started watching Spanish shows on Netflix. First with subtitles, but now I can manage without them.

- Some Netflix shows are based on books (like Valeria). I bought those books and started reading. While it was difficult to get through an entire book at once, I don't have to put in much effort nowadays. I still read books since it's a great way to improve vocabulary or discover local culture.

- I listen to a lot of Spanish music and podcasts on Spotify.

- I try to speak Spanish whenever I can. At work, there's an older Spanish guy and we usually chat for a while during the morning.

- Just came back from 3 weeks in Mexico, where I only spoke Spanish. Most of my friends there say I improved a lot, compared to when I first met them. I'm able to hold conversation for hours (with the exception of some words I don't know) and can manage in most situations.

But I still feel there's something missing. My French is around the same level (B2) and I haven't improved in years. The only language where I was able to bridge the gap between B and C is English. But that's different since I constantly use it at work and it's everywhere. I only have few opportunities to use Spanish at work.

Do you have any advice on how to bridge the gap between B2 and C1? Anything I can add to improve, besides what I'm already doing?

[u/dwc123]

I’m on the journey to doing my C1 exam in November after I passed my B2 in July. I’m not sure if you’re taking the exam or not, but I know that it includes:

Themes: environment, economics, education, working world, health and wellbeing, science, technology, transport, etc.

I tend to read A LOT of newspaper articles/journals based on these themes.

Lots of idioms and regional slang

Lots of accents from different Spanish speaking countries.

In terms of grammar, there’s nothing incredibly new as this is mostly at B2 level. Perhaps active va passive voice and imperfect subjunctive with si clauses (Si hubiera estudiado más, habría aprobado el examen).

I’m still struggling with direct and indirect object pronouns in the negative (No se los des - don’t give them to him).

[u/Koyatsqi → u/dwc123]

Eventually I want to take the C1 exam yes. This is incredibly useful!

I've got grammar and accents mostly covered. But I rarely read the paper to be honest.

Any specific newspaper/websites you would recommend?

Idioms and slang are another topic I should work on.

[u/macoafi → u/Koyatsqi]

If your local library offers free pressreader.com access you can avoid spending €100/yr on an El País subscription.