Coffee Break French

Welcome back to Season 2 of Scenes from the Coffee Break French Café! If you joined us in Season 1 then you will already be familiar with Chez Nico - our charming French café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersive series, you’ll follow a compelling story set in a local café and build your language skills naturally throug...

Join us for a new mini Coffee Break French lesson in between seasons as we dive into one of the most delicious parts of the festive season: the French Christmas Eve dinner! 🎄🍽️ In this episode, you’ll hear about some of the traditional dishes enjoyed at Max’s family table on le réveillon de Noël : from oysters and snails to turkey, red wine, cheese, and of course the classic chocolate Yule log....

We’re back with another Coffee Break French espresso lesson, and this time we’re taking a stroll through one of the most atmospheric parts of the season: les marchés de Noël ! 🎄 In this episode, you’ll discover what you’re likely to find at Christmas markets across France, from the smell of roasted chestnuts and mulled wine to sweet crêpes and waffles, and the cosy stalls selling wooden toys...

We’re back with a new mini Coffee Break French lesson, and this time we're exploring a charming tradition that marks the start of the festive season in parts of Europe! 🎄✨ In this episode, you’ll learn all about what happens on le 6 décembre in the North and East of France, as well as in Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg. It’s a lovely cultural insight and a great opportunity to pick up festiv...

Join Mark and Max for this special episode of Coffee Break French, where we're talking about something a bit different. We receive emails and messages all the time asking us "where should I start?", so we thought we'd answer that in this episode. We share details about how Coffee Break French first started back in 2007 - and all of the French resources we have released since then. We hope you enjo...

Join Max for a coffee break in which he will guide you through one tricky point of French pronunciation: the difference between h muet (silent h) and h aspiré (aspirated h). 🤔 You’ll learn how words like l’homme (the man) link smoothly thanks to a silent h, while words like le héros 🦸 (the hero) create a pause because of the aspirated h. With clear examples and simple explanations, this lesson w...

We're back with a special bonus episode of the Great Coffee Break Treasure Hunt! Join us for a detailed explanation of this year's Treasure Hunt clues. Sit back, relax and enjoy listening to this episode on your next coffee break. ☕️ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have reached the last clue of our virtual treasure hunt - La grande chasse au trésor de Coffee Break de 2025 - which will lead us to the final location! Test your French and detective skills as we reveal everything you need to know to determine the last destination. Remember to submit your entry form listing the location from each episode to be in with a chance of winning a prize. Click here to...

It's time for the third clue of La grande chasse au trésor de Coffee Break de 2025 , our virtual treasure hunt across Europe! Using the interesting facts we share, can you work out where checkpoint number three is? In case you missed it - everyone who correctly identifies the four mystery locations will win a free month's subscription to the Coffee Break Club , as well as being entered into a priz...

We're back with the next episode of  La grande chasse au trésor de Coffee Break de 2025 , our virtual treasure hunt across Europe! Join us as we reveal clue number two which takes us one step closer to our final location. As we continue through this mini series we'll discover further clues to help you solve the mystery. Remember, you could be in with a chance of winning some great prizes! For...

Welcome to the first episode of  La grande chasse au trésor de Coffee Break de 2025 , our virtual treasure hunt across Europe!   Join us in this first episode as we reveal the initial clue. As you continue through this mini series you’ll discover further clues, solve the mystery and practise your French. For further details about how you can take part, click here . Hosted on Acast. See a...

New mini-series! Starting on Monday 20th October, join Mark and the Coffee Break French Team for a virtual treasure hunt across Europe, in which we'll discover clues, solve the mystery and practise our French. This is not just a language lesson – it's a competition! By taking part you could win some amazing prizes which will help you take your French to the next level. For everything you need to k...

We're back with a new episode, bringing you a little espresso lesson in between the main seasons of Coffee Break French. Today, Hélène will be tackling one of the most common conversation topics: la météo (the weather)!  From asking Quel temps fait-il ? to using colourful French expressions like il fait un temps de chien (the weather is terrible) and il pleut des cordes (it’s pouring), you’ll...

