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¡Es intraducible! Our 10 favourite untranslatable Spanish words

Have you ever learned a new word in a different language and wondered how on earth you would translate it into English? Have you then started to doubt your translation skills, thinking that you no longer even know your own language very well? Well… fear not! In every language there are words which are ‘untranslatable’,

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5 reasons why learning Hungarian is “csodálatos” (wonderful!)

Hungarian is spoken by roughly 14 million people in eastern Europe. It’s the official language, of course, in Hungary, and it’s also spoken in parts of Romania, Slovakia and other bordering countries. Some people find Hungarian difficult to learn, but as even just a little language can go a long way, we’ll show you why

Andrea
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Meet the team: Andrea

My name is Andrea and it’s my job to teach Mark German in the second series of Coffee Break German. I knew about Coffee Break for a few years before I joined the Radio Lingua team in 2016. I am a qualified language teacher, translator and interpreter, but I started out in a completely different

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Learning Chinese is easier than you think!

Have you ever wished you could speak Chinese but you’re put off by the difficulty? We often hear people, particularly in the West, say “Chinese is the most difficult language in the world”. People are often frightened by the seemingly complicated characters, the foreign quality of the sounds, and the speed at which native speakers

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Meet the team: Kristina

My name’s Kristina and I’m Coffee Break’s Operations and HR Manager. I first started working at the company as an intern in October 2016, during my final year of university. After graduating in June 2017, with a Masters in International Business and Modern Languages, I started working full time in our Glasgow office. What is

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How not to be an imposter with your pasta!

Today, we’re bringing you the first of our Italian blog posts, and where better place to start than with a staple of Italian cuisine and culture: pasta! Far from being just an ingredient kept at the back of the cupboard, in Italy, pasta is so cherished that wheat often has to be imported in from

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31 ways to make January your best language-learning month ever!

The start of a new year is the best possible time to make a resolution to challenge yourself to become a better language learner. And this doesn’t necessarily mean hours and hours of study every day! At Coffee Break Languages, we champion the idea of making your down-time your do-time: by using any spare moments

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Dream Destinations for practising your German this Winter

There is a myriad of winter activities on offer across the spectacular resorts in Germany, Switzerland and Austria and so many chances to try out the German you’ve been learning. From snow-boarding to bob-sledding, “fat bikes“ to swimming (yes, outdoors, in winter!) there is something for everyone in the winter playground around the Alps. If

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New Year – New One Minute Languages!

We’re delighted to be launching five new One Minute Language courses for the new year. Starting on 1st January you can learn the basics of Czech, Slovak, Icelandic, Latvian and Hungarian with our weekly free podcast episodes. 1. Mondays: Hungarian Hungarian is a language spoken by about 14 million people in eastern Europe. It’s the

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8 ‘Digestable’ Spanish Idioms for your delectation

It’s said that in order to find out more about the culture of a country, one need look no further than the language, or languages, spoken by the people who live there. To prove this theory, let’s take the example of the United Kingdom, where two of the most well-known idioms are ‘it’s not my

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5 Films for French Learners

Watching a film in a foreign language is a great way of improving your language skills. Not only does it do wonders for your listening and comprehension skills, but it is also a very enjoyable way of incorporating language learning into your free time. Tuning your ear into everyday colloquial French will massively enhance your

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7 tips to help you learn a language from scratch

Have you ever dreamed of learning a language but never had the opportunity? Perhaps your last language-learning experience was a very long time ago but you’ve always wanted to reignite your love of languages. Knowing where to start and how to study in order to achieve your language-learning goals can often seem like an insurmountable

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Episode 5 – Coffee Break Conversations

Join the Coffee Break French team at the France Show in London for this episode of Coffee Break Conversations. Pierre-Benoît is in his element, enjoying all things French from sausages to oysters, et un peu de vin aussi!

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Introducing Coffee Break Chinese

We’re very excited to introduce a brand new show in the Coffee Break family – from Wednesday 8th February you can start learning Mandarin Chinese with Coffee Break Chinese. Watch the video above to find out more about the show and to get to know our teacher Crystal and learner Mark. To access the free

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Introducing Coffee Break Italian Season 2

To access the free lessons of Season 2, make sure you’re subscribed to the podcast – see the links below. Lessons will be published fortnightly, so lesson 2 will be available on Monday 20th February. The premium version of Season 2 will be available on the Coffee Break Academy from 6th February. Again, episodes will

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Introducing Coffee Break German Season 2

We’re delighted to announce that Coffee Break German Season 2 will launch on Monday 13th February. In this video, join learner Mark and our new teacher Andrea as they discuss what’s coming up in Season 2. Julia, our Cultural Correspondent, also joins us for the new season.

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Episode 4 – Coffee Break Conversations

Join Mark and Carmen for this special episode of Coffee Break Conversations, filmed on the occasion of the recording of the final episode of Coffee Break Spanish Season 4.

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Coffee Break Italian Season 2 – coming soon!

We’re delighted to report that the Coffee Break Italian team is busy working on the first lessons of Season 2. In Season 2 you’ll be able to take your Italian to the next level by expanding your vocabulary, increasing your understanding of Italian grammar, and building your confidence in using the language. The real focus

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A review of 2016

It’s been a busy year for us here at Radio Lingua and we thought we’d take this opportunity to look back through the 2017. We hope you enjoy reliving some of the highlights of the year with us. Masterclass launch On 1st January we launched our Coffee Break French and Spanish Masterclass courses. These are

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Episode 3 – Coffee Break Conversations

Mark was in Germany earlier this month to record some Coffee Break German content with Julia. After the recording session they took a trip to the Christmas Markets in Berlin’s Gendarmenmarkt and Potsdamerplatz where they recorded this episode of Coffee Break Conversations, the video series which takes you behind the scenes of Radio Lingua. This