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.
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
Let’s face it. Everybody loves the sound of the Italian language. That’s why we at Coffee Break Languages have decided to bring you 10 beautiful Italian words that sound great (and are really useful). After all, there is a charming melodic aspect to it that is absolutely undeniable. How can we resist its postalveolar affricates,
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
We’ve now learned both the Perfect Tense and the Imperfect Tense in Italian, but when do you use which tense? In this episode of Coffee Break Italian we’ll be talking about “thtooms” and “dum-de-dum-de-dums”. This is Mark’s method of explaining how you can combine the Perfect Tense and the Imperfect Tense in one sentence to
In this lesson we’re focusing on a new tense, the imperfect, which is used for descriptions and to talk about repeated actions in the past. It’s a very straightforward tense, and Francesca shares some great news about the Imperfect in this episode! As usual, there are lots of examples and Mark and Francesca will test
What better place to start building your Italian vocabulary than learning pasta names in Italian? Far from being just an ingredient kept at the back of the cupboard, pasta is a staple of Italian cuisine and culture, so cherished in Italy that wheat often has to be imported from other countries to keep up with
In this lesson you’ll learn to use four very useful adverbs: mai (ever), già (already), appena (just) and ancora (still/yet) to talk about what you’ve just done, what you’ve already done, what you’ve never done and what you’ve not yet done. This very useful lesson builds on what you’ve learned in previous episodes, and it
In this episode we’re looking at how you say you liked something in the past using the verb piacere. This verb is conjugated with essere and you have to be careful with how you agree the past participle. We’ll also be taking a look at how reflexive verbs work in the Perfect Tense in this
So far we’ve been learning how to talk in the past by using the Perfect Tense with avere. In this lesson we’ll be learning about a specific group of verbs which use essere in the Perfect Tense. There’s something in particular we need to remember about these verbs, and all will become clear once you’ve
In this episode of Coffee Break Italian, we’re continuing to learn about the Perfect Tense, this time focusing on verbs which have irregular past participles. You’ll learn to form past participles for irregular verbs and you’ll also learn about the groupings of irregular verbs which form their past participles in similar ways. Listen to the
It’s time to think about the past. We’ve already seen examples of the Perfect Tense, one of the main Italian tenses used to talk about what happened in the past, but so far we’ve not learned exactly how to use it. In this lesson you’ll be learning to form the past participle of -are, -ere
In this lesson we’re continuing our study of ne and introducing a new pronoun, ci. Both of these words are small, but exceptionally useful, and you’ll learn how to use them in many situations.
In this lesson we’ll be looking at the partitive article – the technical name for how to translate “some” in Italian. We’re using the context of buying food so you’ll learn how to ask for some cheese, del formaggio, some cream, della panna, and lots more. This topic also enables us to look at the
In this lesson you’ll learn to use the demonstrative adjectives questo and quello, meaning “this” and “that”. You’ll also learn to use the demonstrative pronoun forms, meaning “this one” and “that one”. There are a few things you need to remember, particularly with quello, because the forms change slightly depending on whether you’re using the
Paying compliments is a key part of Italian culture and society, and in this lesson of Coffee Break Italian you’ll learn to compliment native speakers on their beautiful clothes, their delicious ragù, and their delightful children using the tricky adjectives bello and buono. You’ll discover a trick which will help you to know exactly which
In this episode of Coffee Break Italian you’ll be learning about Italian adjectives and how they agree in gender and number with the noun they describe. You’ll learn about Four-Ending, Two-Ending and Invariable adjectives, and how to change the adjectives so that they “agree” with the noun. Join Mark as he goes clothes shopping in
In this lesson you’ll learn to conjugate and use three very common -ire verbs which are irregular: venire (to come), uscire (to go out) and dire (to say/tell). Pay particular attention to the spelling changes which happen in these verbs!
In this lesson we’ll be taking a look at four common irregular verbs which end in -ere: bere (to drink), tenere (to hold/keep), sapere (to know) and conoscere (also to know). You’ll also learn the difference between the two verbs which can be translated as “to know” and when to use them.
In this episode you’ll learn to use avere and essere, two of the most important Italian verbs. In addition to the normal uses you’ll also learn to use the verbs in a number of idiomatic expressions. By the end of this lesson you’ll be a master of “being” and “having” in Italian!
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