How much of the local language do you actually need before you arrive?

It depends massively on the city and your field. Tech and academia run in an English bubble, but daily-life admin — registration, the doctor, your landlord — is where the local language bites. I'd get to a survival level before you go, enough not to panic at the town hall. The Daily Life section of the country guide is decent for what's realistically English-friendly vs not.

Your master's will be in English, so academically you're fine. What blindsided me was the social side — sitting through a group dinner catching every fifth word is lonely. B1 did more for my life here than any paperwork.

I arrived in Spain with zero Spanish and "picked it up," which really meant a rough first six months. If I did it again I'd land at A2. You don't need fluency — you need enough to be brave in the first week.

Great thread. One thing worth flagging: some countries tie residency or later citizenship to a language certificate at a specific level, and both the level and the accepted test vary by country and change over time. Rather than trust a number from a forum (mine included), check the Citizenship and Visa sections of your country guide — they flag when a language cert is actually part of the path.

Just to add a fun warning: I learned textbook German and then couldn't understand my Austrian neighbours. Dialects are real, but don't let that put you off — people switch to standard for you the second they see you trying.

Apps got me to "order a coffee"; actual humans got me to "have a friendship." Find a tandem partner your first week — it's the single highest-return thing I did.