In this episode you’ll learn to deal with emergencies in Chinese. Needless to say, we hope you never have to use this language, but it’s useful to know nonetheless! You’ll learn to talk about losing wallets, reporting stolen passports and asking for help in various situations. You’ll be ready for all eventualities by the time you’ve listened to this episode!
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. Through this lesson about (su) prepositions, you’ll learn to (a) use the prepositions in (in) the correct way!
The audio lesson is free, as are all the main audio lessons of Coffee Break Italian. Use the audio player above to listen to the lesson, or subscribe in iTunes to receive this lesson and all future lessons automatically. If you can’t see the player above, click here to access the lesson.
In this lesson you’ll learn the words and phrases needed to make phone calls and use the internet in Mandarin Chinese.
In this lesson we’re tackling a tricky subject for learners of German: word order. In particular we’re looking at where adverbs come “inside the Verbklammer”. For this we’ll be introducing you to a new concept: “Tekamolo”. All will become clear in this lesson.
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.
The audio lesson is free, as are all the main audio lessons of En Route avec Coffee Break French. Use the audio player above to listen to the lesson, or subscribe in Apple Podcasts to receive this lesson and all future lessons automatically. If you can’t see the player above, click here to access the lesson.
In the full course of En Route you’ll get access to every episode as it’s released. The premium version includes additional materials which will help you move forward more effectively with your French studies:
The En Route course can be accessed on the Coffee Break Academy.
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | RSS Feed | Purchase full course
“Cheers” in Irish is sláinte which is pronounced a bit like “slawn-che”. Sláinte means “health”, and if you’re feeling brave, you can say sláinte is táinte (“slawn-che iss toin-che”), meaning “health and wealth”. “Cheers” is one of the words included in lesson 10 of our course. Also included in lesson 10 is “I love you”, which you may also need this St Patrick’s Day weekend!
Irish Gaelic is spoken by around 75,000 people in the Republic of Ireland and in Northern Ireland and it’s also an official language of the European Union. In the Republic of Ireland, Irish enjoys official status and the Irish words for a number of public titles and organisations have been adopted into Irish English, e.g. Garda (police), Dail (parliament), and Taoiseach (Prime Minister).
Irish is a member of the Celtic language group which includes Scots Gaelic, Welsh, Breton, Cornish and Manx. It’s closely related to Scots Gaelic and Manx, and an Irish speaker may understand a fair amount of written Scots Gaelic or Manx, though there is more variation in the spoken language, making it less mutually intelligible.
One important thing: make sure you know how to pronounce the word Gaelic properly: for Irish Gaelic, “Gael-” rhymes with the English word “sail”, while for Scottish Gaelic, “Gael-” rhymes with the English word “shall”!
Our One Minute Languages courses feature ten lessons and cover the absolute basics of the language. You’ll learn basic greetings and useful words, numbers 1-10, asking people “how are you?” and answering the question yourself and you’ll learn to say that you can speak a little Irish. You can access the full 10-lesson course in the video playlist below, or head over to our YouTube channel.
One final thing: since we’re making this course available for free to celebrate St Patrick’s Day, it’s only right that you learn how to say “Happy St Patrick’s Day” in Irish! Here’s a list of useful expressions:
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.
It’s time to look at reflexive verbs in the past. In this lesson you’ll learn to say what you enjoyed, what you complained about and what you looked forward to, and much more besides! Julia is back with a cultural correspondent segment on an area in Italy where German is spoken, Südtirol.
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.
The audio lesson is free, as are all the main audio lessons of En Route avec Coffee Break French. Use the audio player above to listen to the lesson, or subscribe in Apple Podcasts to receive this lesson and all future lessons automatically. If you can’t see the player above, click here to access the lesson.
In the full course of En Route you’ll get access to every episode as it’s released. The premium version includes additional materials which will help you move forward more effectively with your French studies:
The En Route course can be accessed on the Coffee Break Academy.
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts | RSS Feed | Purchase full course
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.
In this episode of Coffee Break Chinese we’re taking the topic of illnesses and ailments a stage further with a visit to the pharmacy where you’ll learn to describe your symptoms and understand the advice given to you by the pharmacist.
You must be familiar with this one if you’ve overheard Italians talking to each other. It has nothing to do with the verb dare – meaning to give – and it cannot be easily translated. Dai can be used to encourage someone to do or not to do something, much in the same way English speakers say “go on” or “come on”. It can also convey a sense of astonishment, meaning “are you serious?” or “really?”.
It’s an idiom with several possible meanings, which can only be grasped from the context.
Did one of your Italian friends say Non ce la faccio to you? Just reply back with dai! Is someone is doing something to annoy you? Tell them to stop with dai! Did you just hear the latest gossip and you cannot believe it? Express your surprise with dai!