In this espresso-style episode, Hélène explores one of France’s most cherished traditions: les vendanges (the grape harvest).  You’ll learn how vineyards across Bordeaux, Bourgogne and Champagne come alive during this busy season, and we’ll take a closer look at les vendanges tardives (the late harvest) that creates some of the sweetest wines. Santé ! 🥂 📩 Want more French tips and cultural...

Join Max for a coffee break in which he explores five common French idioms featuring the word main (hand). You’ll discover what each expression means, hear examples in context, and learn how to use them naturally in your own conversations. By the end, you’ll be ready to recognise and use phrases like donner un coup de main and more with confidence. ✅ Subscribe to the Coffee Break French newslette...

Join Max for a coffee break in which he takes a closer look at lequel , laquelle , lesquels and lesquelles . Rather than a grammar-heavy lesson, this episode focuses on real examples to show you why each form is used, helping you understand them in context. You’ll also get a chance to practise along with Max so you can start using these words more confidently in your own French. ✅ Subscribe to th...

Join Max for a Coffee Break in which he explores the many meanings of the word 'tour' in French. You'll find out why it can be either masculine or feminine depending on the context. You’ll also hear lots of examples to help you tell the difference between le tour and la tour , as well as some set phrases with tips on how to use them naturally when speaking. You'll sound like a native speaker in no...

In this espresso episode, join Mark as he shares practical tips to help you make the most of the little moments in your day and turn them into powerful opportunities for language learning! 💪 Discover how his recent trip to Slovenia taught him how his small interactions can help you build confidence and momentum in your learning. You’ll also get a taste of exclusive resources from the Coffee Break...

Join Max for a coffee break in which he will explain how to make comparisons with nouns using plus de and moins de . You’ll learn how to form these structures, hear plenty of examples in context and pick up tips to make your comparisons sound natural and accurate.  By the end, you’ll feel confident saying things like plus de livres , moins de films , and much more. ✅ Access more content like...

Ready to improve your French skills with our short, espresso-like episode? Today, Hélène from the Coffee Break French team explains the difference between grâce à and à cause de . These two phrases both translate to 'because of', but with very different connotations. Learn how to use them correctly and avoid common mistakes in your conversations. 🗨️ ➡️ For more content like this and to receive reg...

Join Hélène from the Coffee Break French team for a coffee break, in which you'll have the chance to practise and improve your French over just 10 minutes. In this episode, she explores classic French proverbs like: la parole est d’argent, le silence est d’or and tout ce qui brille n’est pas or. She explains their meanings and how to use them in everyday conversation, helping you sound more like a...

Headed to a French-speaking country and planning a little shopping? 🛍️ Join Hélène for a coffee break, in which you'll have the chance to practise and improve your French in under 10 minutes. In this quick episode, Hélène teaches you how to say and ask for your shoe size in French and how to talk about different types of chaussures .👠👞 ➡️ To access more French content and to keep improving your...

Join Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, for a coffee break, in which you'll hear tips and ideas to boost your language-learning journey in just a few minutes. In this episode, Mark shares five tips to make any trip your language classroom, even if travelling is not an option for you just now. So, if you're planning a trip to a French-speaking destination or want to get some tips for imme...

We're back with a new episode, bringing you a little espresso lesson in between the main seasons of Coffee Break French. In this mini-lesson, we’ll explore the fascinating origins of the beloved flaky and buttery French pastry 🥐. Believe it or not, the croissant’s history isn’t actually French! Hélène from the Coffee Break French team shares the intriguing story behind this cultural icon and brea...

Since we've recently finished Season 1 of Scenes from the Coffee Break French Café, here is a short mini-lesson to keep your French ticking over until we launch our next podcast series! In today's episode, we'll hear from Hélène from the Coffee Break French team. What can you expect from today's episode? We'll explore French vocabulary for talking about holidays and time off. ☀️ Whether you’re des...