Minimal: You can say and understand basic phrases such as “Hello,” “how are you?,” “what is your name?,” but you cannot carry on a basic conversation of any length.
Limited: You can carry on a very basic conversation about familiar topics but quickly get lost when the conversation diverges from your limited range of vocabulary.
Moderate: You can carry on basic conversation on a wide range of topics, but only if the foreign language speaker speaks clearly and is patient with your responses. You frequently need to ask the foreign language speaker to repeat themselves and you phrase your responses carefully. You can “get by” in the language.
Fully Conversant: You are generally confident speaking with people, and you can function at a normal pace of conversation without constant repeating or rephrasing. You have occasional trouble understanding or expressing certain words.
Fluent: You speak confidently with little hesitation and with few errors or misunderstandings. You understand people who speak rapidly in a range of accents. Your vocabulary includes specialized legal terms.