Olá! Welcome to another episode of Coffee Break Portuguese. Our topic for today is places in town. Rafael and Ava will cover some useful words and phrases to help you find your way around a town or city and talk about how to ask for directions. This lesson is an introduction to the topic and we’ll be taking it further in lesson 8.
Coffee Break Languages
CBGa 1.06 | Numbers 1–10 — How to count from 1–10 in Gaelic
Welcome back to another episode of Coffee Break Gaelic. In this lesson you’ll learn some new vocabulary to talk about your family. We’ll also cover the numbers from zero to ten and the days of the week.
Capítulo 11 – ¿Y ahora qué?
In Chapter 10, Pilar called Marta following a visit from an estate agent arranged by Carlos some time ago. Before Marta had the chance to uncover any information about her father, Pilar hung up the phone on her. Listen to this week’s episode as Marta heads to back to her childhood home to find out what Carlos is up to. Take note of the phrases: sacar de quicio and hecho/a y derecho/a as well as the verbs esfumarse and aferrarse.
CBSw Travel Diaries 1.03 | Krabbfiske och bastubad på Klädesholmen
In this lesson, the family leaves Marstrand to travel to nearby island Klädesholmen. We get to hear stories about Mattias’s childhood as he takes us up and down the streets lined by white wooden houses on this rocky island full of rose bushes, sunshine, and sailboats. We learn some new vocabulary and revise verb tenses along the way!
CBI 3.36 | Il tesoro di Montespelonca | D’ora in poi me la caverò da solo!
Welcome back to another episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3 and a further instalment of our story series “Il tesoro di Montespelonca”! In this chapter Alessandro and his friends finally make it to Le Torrette but are disappointed to find only grass and thorn bushes when they arrive. The three friends disagree on their next steps and Alessandro decides to continue to investigate on his own. Listen out for our Cosina: meglio soli che male accompagnati!
CBG 3.36 | Ein Zwilling studiert selten allein | Ein Wechselbad der Gefühle
We’re back with a new episode of Coffee Break German Season 3 and another instalment of our story series “Ein Zwilling studiert selten allein”! In this part of the story we find out about Marian’s email from UCLA and how family and friends react to the news. In this episode, among other things, you will find a wide range of tenses being used from pluperfect, perfect, imperfect, present and future all in just a few sentences. Furthermore you can find some new vocabulary describing the emotions the twins are feeling such as schlechtes Gewissen, ablenken and verlockend.
CBP 1.06 | Numbers 1–10 – How to count from 1–10 in Portuguese
Join Rafael and Ava in the latest episode of Coffee Break Portuguese, in which we’re learning how to count from 1–10, how to ask for and give telephone numbers, and how to give more information about your family using numbers. We’ll also be joined by Catarina for more listening practice and some learning about Portuguese names in today’s Cafezinho com Catarina. Estão prontos? Vamos lá!
CBGa 1.05 | Introducing your family — Words for family members in Gaelic
Susanna and Mark are back for another episode of Coffee Break Gaelic. In this lesson, you’ll learn how to introduce different members of your family and how to use emphatic pronouns such as esan and ise. You’ll also hear about the meaning of some Gaelic surnames from our Cultural Correspondent Rae.
CBSw Travel Diaries 1.02 | En dag på Marstrandsön
The adventures of the family continue! In this episode we follow them as they take the ferry over to the island of Marstrandsön – an island full of sunshine, history, old fortresses, ghosts, and seagulls. This lesson builds on a lot of the grammar we are already familiar with and we encounter verbs in new tenses. We also see some new and useful constructions, and learn more about some of Sweden’s most infamous criminals.
CBI 3.35 | Il tesoro di Montespelonca | Chiediamo al professor Doppi!
