Coffee Break Italian

We're back with another lesson of Coffee Break Italian, and in lesson 31 we're presenting the first episode of our Italian soap opera, La Mia Estate . You'll meet three of our characters: Mia, her friend Anna, and her overprotective father Riccardo. In each of the ten episodes of La Mia Estate , you'll be hearing Italian in context and you'll be able to build your knowledge and confidence, and Fra...

This episode of Coffee Break Italian is a review episode, covering many of the topics discussed in lessons 1-29. With Francesca, Isla and Mark you'll review the pronouns ci and ne , how to form the perfect, how to choose between the perfect and imperfect, and much more. This season of Coffee Break Italian features a total of 40 episodes. If you'd like to benefit from lesson notes, bonus audio reco...

It's time to take a detailed look at a topic which, on the surface, can seem straightforward, but when you get into it in more detail it can get a bit more complicated. We're talking about adverbs: words which "describe" a verb, or which give more information as how quickly, effectively, badly etc., you're doing whatever it is you're doing! We'll look at the Italian equivalent of adding "-ly" to a...

In this episode of Coffee Break Italian we're looking at two constructions which will help you increase your range of expression easily and effectively. You'll learn to use  prima di  + infinitive and  dopo  + past infinitive with both  avere  and  essere  verbs. Once you've mastered these expressions you'll be able to talk about "before doing something" and...

We're back with the second instalment of our two-part preposition marathon. In this episode you'll learn all you need to know about the prepositions  di ,  da ,  con ,  per  and  tra/fra . Once again, there are some crucial nuances with certain prepositions which can completely change the meaning, so listen carefully in this lesson! As usual, Francesca and Mark provid...

This is the first of our two-part preposition marathon! In this episode you'll learn all you need to know about the prepositions  a ,  in  and  su . Using prepositions in Italian can be quite tricky, particularly because they don't work the same way as in English. There's also the fact that, when combined with the definite articles, the prepositions take on different forms. Thr...

In this episode you'll learn everything you need to know about asking questions in Italian. We'll cover  come, dove, quando, chi, perché, quale, quali, quanto/a/e/i  and, of course,  che, che cosa  and  cosa ! By the time you've completed this lesson you'll be able to satisfy your curiosity in Italian by asking any question. This season of Coffee Break Italian features a t...

Coffee Break Italian is the show which helps you learn Italian. Mark and Francesca are the teachers who teach Isla in Season 2. This is the episode in which we're looking at relative pronouns, and through which you'll master this new grammar point! See what we did there? All will become clear in lesson 24! This season of Coffee Break Italian features a total of 40 episodes. If you'd like to benefi...

In this lesson we're focusing on combining the Perfect and the Imperfect which together allow us to tell stories in the past. You'll consolidate what you already know about each of the tenses and you'll recognise certain words and expressions which trigger the Perfect or the Imperfect. Francesca also has some mystery Italian personalities for us to identify in the Caffè Culturale. This season of C...

We've now learned both the Perfect Tense and the Imperfect Tense in Italian, but when do you use which tense? ​In this episode of Coffee Break Italian we'll be talking about "thtooms" and "dum-de-dum-de-dums". This is Mark's method of explaining how you can combine the Perfect Tense and the Imperfect Tense in one sentence to talk about what was happening when something else happened...

In this lesson we're focusing on a new tense, the imperfect, which is used for descriptions and to talk about repeated actions in the past. It's a very straightforward tense, and Francesca shares some great news about the Imperfect in this episode! As usual, there are lots of examples and Mark and Francesca will test Isla on her understanding by the end of the lesson. This season of Coffee Break I...

In this lesson you'll learn to use four very useful adverbs: mai (ever), già (already), appena (just) and ancora (still/yet) to talk about what you've just done, what you've already done, what you've never done and what you've not yet done. This very useful lesson builds on what you've learned in previous episodes, and it marks the half-way point of our course. This season of Coffee Break Italian...

