Coffee Break Italian

Italian is full of idioms that are borrowed from the kitchen, and once you spot them you'll notice them everywhere. In this episode Francesca takes you through 10 everyday food idioms, from someone who's "like parsley" and turns up everywhere to the moment an omelette is already made and the damage is done. She explains what each one really means and the kind of situation where it fits, then round...

You probably already know that 'potere' means "can" or "to be able to", but there's more to this everyday Italian verb than meets the eye. In this episode, Francesca shares five things you might not know about 'potere', from using the conditional to sound more polite to meeting 'potere' as a noun, and she helps you tell it apart from 'riuscire' and 'sapere'. It completes her little series on the m...

Pasta is the perfect way to practise some of Italian's trickiest sounds. In this episode, Francesca works through pasta names to help you get those gn, gl, ch and gh sounds right, with a few tasty facts thrown in along the way. ➡️ Click here to watch the video version of this episode . ➡️ Get free mini-lessons and language tips every week by signing up to our newsletter: https://coffeebreaklanguag...

You probably already know that volere means "to want", but there are still a few secrets hiding in this everyday verb. In this episode, Francesca shares five interesting things to know about volere , from the tricky ' gl ' sound and using it as a noun to choosing between ho voluto and volevo in the past. How many of them are new to you? ➡️ Click here to watch the video version of this episode . ➡️...

Francesca walks you through five tiny Italian words that come up in real conversations all the time: "allora", "dai", "boh", "figurati" and "magari". Each one carries a lot of meaning, and learning to use them naturally is one of the fastest ways to sound more Italian. Which one will you start using first? ➡️ Click here to watch the video version of this episode. ➡️ To receive regular free mini-le...

Francesca goes beyond the textbook meaning of "dovere" and explores five nuances of this everyday Italian verb. You'll look at double conjugations, two different auxiliaries in the past tense, the less familiar meaning of "to owe", and the noun "il dovere". How many of these did you already know? ➡️ Click here to watch the video version of this episode. ➡️ Love learning in short bursts? Our free w...

Francesca walks you through five common mistakes that are easy to fix but make a real difference to how natural your Italian sounds. From choosing between "favorito" and "preferito" to understanding why Italians say "mi lavo i denti", these are practical changes you can start using straight away. ➡️ Click here to watch the video version of this episode. ➡️ Want more tips like these delivered strai...

Welcome back to il Caffè di Tullio - our charming Italian café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersive series, we follow a compelling story set in a local café and help you build your language skills naturally through storytelling. In Chiuso per ferie , Lorenzo's exhaustion from a busy summer leads to a well-deserved, but...

Welcome back to il Caffè di Tullio - our charming Italian café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersive series, we follow a compelling story set in a local café and help you build your language skills naturally through storytelling. In Episode 9, La vita qui non è poi così male , Lorenzo’s friend talks about life in Berlin...

Welcome back to il Caffè di Tullio - our charming Italian café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersive series, we follow a compelling story set in a local café and help you build your language skills naturally through storytelling. In L’estate della maturità , a small group of students go to il caffè di Tullio to celebrat...

Welcome back to il Caffè di Tullio - our charming Italian café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersive series, we follow a compelling story set in a local café and help you build your language skills naturally through storytelling. In Chapter 7, Il colloquio di lavoro , the fate of a job interview hangs in the balance as...

Welcome back to il Caffè di Tullio - our charming Italian café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersive series, we follow a compelling story set in a local café and help you build your language skills naturally through storytelling. In Episode 6, La vera amicizia non ha età , Gianni talks about his latest health diagnosis....

Welcome back to il Caffè di Tullio - our charming Italian café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersive series, we follow a compelling story set in a local café and help you build your language skills naturally through storytelling. In 'Tutto è bene quel che finisce bene', a young woman introduces her girlfriend to her par...

Welcome back to il Caffè di Tullio - our charming Italian café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersive series, we follow a compelling story set in a local café and build your language skills naturally through storytelling. The latest episode of Scenes is here, and in this chapter, Problemi di cuore , Angelica learns of Ma...

Welcome back to il Caffè di Tullio - our charming Italian 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 through storytelling. Are you curious to find out what’s in store for you in Chapter 3, Una simpatica coppia di scozze...

Welcome back to il Caffè di Tullio - our charming Italian café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersive series, we follow a compelling story set in a local café and help you build your language skills naturally through storytelling. In this episode, Lorenzo is puzzled when he goes to open the café and finds the shutter hal...

Welcome back to Season 2 of Scenes from the Coffee Break Italian Café! Benvenuti alla Stagione 2 di Scenes! The Coffee Break Italian team is excited to welcome you back to  il Caffè di Tullio . If you joined us in Season 1 then you will already be familiar with il Caffè di Tullio - our charming Italian café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds ar...

In today's mini-lesson, Francesca from the Coffee Break Italian team is here with a delicious espresso lesson all about Italy’s favourite festive sweet treats! 🎄🍰 She introduces you to two iconic holiday cakes: ➡️ il panettone , the classic Milanese Christmas staple ➡️ il pandoro , the soft, buttery favourite from Verona Francesca shares a bit of history, how she likes to enjoy them, and of cour...

We're back with a new episode, bringing you a festive espresso lesson to enjoy in between the main seasons of Coffee Break Italian! 🎄✨ In this mini lesson, you’ll discover that December in Italy is much more than Christmas itself. From regional customs to useful seasonal vocabulary, this episode is the perfect way to immerse yourself in Italy’s magical month of celebrations. 🎁 ➡️ Don’t miss mor...

Join Francesca from the Coffee Break Italian team for a festive coffee break as she explores three very different Italian films that are traditionally enjoyed during the holiday season! 🎄🍿 In this little espresso lesson, you’ll discover: 🎬 Natale in casa Cupiello  🎬 Parenti Serpenti  🎬 Il cinepanettone Whether you're looking for something heartwarming, dramatic or funny, this mini l...

Join Mark and Francesca for this special episode of Coffee Break Italian 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 Italian first started and all of the resources we have released since then. We hope you enjoy hearing about...

Join Francesca from the Coffee Break Italian team for a coffee break and get ready to improve your Italian over just 10 minutes. In this little espresso lesson, Francesca explores one of Italy’s favourite pastimes: giocare a carte, playing cards! You’ll also pick up useful phrases like fare le carte (to shuffle the cards), un mazzo (a deck), and even a fun memory trick, come quando fuori piove , t...

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 fantastica Caccia al Tesoro di Coffee Break 2025 - which will lead us to the final location! Test your Italian 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...

It's time for the third clue of La fantastica Caccia al Tesoro di Coffee Break 2025 , our virtual treasure hunt across Europe! Using the interesting facts we provide, and your language skills, 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...