Coffee Break German

​In this episode of Coffee Break German we'll be learning how to translate "much", "many", "some", "few", and lots more quantifying words - something learners often find difficult. By the end of this lesson you'll be able to talk confidently in German using the words viel(e), wenig(e), etwas, manche, and say how much chocolate you eat, how many glasses of water you drink, or how many portions of f...

In this lesson of Coffee Break German we'll be taking the "dass" structures a stage further and looking at other verbs which can be used in this context. You'll learn to use a number of verbs with this structure and you'll also learn some important rules involving grammar and word order. This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 episodes, published every two weeks. Lessons 21-40 wi...

In this lesson we'll be covering the topic of subordinate clauses. That sounds more complicated than it is! Basically this lesson will teach you how to make requests in German and tell people what you'd like them to do - or not do! Julia is back with another Cultural Correspondent segment and in this episode she's talking about rules and regulations in German-speaking areas. This season of Coffee...

In this episode of Coffee Break German you'll be amazed when you realise how far you've come, as you review everything you have learned so far in Season 2. Andrea and Mark talk about the topic from this unit such as cases and adjective agreements, adverbs, using denn and weil and making sure your perfect tense really is perfect! After listening to this lesson you will be an expert on all the langu...

If you've been following our Coffee Break German lessons you can now use denn to give a reason - ausgezeichnet! However, there is another word which also means "because", and that's weil , and this word brings with it some challenges regarding word order. In this lesson you'll master weil and you'll learn how to use it in a sentence and cope with the word order changes. As usual there will be lots...

In this lesson of Coffee Break German you'll learn how to give a reason - without having to worry about word order! This lesson introduces the word denn and you'll be delighted to know that it does not change the word order of your sentence. This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 episodes, published every two weeks. Lessons 21-40 will be published during 2018. Stay subscribed to...

We've dealt with the Perfect Tense using the verb haben, but there are some verbs which need to use sein as the auxiliary verb when forming the Perfect. In this lesson you'll learn which verbs take sein, and how to say where you went, when you woke up, when you were born and how you travelled. It's all about a change of place or state... Listen to the episode to understand everything! This season...

In this lesson of Coffee Break German you'll be starting to learn to talk in the past using the Perfect Tense. This tense is formed by using a part of the auxiliary verb haben (to have) and the past participle. Andrea will explain everything you need to know, and you'll soon be saying what you did, what you cooked, what you ate and what you played yesterday, last week and 100 years ago! This seaso...

In this lesson of Coffee Break German you'll learn to talk about your hobbies and pastimes and to say when, where and how often you do these pastimes. This topic will introduce you to the concept of the Verbklammer, the "verb brackets" which surround any adverbs in your sentence. All will become clear when you listen to Andrea's explanations, and you can join Mark and practise your German in this...

In this episode you'll learn to make requests using the correct adjectival forms. Join Mark and Andrea as they look at using adjectives in the accusative case with definite articles. This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 episodes, published every two weeks. Lessons 21-40 will be published during 2018. Stay subscribed to the podcast to enjoy each episode. If you'd like to benefi...

In this lesson you'll be all set for checking into a hotel - and using the correct German grammar to do so! Join Mark and Andrea as they look at the interesting topic of adjective endings in the nominative case with indefinite articles, so you'll be able to ask for "a large room, a comfortable bed and a beautiful view of the mountains"! This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 epi...

How many times have you ordered a drink in a German café, or a snack in a German restaurant and you've never been quite sure about whether you're using the correct word for "a" or "the". Of course there's the gender of the word to think about, but the added complication with German is the case! This episode of Coffee Break German focuses on the Accusative case and you'll master how to use this cas...

In this first lesson of the new series of Coffee Break German, join teacher Andrea and her student Mark as they review the topic of nationalities and languages. This lesson introduces the fact that, unlike in English, German normally has a different word for the nationality and the language of a country. You'll also review the verbs sprechen and lernen , and the team is joined by our Cultural Corr...

We have some exciting news to share ... we're delighted to announce that Coffee Break German Season 2 starts on Monday 13th February 2017 with lessons published every two weeks. Join our new teacher Andrea, learner Mark and our cultural correspondent Julia for the regular lessons and take your German to the next level! This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 episodes, published e...

In the final episode of this series of Coffee Break German, Mark reflects on his visit to Innsbruck and Thomas helps him talk more about things in the past in German. In this lesson you will: learn how to use the perfect tense combining the auxiliary verb haben  with the past participle; find out about the perfect tense uses the auxiliary verb  sein  with certain verbs; learn about...

In this latest episode of Coffee Break German, Mark puts his German to the test as he joins some friends of Thomas as they prepare for a birthday party. In this lesson you will: review language used for talking about places; hear further examples of the use of seit to talk about how long you’ve been doing something; become familiar with more examples of the perfect tense; practise different conver...

It’s time for a new lesson of Coffee Break German and in this episode Mark is feeling a bit under the weather. He and Thomas visit the pharmacy for some advice. The pharmacist asks Mark if he has eaten anything strange or if he has done anything out of the ordinary, and this provides an opportunity to look at one way of talking in the past in German. In this lesson you will: practise wor...

In this latest lesson of Coffee Break German, Mark is asking for some information at the reception desk of his hotel in Innsbruck. In addition to providing an opportunity for practising various areas of vocabulary, this dialogue introduces a new grammatical concept. In this lesson you will: practise words and phrases used when asking for information; review language used for talking about public t...

Mark’s continuing his trip to Austria in this lesson, and as usual he’s accompanied by Thomas who is helping him practise his language skills. This week Mark’s buying postcards and Thomas is buying sports shoes with his friend, Daniel. In this lesson you will: practise words and phrases for shopping scenarioes; learn about the expression  könnte ich…?  meaning “could I…?”; see further ex...

In the latest lesson of Coffee Break German, Mark and Thomas take a trip to the nearby town of Schwaz and visit the Tourist Information Office to find out what there is to do and see. In this lesson you will: review language for giving directions and describing locations; investigate further examples of German word order and the “second place” rule for verbs; talk about opening times and other typ...

In this week’s lesson, Thomas joins Mark for breakfast at the hotel and they have a conversation with another hotel guest. Coming up in this lesson… review transactional language for ordering drinks; be reminded about Austrian greetings; learn further ways to use the verb sollen ; practise different conversational structures. This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 episodes. Stay...

Mark is continuing his trip to Austria where he’s practising his German with cohost Thomas. In this episode they eavesdrop on a conversation between an American tourist and the hotel receptionist. Coming up in this lesson: learn new ways to ask for information; review vocabulary for checking into a hotel; learn more about prepositions and the cases they use; test your understanding by listening to...

Mark has travelled to Austria to put his German into practice with his cohost, native speaker Thomas. This week they are travelling into the town centre from Innsbruck airport and Mark has a conversation with the person working at the information desk in the airport to find out how best to get into the centre of town. Coming up in this lesson… review ways to ask for directions in German; learn new...

Mark has travelled to Austria to put his German into practice with his cohost and native speaker Thomas. In this lesson Mark has just arrived at Innsbruck airport and he and Thomas discuss the kind of language he’ll need to take part in conversations during his trip. In this lesson you will: learn to talk about what you’re looking forward to doing; learn to talk about how long you’ve been learning...

In lesson 30 of Coffee Break German you’ll join Mark and Thomas as they review the language covered in the past ten lessons. In this lesson you will: find out who the mystery personalities from lesson 29 were; test your translation skills from German into English; test your translation skills from English into German; review the grammar covered in lessons 21-30 with our Grammar Guru; learn about s...