What you’ll be able to do
Level 3 teaches you through a story, and following the characters helps the grammar and vocabulary stick.
Follow written French
Understand diary entries written and read by native speakers, week by week.
Stretch into new tenses
Get comfortable with the future tense, and your first proper look at the subjunctive.
Grow your vocabulary
Pick up natural, varied French from texts about everyday life.
Translate and take dictation
Put it all to work in eight lessons of translation and dictation at the end.
The presenter, and the story
In each lesson a native speaker reads the week’s entry, and Mark picks out the language inside it: the vocabulary, the expressions and the grammar that make it work.
Katie is a young American travelling around Europe, Veronica is an Australian entrepreneur on an extended business trip, and Alf is a retired teacher from England. Their teacher, Mme Soulabaille, has asked them to keep a diary, and that diary is your course.
Inside every lesson
All 40 lessons follow the same shape, so you always know what to do next.
What’s included
Pay once and it’s yours for life, on every device you use.
- 40 story-based lessons Following the diaries of Katie, Veronica and Alf.
- An extended language study A deeper episode for every lesson.
- Full transcripts and notes Grammar explanations, vocabulary and examples.
- A quiz every ten lessons Check your progress as you go.
- Two expansion packs Extra notes and audio once you’ve finished the 40 lessons.
- Lifetime access One payment, no subscription.
Listen
The diary episode
A native speaker reads the week’s entry slowly, and Mark talks through one or two of the main language points.
Study
The language study
Mark goes through the whole text, with the grammar, vocabulary, extra examples and translations, and the entry read at normal speed.
Read
Lesson notes
Read the full transcript, with grammar explanations and plenty of extra examples.
Extras
Downloads
Download the diary on its own in a slow and a fast audio version.
The 40 lessons
The diaries follow the three students in and around Nice, and the last eight lessons are translation and dictation. There’s a quiz after every ten lessons.
Part 1 · Lessons 1 to 10
Meet Alf, Katie and Veronica
The three students introduce themselves, Alf plans a trip to Menton and Katie finds a job, with a focus on the future tense.
- 1Getting to know Alf, Katie and Veronica
- 2All about Katie
- 3All about Alf
- 4All about Veronica
- 5Alf’s plans for Menton
- 6Focus on the future tense
- 7Katie’s trip to Nice
- 8Katie’s eventful trip to Nice, part 2
- 9Veronica’s diary about her daughter and learning French
- 10Katie’s found a job
Part 2 · Lessons 11 to 20
Trips and plans
Alf talks about his retirement and his cookery plans, Veronica visits Italy and Monaco, and Katie goes to Cannes. You meet the subjunctive, and there’s a review.
- 11Alf’s life as a retiree
- 12Veronica’s daily routine and plans for Italy
- 13Katie’s hopes and plans
- 14Veronica recounts her Italian trip
- 15Alf’s cookery plans
- 16Focus on the subjunctive
- 17Katie’s plans for Cannes
- 18Katie tells all about Cannes
- 19Veronica in Monaco
- 20A review of lessons 1 to 19
Part 3 · Lessons 21 to 32
Life in Nice
The diaries cover pétanque, a cookery class, a party, Alf’s house, Katie and Jérôme, and plans for the summer.
- 21Alf talks about pétanque
- 22Veronica’s party report
- 23Alf’s cookery class
- 24All about Alf’s interests
- 25Veronica’s concerns for the future
- 26Alf’s party plans
- 27Katie and Jérôme
- 28Katie’s plans with Jérôme
- 29Veronica talks about Alf’s party
- 30Alf’s house
- 31Katie’s plans for summer
- 32More of Katie’s plans
Part 4 · Lessons 33 to 40
Translation and dictation
The course finishes with eight lessons of translation and dictation practice.
- 33Translation and dictation
- 34Translation and dictation
- 35Translation and dictation
- 36Translation and dictation
- 37Translation and dictation
- 38Translation and dictation
- 39Translation and dictation
- 40Translation and dictation
From learners on the course
“I absolutely love the translation and dictation lessons! The dictation especially is really useful for me to check my spellings and accents as this is an area where I can (and do) make mistakes when writing in French. Thank you!”
“Until I found Coffee Break French, I was stuck at a low intermediate level. Season 3 has really helped me move on. I'm more confident with longer phrases and all the bloomin' little words that are so tricky to get right. Plus my accent has improved. Merci!”
“Ce cours est génial et utile pour apprendre le français. Je suis très contente d’avoir acheté la troisième saison.”
Questions
What’s the difference between the course and the free podcast?
The free podcast has the diary episodes. The course adds an extended language study for every lesson, full transcripts and lesson notes, quizzes and two expansion packs.
Is Level 3 right for me?
It’s for intermediate learners who are comfortable with the basics, usually after Levels 1 and 2. If you can follow the first free Level 3 episode with a bit of effort, it’s a good fit.
Can I download the materials?
Yes, the audio and lesson notes download to your device for offline study.
How long do I have access?
For life. Pay once and it’s yours, across all of your devices.
When does it start and finish?
It starts the moment you join and has no end date. It’s self-paced, so you set the timeline.
Can I try it before I buy?
Yes. You can listen to the diary episodes free on the podcast. The course adds all the support that goes with them: an extended language study for every lesson, full transcripts and lesson notes, quizzes and two expansion packs.
Find the course that fits you
Coffee Break French has five levels, from absolute beginner to advanced. If this one doesn’t feel right, try the level above or below.
The Level 1 course40 lessons for absolute beginners, with video lessons, notes and exercises
The Level 2 courseMove beyond the basics and learn the grammar you need to go further
The Level 4 courseFollow a story set in Paris through 40 lessons of more advanced French
La Vérité éclate toujoursChallenge yourself with a crime novel for advanced learners, with all the support you need
Coffee Break French · Level 3
Step into the story
Every lesson comes with an extended language study and full notes, so you can follow the story at your own pace.
$269One payment, yours for life
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