Have you ever eaten so much that you were unable to move and the only thing you wanted to do was take a nap? If so, then you know what l’abbiocco is. It is the drowsiness you feel after a hearty meal: a feeling with which Italians are rather familiar. There is also a verb to describe this feeling: abbioccarsi.
A translation in English might be “food coma”, but this is a much more dramatic term than abbiocco. The sound of this Italian word, with its double “b’s” and “c’s”, perfectly conveys the idea of being full and sleepy after a Sunday roast or a big bowl of pasta. Italians love this food-induced state and usually use it to relax and take a break from the everyday rush, enjoying the abbiocco as much as they can!
This word comes from mozzare, meaning ‘to cut off’, and fiato, meaning ‘breath’. A view, a piece of art, a show, a journey and even a person can be mozzafiato. It means that something is so strikingly beautiful that it makes us stop breathing, just as the word suggests. Those “z’s” do take your breath away.
It can be translated in English as “breathtaking” or “riveting”. However, the image of cutting off one’s air feels more sudden and extreme than the simple act of “taking”, and somehow, more appropriate for a country like Italy, where “breath-chopping” beauty thrives.
If you are thinking that this word means being stuck in a vase, you’re not quite in the the ballpark. L’invasato is someone who experiences strong feelings, such as uncontrollable emotions or passions – so strong that they take over their minds! This word comes from the Middle Ages, when people believed that demons invaded and possessed the body of certain individuals.
That’s why today, invasato means someone who is being taken over by fear, jealousy and anger, as well as by creativity, enthusiasm and passion.
When you hear an Italian say me ne frego, it means that they could not care less about something. From this expression, we get the term menefreghismo which stands for a thoughtless indifference towards what is happening outside of one’s personal space. It is the kind of attitude we usually have during our summer holidays, when enjoying the sun and the heat is our most important priority.
If, on one hand, il menefreghismo could be a good quality, on the other, the term is not always considered to be positive. Sometimes it is used to address the callousness or the selfishness of an uninterested friend. So, be aware of the context if you are called a menefreghista!
The rustling of leaves, the crackling of fire, the pattering of rain. There is one word in Italian that can describe these sounds: il crepitio. Try to pronounce this word and repeat it several times. Doesn’t it emulate the burning of logs in the fireplace or the tapping of raindrops on the window?
You can also use the verb crepitare to describe the making of these pleasing and relaxing sounds. It is a very evocative word that, despite its harsh “kr” phoneme, can bring back memories of outdoor naps, cosy nights-in and autumn afternoons.
How would you describe that feeling of yearning and torment that you experience when you argue with your significant other? Italians call it lo struggimento, a combination of gut-churning misery and desire, usually associated with one’s love life. It is not a necessarily negative feeling; many poets – like Dante Alighieri, Petrarch and Giacomo Leopardi – found inspiration in their struggimento.
Repeat this word in your head. Savour the harsh sound of its consonants. Now, can you understand what we are talking about here?
It is an extremely short word and you may not even notice it in a conversation, but it is a key expression of current Italian. Boh means “who knows?” or simply “I don’t know” and it is always accompanied by a dramatic shrug of the shoulders and a furrowed brow. A non-native speaker should pay attention to the context, where boh! appears, though it’s quite easy to deduce its meaning, since it usually appears in response to something.
Boh is an onomatopoeic expression that conveys doubt, indifference or unwillingness to talk about something. Similar expressions are bah and mah, both of which convey an idea of uncertainty.
Is that clear enough? Don’t answer boh! (or maybe do…)
If you are a big shopper, you may know what we are talking about here. Do you know when you feel the urge to buy something you shouldn’t buy, but you buy it anyway? That’s what Italians call uno sfizio, meaning a whim or fancy. Having gelato after dinner or bagging that pizza-shaped hat are actions that Italians would describe as togliersi lo sfizio, meaning “to satisfy one’s whim”. But, it’s not simply that! There is always a fun side to it, something between being ashamed and feeling right about it, enjoying it.
Sfizio: the tongue sizzles and fizzles. It sounds great and it’s fun!
This may not be the most useful word, but it feels great on your tongue. It is a wonderful combination of the harsh “pr” sound and the sweet “tʃ” phoneme. Also, the fact that procione is the name of a very cute animal made us include this word in our list.
We’re talking about a nocturnal animal, best known in North America, that is usually portrayed in movies and TV series as stealing food from a wheelie-bin. Can you guess it? It’s a racoon. Although this mammal is not very common in Italy, its name sounds incredibly cute in Italian.
There is also another name for the racoon in Italian: l’orsetto lavatore (the washing little bear). How cute is that?
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