Coffee Break French

It's the most visited monument in the world and at the time of its construction it was the tallest building in the world. Standing in the heart of the French capital, it is undeniably the global symbol of France. We're talking, of course, about the Eiffel Tower, and in this episode Mark and Pierre-Benoît talk about this famous monument. There's also a phone-in question from listener Freya who want...

An extraordinary voice and life story filled with success and tragedy in almost equal measure, the "Little Sparrow" is the focus of this episode of the Coffee Break French Magazine. Edith Piaf is known as one of the most widely known French singers, and you'll learn more about her life and work in this episode. There will be a total of 10 episodes in Season 1 of the Coffee Break French Magazine. I...

Glitz and glamour are the name of the game in this episode of the Coffee Break French Magazine as we head to the south of France for the Cannes Film Festival. In our text we'll find out more about the interesting origins of this key event in the international cinematic calendar, and we'll also tackle listener Sophie's question about ce , ceci , cela and ça , and Susie shares a quote from Jean Coct...

We're heading to north-western France for this episode of the Coffee Break French Magazine to discover more about the Breton language and culture. As ever, you'll be able to listen to Susie's text and Mark and Pierre-Benoît are on hand to discuss the text. There's a question from listener Tomás who wants to know when to use merci de and merci pour, and in our final section we look at two idiomatic...

In this episode of the Coffee Break French Magazine we're talking "bande dessinées", comic books. The French-speaking world has produced many famous bande dessinée including Tintin, the Smurfs and Astérix, and they can be a great way to expand your vocabulary and experience.a different reading format. Pierre-Benoît is on hand to explain everything in the text. Mark answers a listener's question ab...

In this episode of the Coffee Break French Magazine, we're heading to the French-speaking area of Quebec in Canada and finding out more about how the French spoken there is different from the French spoken in France. We also look at the very useful expression il s'agit de , and learn about how to use this expressions. There will be a total of 10 episodes in Season 1 of the Coffee Break French Maga...

In the latest episode of the Coffee Break French Magazine, we’re heading to the “crossroads of Europe”, the city of Strasbourg in the heart of Alsace. Find out about the traditions, the food, the history and the culture of this beautiful part of the world. There’s also a discussion about how to express necessity using devoir and falloir , in response to listener Steve’s question. There will be a t...

In this episode of the Coffee Break French Magazine we're taking a trip to the movies to see one of the all time classics of French cinema, Jean Cocteau's La Belle et la Bête . You'll learn more about the film and about the work of Cocteau, and there's an interesting listener's question about how to translate "to look like" and "to feel like" into French. This series is aimed at learners who have...

In Episode 2 of Season 1 of the Coffee Break French Magazine, we discuss the French author and aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, author of Le Petit Prince. In each episode of this 10-lesson season for intermediate learners, you can build your vocabulary, increase your understanding of grammar and learn to use the French language in a more natural way. This series is aimed at learners who have comp...

The Coffee Break French team is back with a new series, the Coffee Break French Magazine. In each episode of this 10-lesson season for intermediate learners, you can build your vocabulary, increase your understanding of grammar and learn to use the French language in a more natural way. This series is aimed at learners who have completed at leats Seasons 1 and 2 of Coffee Break French. There will...

In this final episode of our first season of En Route avec Coffee Break French, Mark is back in Menton, talking to some of the locals. We'll find out more about the type of people who visit Menton from the hotel manager, we'll learn about Menton's connection to the artist Jean Cocteau, and we'll discover how the local dialect is being maintained. As usual, this episode is presented in a combinatio...

In this episode of En Route avec Coffee Break French, Mark heads to the Principality of Monaco where he attends the Changing of the Guard, meets Riviera blogger Kevin Hin , and experiences the ePrix, a version of the Grand Prix for electronic racing cars. As usual, you'll be learning about the area while improving your French through the interviews and language study provided in the lesson. This s...

