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How to pronounce ‘gli’ in Italian

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Have you ever found yourself tongue-tied when trying to pronounce the Italian sound gli?

You’re not alone! Gli is considered one of the trickiest sounds to master in Italian, mainly because it’s not commonly found in many other languages. But there’s no need to worry, as there are some techniques that you can learn to help you pronounce this sound, which we’re going to look at today.

The Coffee Break Italian Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations in which we demystify tricky Italian language topics. In the latest episode, Mark and Francesca unravel the mystery of how to pronounce gli.

This sound is not confined to the definite article gli, as you will also find it in other words like figlio (“son”), scoglio (“rock / cliff”), maniglia (“handle”) and, yes, even tagliatelle.

Continue reading to find out more, and why not listen to the podcast as you go?

What’s the difference between ‘GLI’ and ‘L’?

If you want to perfect your pronunciation, you’ll have to do some tongue gymnastics. Just like when you are serious about going to the gym, for example, you need to train your mind to understand what is going on and the muscles that you are moving.

Let’s learn how to pronounce the sound gli by looking at a similar sound: l. Try to pronounce the following words:

filo
 thread

pala
shovel, spade

Be conscious of what is happening in your mouth. Your tongue is behind your teeth and to the front of the palate.

Now let’s try to pronounce gli. Focus on the movement we’ve observed when saying l. Try to spread your tongue across the palate, taking up more space, and push it a little bit more towards your front teeth. You should feel a little bit of breath coming from the sides of your mouth.

In the podcast episode, Francesca shares a useful tip to help you pronounce gli: try to smile!

Let’s practise ‘gli’

Now let’s practise by reading these words out loud:

figli
children, sons

mogli
wives

scogli
rocks, cliffs

Note that you can have another vowel after the sound gli. In these cases, the letter i is there for phonetic reasons, so you shouldn’t emphasise the i while pronouncing these words:

figlio
child, son

coniglio
rabbit

moglie
wife

foglie
leaves

tovaglia
tablecloth

voglia
desire, want

You should now feel the difference between words containing gli or l. For example, try pronouncing the following pairs of words to feel the difference:

fili
threads

figli
children, sons

scoli
you drain

scogli
rocks, cliffs

‘Gli’ at the start of a word 

Francesca and Mark also mention that the sound gli is never at the start of a word, unless it’s the definite article or the pronoun gli. (Speaking of the article gli, our previous episode of The Coffee Break Italian Show was all about Italian definite articles, so if you’d like more information on this, you can find the episode by clicking here.)

When the letters gli come at the beginning of a word, we pronounce a hard g sound. For example:

glicine
wisteria

glissare
to skirt (an issue), to move forward, to gloss over

In these examples, the combination of the letters gl (without an i) is pronounced with a hard g sound, just like in the following words:

inglese
English

gladiatore
gladiator

glutine
gluten

globo
globe

Regional differences

One more point to note: in certain regions of Italy, for example in the Marche region, people pronounce gli differently, similar to the sound of “y” at the beginning of words in English.

Ecco fatto

There you have it, our crash course on mastering the Italian gli sound.

We hope you found this lesson informative and helpful as you embark on your Italian pronunciation journey. Remember, while it may seem challenging at first, with practice and a keen ear, you’ll soon find yourself pronouncing gli like a native speaker.

If you found this interesting, make sure you listen to the full podcast episode with Mark and Francesca on The Coffee Break Italian Show. We will be regularly uploading more episodes for Italian learners, so make sure to subscribe to our podcast feed and our channel on YouTube to find out when the next episode is available.

Plus! To get regular free Italian lessons in your inbox, you can sign up for our short (coffee-break-sized) email lessons that will help you improve your Italian. You will also hear from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, giving advice for language learners at any level. Sign up below!

Happy Coffee Breaking!

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CBP 1.19 | Travelling by public transport

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This lesson of Coffee Break Portuguese is all about travel. Join Rafael and Ava to learn the phrases you need to know when dealing with travel situations in a Portuguese-speaking country, including using public transport and buying travel tickets. We’ll also listen to a practice dialogue set in a train station and hear from Catarina in today’s Cafezinho com Catarina, in which she tells us a little more about the Azores.

Practising relative pronouns: ‘qui’ and ‘que’

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Knowing when to use qui and when to use que is a tricky topic for many French learners.

In this article we’re going to practise qui and que to help you know when to use each of them.

