General online language courses for every level from A1 to C2

A general online language course teaches you a foreign language for everyday life. You learn to introduce yourself, shop, ask for directions and talk about work and family. Lessons take place by video, on a learning platform or in an app.

The levels of these courses almost always follow the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The CEFR is a scale published by the Council of Europe with six levels, from A1 for beginners to C2 for very confident, almost effortless use of the language.

General courses come in two types with a different focus.

Three course types with a fixed goal sit apart from these two. Business courses prepare you for work, academic courses for university and test preparation courses for one specific certificate such as TOEFL or the French DELF. Without such a goal and deadline, a general course is the usual starting point, because it lays the foundations for every other course type.

The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) describes language ability in six levels. The Council of Europe published it in 2001 and extended it in 2020.

Each level is defined by can-do statements. These are sentences that say what a person can do in the language, and they apply to every language in the same way.

The hours in the table come from Cambridge English and refer to English. They count guided learning hours from the first day of class, meaning lessons and supervised practice together.

The CEFR groups the six levels into three bands. A1 and A2 describe the basic user, B1 and B2 the independent user and C1 and C2 the proficient user.

Cambridge English estimates about 200 guided learning hours to move from one level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) to the next. Guided learning hours are lessons plus supervised practice, such as homework that a teacher marks. How fast you progress therefore depends less on the provider than on how many hours you study each week.

The figures are a worked example with 45 study weeks per year and the Cambridge guide values for English. A2 and B1 are the second and third of the six CEFR levels.

The distance between two languages changes the time you need

The Foreign Service Institute (FSI), the language school of the US Department of State, sorts languages into four categories by the effort they take for native English speakers. Spanish, French and Italian take 24 to 30 weeks of full-time training with 552 to 690 class hours. Arabic, Chinese, Japanese and Korean take 88 weeks with 2,200 class hours. In each case the target is a level at which diplomats can work in the language.

1 Live group class by video

A teacher works with four to twelve learners at fixed times in a video room. The fixed rhythm helps you keep going, and the bigger the group, the less time you spend speaking yourself.

2 Private lessons with a teacher or tutor

In a one-to-one lesson you do much of the talking, and the teacher corrects you on the spot. A tutor is a teacher who works with you individually, often booked through a marketplace website. Not every tutor is a trained language teacher.

3 Self-study course on a learning platform

Videos, exercises and automatic tests take you lesson by lesson through a level. You study when you like and pay little. You hardly ever practise speaking with other people.

4 Language app

Apps rely on short daily sessions of five to 15 minutes. They work well for vocabulary and for getting started in a new language. They cover free speaking and longer texts only to a limited extent.

5 Distance course with a tutor

You work through lessons alone and send in tasks that a tutor marks and comments on. This format suits you if your calendar has no room for fixed class times.

6 AI tutor

An AI tutor is a program that practises with you in writing or by voice, points out mistakes and adjusts the difficulty. It is available around the clock, but its explanations are not always reliable.

A general online language course costs between 0 euros a month for a basic app and about 70 euros an hour for private lessons at a language school. The price depends mainly on how much of a teacher's time is spent on you alone. The ranges in the table are rough guide values for 2026 in euros. Prices vary by language, country and provider, and amounts in US dollars are of a similar order.

Public adult education centres and community colleges in many countries also run online courses. Because they receive public funding, their fees are often at the lower end of the range.

One level costs 1,700 to 7,000 euros depending on format

For the step from A2 to B1, the second to the third level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), Cambridge English estimates about 170 to 200 guided learning hours. In a live group class at 10 euros an hour, that adds up to roughly 1,700 to 2,000 euros. With private lessons at 35 euros an hour, it comes to roughly 6,000 to 7,000 euros.

Exam fees come on top. A language exam with a recognised certificate usually costs about 100 to 300 euros, depending on the exam, the level and the country.

Apps earn from subscriptions

Language apps fund themselves through subscriptions. The free version is usually limited or shows ads so that you move to the paid plan. Annual plans are cheaper per month but often renew automatically. Check the cancellation period before you pay.

Tutor marketplaces earn from commission

Websites where you book private tutors keep a share of each lesson fee. They profit most when you buy lesson packages in advance. Check whether unused lessons expire and whether you can switch tutors without losing credit.

Language schools earn from group size

A language school takes in more per lesson hour the more learners sit in a group. Small groups of four to eight people cost more and give you more speaking time. Ask about the maximum group size before you book.

A placement test measures, before the course starts, which level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) you are at. The CEFR is the European scale with six levels from A1 to C2. Reputable providers offer this test free of charge. A meaningful test includes a listening or speaking task alongside grammar questions, because many learners read better than they speak.

You can also assess yourself. The European Union's Europass offers a self-assessment grid that describes each level for listening, reading, speaking and writing in plain sentences.

Which course type fits depends on your starting point.

• You are starting from zero. A general language course gives you a framework of grammar and core vocabulary.
• You learned the language at school and have forgotten a lot. A refresher course at A2 or B1 brings back grammar and vocabulary in a targeted way.
• You understand a lot but speak haltingly. A conversation course gives you the speaking time you are missing.
• You have a goal with a deadline. A business, academic or test preparation course is built around exactly that goal.

A trial lesson shows you whether teacher, technology and pace suit you. Notice how much you speak yourself during the lesson and whether the teacher spots and explains your mistakes.

A provider that answers these eight questions openly before you pay makes its terms easy to check.

1. Does the provider state a level of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), between A1 and C2, for every course?
2. Is there a free placement test with a listening or speaking part?
3. What is the maximum number of learners in a group?
4. What training and experience do the teachers have?
5. How many lesson hours does the course include, and how many minutes is one lesson?
6. Do you get homework with corrections and regular feedback on your progress?
7. How long does the subscription or lesson package run, and do unused lessons expire?
8. Can you cancel or change groups if the level or the time slot does not fit?

A lesson lasts 45 minutes at some providers and 60 minutes at others, and a price comparison only holds if you compare the same units.

1 Booking a level that is too high

Learners who overestimate themselves understand little in class and give up sooner. A placement test before you buy prevents this.

2 Learning with an app alone

Apps train vocabulary and comprehension. Free speaking and writing whole texts need someone who answers and corrects you.

3 Studying irregularly

A two-week break costs you part of the new vocabulary, and fixed study times in your calendar prevent such gaps.

4 Putting off speaking

Confidence in speaking only comes with practice, and mistakes are part of every level.

5 Buying large packages in advance

If the teacher or format does not suit you, the money for an annual plan or a 50-lesson package is still spent.

6 Learning without a goal and a date

A goal such as level B1 by June gives you a yardstick for your progress. B1 is the third of the six levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) and stands for getting by confidently in everyday life.

At the end of a general online course you usually receive a certificate of attendance from the provider. It confirms that you attended a course at a certain level, but it does not prove a tested result. Employers, universities and immigration authorities usually ask for a certificate from a recognised exam.

Most recognised exams follow the six levels of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR), from A1 to C2.

DELF and DALF are the official French language diplomas, and DELE is the official Spanish one. Like the Goethe certificates, these diplomas have no expiry date. Universities, by contrast, usually accept IELTS and TOEFL results for two years only.

If you need a certificate, plan a few weeks of targeted preparation for the exam format.