We’re back with another episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3 and our fifth instalment of “Il tesoro di Montespelonca“! In this part of the story Alessandro and his friends visit the village’s local historian, Professor Doppi, to find out more about the legend of the cave. He says that, according to some old documents, there could be an actual cave below the mountain but it has never been explored as the passage seems to be blocked. He also gives them a big book containing a chapter on ‘Le Torrette’, two ancient towers on the mountain near the village. Apparently, these towers indicated the way towards a hidden path to the cave used by bandits, but the path to this day has not been found…
CBG 3.35 | Ein Zwilling studiert selten allein | Emails aus Kalifornien
We’re back with a new episode of Coffee Break German Season 3 and another instalment of “Ein Zwilling studiert selten allein”! In this segment of the story Lucie and Marian are at home, enjoying the sun and the peace after the exciting celebration that was the prom. But suddenly, Lucie receives a long awaited e-mail! In this episode, among other things you will find a wide range of vocabulary used to describe the emotions and emotional responses of people. This is also a great opportunity to see the difference between “werden” and “bekommen” in German.
CBP 1.05 | Introducing your family – Words for family members in Portuguese
We’ve reached episode 5 of Coffee Break Portuguese! In this lesson Rafael and Ava are covering another useful topic for when you’re travelling in the Portuguese-speaking world or meeting someone who speaks Portuguese – how to introduce your family. We’ll be learning some of the words for different family members, as well as how to say what they are called.
CBGa 1.04 | Where you live — How to talk about where you live in Gaelic
Join teacher Susanna and learner Mark in the fourth lesson of Coffee Break Gaelic. In this episode, we’ll cover city names and Gaelic pronouns, and you’ll be able to talk about where you live. We’ll also hear from our Cultural Correspondent Rae who’ll tell us more about the Gaelic language and where it is spoken.
CBSw Travel Diaries 1.01 | Resan till Koön
Welcome to the very first episode of the Coffee Break Swedish Travel Diaries! In Episode 1 we are introduced to a family of four as they drive down from the city of Uppsala to spend their summer holidays on the West Coast of Sweden. As we get to know them and follow their initial drive down to the coast we review some key grammar, including tenses and compound words, and are introduced to both new vocabulary and grammar points.
CBI 3.34 | Il tesoro di Montespelonca | Bentornata a casa, Stella!
Welcome back to Coffee Break Italian Season 3. In episode 34 we are listening to the fourth segment of our story series ‘Il tesoro di Montespelonca‘! Alessandro and his three friends visit Nina, Alessandro’s Nonna, who tells them about the legend of an underground cave going through the mountain near her wheat fields. Allegedly, hens would sometimes disappear when people took them to the market, and they would then reappear on the other side of the mountain, as if by magic. Alessandro wonders if Stella could be hiding in this legendary cave but when he returns home he is surprised to see his dog, found by a farmer in his own field, right on the other side of the mountain!
CBG 3.34 | Ein Zwilling studiert selten allein | Der Abiball
Welcome back to a new episode of Coffee Break German Season 3. In this episode we are listening to the fourth part of our story series ‘Ein Zwilling studiert selten allein‘! In this segment of the story the whole family are attending the “Abiball” to celebrate the end of the twins’ school career. It is a fabulous evening filled with speeches, laughter, music, dance and Lucie and Marian are enjoying their time with friends, family and former teachers. Listen out for some new vocabulary used to describe the exciting evening such as: in raschem Tempo, überaus gutaussehend and schnattern.
Meet the team: Thomas
Servus! My name is Thomas and I am a German Curriculum Developer at Coffee Break Languages. My role is mainly to create and develop content for the different German courses, but I also show up in videos from time to time.
What is your role in Coffee Break?
I mostly create and record content for the different German learning formats, whether that is Coffee Break German, the Club or shorts for social media. I really enjoy the variety this role brings in terms of writing resources and being able to focus on different aspects of the language. This role also includes the audio and video recording in the studio, which requires very different skills, but I enjoy just as much. Especially because it involves working together with a lot of different members of the Coffee Break Languages Team, either in front or behind the microphone.
What experience have you had speaking and learning other languages?