Welcome to our "frogs and dogs" episode of En Route avec Coffee Break French. In this episode Mark starts in the village of Sospel which straddles the Bévéra river and is a popular destination for walkers and cyclists. He then travels on to the village of Gorbio and has a coffee break with photographer Jilly Bennett whose passion is for photographing the life - and dogs - of the village. As usual,...

Our destination for episode 7 of En Route avec Coffee Break French is "Nice the beautiful", as the city is referred to in the unofficial anthem which is in the local dialect, Niçard. In this episode Mark visits Nice, takes a ride on a vélotaxi and has a Coffee Break with a friend from Scotland who now lives and works in the area. This season of En Route avec Coffee Break French features 10 audio e...

In this episode we're investigating an interesting aspect of life in this part of France: what it's like to live and work in a border town. Mark travels north to the town of Breil-sur-Roya, and to do so he has to cross the border between France and Italy a number of times. Through the conversations featured in this extended audio episode you'll learn about life in les villes frontalières . This se...

In this episode Mark is travelling from Nice to Monaco, along one of Europe's most impressive roads, la Moyenne Corniche. Clinging to the cliffs with sheer drops to the sparkling waters of the Mediterranean on one side, this road travels through Villefranche-sur-Mer, Èze, Cap d'Ail, Beausoleil and on to Monaco. As you join Mark en route, you'll listen to a series of informative conversations he ha...

It's market day in Menton and Mark brings you a fantastic episode, full of new vocabulary, featuring interviews with various stall holders in the covered market in Menton. You'll hear about fish, spices, olives, fruit and vegetables and much more. This season of En Route avec Coffee Break French features 10 audio episodes, all of which will be included in the podcast feed. Just stay subscribed to...

In this episode Mark visits the hilltop village of Sainte-Agnès, the highest coastal town in Europe. He talks to locals and visitors to the village. As with all episodes of En Route, this will give you the perfect opportunity to practise your French and find out about another beautiful part of the Côte d'Azur. This season of En Route avec Coffee Break French features 10 audio episodes, all of whic...

Mark has arrived in Menton and in this episode he sets out to rediscover the town after 25 years. In the course of this episode he talks to a number of native speakers of French including Eric, who works at the reception of the Office du Tourisme in Menton. In addition to building your understanding, this episode also introduces two useful phrases: être frais et dispos and c'est pas évident . This...

In episode 1, Mark sets off  en route  for the south of France and arrives in Nice. On the way he explains the objectives of this new series, and also takes the opportunity to talk to the French-speaking cabin crew on his flight to Nice. As the episode comes to an end Mark is heading to his final destination for this episode, the town of Menton where he lived 25 years ago. This season of...

Join Mark and the Coffee Break French team "en route" in the south of France. In this season preview, Mark introduces the new show and you'll hear excerpts from some of the many interviews we've carried out in the area between Nice and Menton on the beautiful Côte d'Azur. We'll be talking to people who live or work in the area, and to people who are visiting the area. These conversations feature a...

In this special edition of Coffee Break French, Mark announces the new series in which you can join the Coffee Break French team, "en route". Listen to a sneak preview of some of the many interviews with native speakers and learn more about the forthcoming series. This episode is the first of two special announcements from Coffee Break French. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform...

Nine years ago today we published the first episode of Coffee Break Spanish. Since then we’ve gone on to publish courses in 27 languages, and we’ve delivered over 160 million language lessons to learners around the world. Some of the team have spent this weekend in London at the Language Show where we’ve been meeting thousands of language lovers, among them many members of the...

In the final episode of the series we join Matthieu who is replying to Gabrielle’s email – for the last time! As ever Mark and Pierre-Benoît are on hand to discuss the episode and it’s finally time to tackle the tricky issue of c’est vs il est among many other language points.  If you’re interested in finding out more about what happens next in the Coffee Break French series, p...

In the penultimate episode of the series we join Pierre-Benoît and Mark as they discuss Gabrielle’s email to Matthieu. The text gives us the opportunity to look at the complicated pronouns lequel, laquelle, lesquels and lesquelles , negative infinitives, the expression faire des folies  and lots more. This season of Coffee Break French features a total of 40 lessons, all of which will be incl...