In this episode we're looking at how you say you liked something in the past using the verb piacere . This verb is conjugated with essere and you have to be careful with how you agree the past participle. We'll also be taking a look at how reflexive verbs work in the Perfect Tense in this lesson. Again, pay close attention to the past participles! This season of Coffee Break Italian features a tot...

So far we've been learning how to talk in the past by using the Perfect Tense with  avere . In this lesson we'll be learning about a specific group of verbs which use  essere  in the Perfect Tense. There's something in particular we need to remember about these verbs, and all will become clear once you've listened to this lesson. This season of Coffee Break Italian features a total...

In this episode of Coffee Break Italian, we're continuing to learn about the Perfect Tense, this time focusing on verbs which have irregular past participles. You'll learn to form past participles for irregular verbs and you'll also learn about the groupings of irregular verbs which form their past participles in similar ways. This season of Coffee Break Italian features a total of 40 episodes. If...

It's time to think about the past. We've already seen examples of the Perfect Tense, one of the main Italian tenses used to talk about what happened in the past, but so far we've not learned exactly how to use it. In this lesson you'll be learning to form the past participle of -are, -ere and -ire verbs and how you combine these with the verb "avere" to form the Perfect Tense. This season of Coffe...

In this lesson we're continuing our study of "ne" and introducing a new pronoun, "ci". Both of these words are small, but exceptionally useful, and you'll learn how to use them in many situations. This season of Coffee Break Italian features a total of 40 episodes. If you'd like to benefit from lesson notes, bonus audio recordings and video versions of the lessons featuring 'synchronised video fla...

In this lesson we'll be looking at the partitive article - the technical name for how to translate "some" in Italian. We're using the context of buying food so you'll learn how to ask for some cheese, "del formaggio", some cream, "della panna", and lots more. This topic also enables us to look at the word "ne", and we'll see how easy it is to use this tiny, but powerful, word. This season of Coffe...

In this lesson you'll learn to use the demonstrative adjectives questo and quello, meaning "this" and "that". You'll also learn to use the demonstrative pronoun forms, meaning "this one" and "that one". There are a few things you need to remember, particularly with quello, because the forms change slightly depending on whether you're using the adjective or pronoun forms. You'll build on what you k...

Paying compliments is a key part of Italian culture and society, and in this lesson of Coffee Break Italian you'll learn to compliment native speakers on their beautiful clothes, their delicious ragù, and their delightful children using the tricky adjectives bello and buono. You'll discover a trick which will help you to know exactly which form of these adjectives to choose for any noun, and Franc...

In this episode of Coffee Break Italian you'll be learning about Italian adjectives and how they agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. You'll learn about Four-Ending, Two-Ending and Invariable adjectives, and how to change the adjectives so that they "agree" with the noun. Join Mark as he goes clothes shopping in Milano (!) and build your vocabulary in the process. This season of...

In this lesson you'll learn to conjugate and use three very common -ire verbs which are irregular: venire (to come), uscire (to go out) and dire (to say/tell). Pay particular attention to the spelling changes which happen in these verbs! This season of Coffee Break Italian features a total of 40 episodes. If you'd like to benefit from lesson notes, bonus audio recordings and video versions of the...

In this lesson we'll be taking a look at four common irregular verbs which end in -ere: bere (to drink), tenere (to hold/keep), sapere (to know) and conoscere (also to know). You'll also learn the difference between the two verbs which can be translated as "to know" and when to use them. This season of Coffee Break Italian features a total of 40 episodes. If you'd like to benefit from lesson notes...

In this episode you'll learn to use avere and essere, two of the most important Italian verbs. In addition to the normal uses you'll also learn to use the verbs in a number of idiomatic expressions. By the end of this lesson you'll be a master of "being" and "having" in Italian! This season of Coffee Break Italian features a total of 40 episodes. If you'd like to benefit from lesson notes, bonus a...

This lesson focuses on two very important irregular verbs, andare ("to go") and fare which means "to do" or "to make", but is used in many other expressions. You'll learn to conjugate these verbs and through a series of dialogues between Mark, Francesca and Isla, you'll practise using the verbs, helping you to consolidate what you've learned. This season of Coffee Break Italian features a total of...