My first experience with learning languages was at school. I learned English for 9 years and Latin for 3. To be honest, I really didn’t enjoy languages in school and I was never particularly good at them either. My real interest for English started when I was 16 while watching films in English, translating song lyrics and most of all, traveling through Europe. I kept improving my English during my years at university and I also attended a Spanish course before spending a year in Seville as an exchange student. There, I met my Scottish wife and moved to Scotland a few years later which took my understanding of English, and indeed the local accents, to the next level. Since then, I have started a Gaelic course, tried to improve my Spanish skills and started raising a bilingual son.
What are your favourite memories of working with Coffee Break?
When I first worked with Mark, we recorded in a small studio behind his living room and there was a very small team. I really liked his approach to learning and teaching languages and was amazed at the business he managed to build. I loved coming up with the first season of Coffee Break German together and laugh fondly at the awkwardness of my first recordings and listening back to them.
Where would your ideal coffee break be and with whom?
It would definitely be back in Seville in Spain, at the small café in front of the university. Sun in the sky, a café con hielo and chatting with the friends I made during my exchange year, finding out what everybody has been up to over the last 10 years.
What’s your best language learning tip?
My first real motivation for learning languages came from doing things I enjoyed anyway, but in a foreign language. For me that meant starting to read fantasy books and watching films in English, or changing the language of my computer games to English. I think practising the language through something that you enjoy not only gives you a lot of exposure, increases understanding and builds your vocabulary, but also shows you the relevance and lets you use it in a practical way. Depending on your level you could even start with simplified language, for example from children’s books or switching on the subtitles for a film. However, over time your hobby or interest will be extended by a completely new culture, whether that is Spanish DIY videos, Italian poetry, Polish fantasy authors or German folk music!
The other tip, however not always possible, would be to move to a country where the language is spoken for a period of time.
Quick-fire round
- Favourite language: Overall German, even though it’s my own language. I love how complex it is and that I still learn new grammar rules after 34 years. I also love the different dialects, especially in parts of Austria, and generally find it to be a beautiful language to listen to, even if others may think it sounds a bit harsh.
- Favourite word/phrase: zach which is an Austrian colloquial word that just sounds exactly like what it describes, being anything from “tough, chewy, difficult, stubborn” but also “hardy, strong, endurant”.
- Favourite film: I really liked the last “Dune” film but as an all time favourite, it would probably be “The Lord of the Rings” trilogy.
- Favourite TV show: Currently “The Witcher”
- Favourite destination: Mountains, all kinds of them. I love the Alps, the Scottish Highlands, the Sierra Nevada and its white villages and basically every mountain range I have been to in the world.
- Favourite Bands: Alt-J, Kettcar
Do you have a message for the Coffee Break community?
Firstly, a massive Danke to the whole community. It is amazing to see how your support, contributions and loyalty helped Coffee Break Languages to develop, add new languages and courses and grow its team within the last 10 years. I am incredibly excited to be part of it again and create new and exciting German content for all our learners.
CBP 1.04 | Where you live — How to talk about where you live in Portuguese
Ready to learn some more Portuguese on your coffee break? In this fourth lesson, we’ll be learning how to ask someone where they live and how to talk about where you live. We’ll also be taking some of our knowledge from previous episodes a step further by learning how to use the verb ser (“to be”) to talk about where other people are from, as well as how to form negative phrases.
Introducing the Coffee Break Swedish Travel Diaries
The Coffee Break Swedish Travel Diaries will be starting next Thursday 27th April! In this short introductory episode we share some details about what you can expect from the series. You’ll be following the adventures of a Swedish family as they take a road trip down the west coast of Sweden, from Marstrand down to Halmstad. Throughout the lessons you will have the opportunity to practise your Swedish, increase your understanding and build your vocabulary through travel.
We’ll also have an online course for the Travel Diaries which will offer additional materials like lesson notes, a video version of the lesson and bonus audio materials. Further information coming soon!
CBGa 1.03 | Where you’re from — Countries in Gaelic
Welcome back to the next episode of Coffee Break Gaelic! In this episode you will learn how to talk about where you are from. We’ll also cover the names for different countries in Gaelic and take a closer look at the verb “to be”.