The Coffee Break French Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations, in which we demystify tricky French language topics. In the latest episode, Mark and Max continue their discussion of qui and que and how to choose between them when speaking French. This episode is the second part of a double episode on this topic. So, before we start, if you haven’t already watched our other episode on this topic, or read its accompanying blog article, you can find it here.

Continue reading to find out more and why not listen to the podcast as you go?

Let’s start with a quick recap.

‘Qui’ replaces a subject

When replacing a subject, qui connects actions to the subject. For instance, pay attention to how qui is used to connect the following sentences:

Je téléphone à mon ami. Mon ami habite à Londres.
I’m phoning my friend. My friend lives in London.

Je téléphone à mon ami qui habite à Londres.
I’m phoning my friend who lives in London.

‘Que’ replaces a direct object

Que, on the other hand, replaces a direct object. Let’s compare the following sentences to see how que can be introduced in order to link two sentences:

J’ai mangé un gâteau. Le gâteau est au chocolat.
I’ve eaten a cake. The cake is a chocolate cake.

Le gâteau que j’ai mangé est au chocolat.
The cake that I’ve eaten is a chocolate cake.

And remember, when the word following que starts with a vowel, que becomes qu’.

Let’s practise ‘qui’ and ‘que’

In this podcast episode, Mark and Max put theory into practice with a fill-in-the-gaps exercise. Let’s have a look at the text they tackle:

J’ai un ami _ habite dans une petite maison _ j’adore visiter. Il a un chien _ je trouve très mignon. Le chien, _ j’ai rencontré hier, est très joueur. Mon ami, _ est passionné par la musique, joue du piano _ ses parents lui ont offert. Il a une sœur _ je connais depuis l’enfance. Sa sœur, _ est médecin, travaille dans un hôpital _ je n’ai jamais visité. Mon ami et sa sœur ont des parents _ sont très sympathiques. Les parents, _ j’ai rencontrés hier soir, m’ont invité à dîner ce week-end. C’est une famille _ j’apprécie énormément.

Our tip is that when you find yourself in a situation where you have to pick between qui and que, the very next word can help you make your choice. If the word that follows is a subject (e.g. je, tu, il, mon frère, Jeanne et Serge), choose que. If the next word is a conjugated verb or a pronoun, it is most likely to be qui.

Have a go at making the paragraph flow more naturally by using qui and que. You can check your answers at the end of this blog article, along with the English translation.

In conclusion

Remember, when faced with the choice between qui and que, let the context guide you. It may help you to memorise pairs of examples, like the ones used in this episode.

If you found this post interesting, make sure to listen to the full episode with Mark and Max on The Coffee Break French Show. This is the series in which we look at a range of topics for French learners, so make sure to subscribe to our podcast feed or our channel on YouTube.

Plus! To get regular free French lessons in your inbox, you can sign up for our short (coffee-break-sized) email lessons that will help you improve your French. You will also hear from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, giving advice for language learners at any level. Sign up below!

Don’t worry if you make mistakes with qui and que, French speakers will still understand you. The important thing is to practise and you will improve. Embrace the learning process, practise regularly, and soon, the distinctions between qui and que will become second nature.

Happy Coffee Breaking!

PS. Here is the full paragraph with the gaps completed with qui and que:

J’ai un ami qui habite dans une petite maison que j’adore visiter. Il a un chien que je trouve très mignon. Le chien, que j’ai rencontré hier, est très joueur. Mon ami, qui est passionné par la musique, joue du piano que ses parents lui ont offert. Il a une sœur que je connais depuis l’enfance. Sa sœur, qui est médecin, travaille dans un hôpital que je n’ai jamais visité. Mon ami et sa sœur ont des parents qui sont très sympathiques. Les parents, que j’ai rencontrés hier soir, m’ont invité à dîner ce week-end. C’est une famille que j’apprécie énormément.

Here’s an English translation:

I have a friend who lives in a small house that I love to visit. He has a dog whom* I find very cute. The dog, whom I met yesterday, is very playful. My friend, who is passionate about music, plays the piano that his parents gave him. He has a sister whom I have known since childhood. His sister, who is a doctor, works in a hospital that I have never visited. My friend and his sister have parents who are very friendly. The parents, whom I met last night, invited me to dinner this weekend. It’s a family that I greatly appreciate.

*Note that while “whom” is strictly the correct word to use when referring to the object of the sentence in English, outside formal contexts we very often hear “who” being used instead nowadays.

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When to use ‘in’, ‘on’ or ‘at’ with time

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Do you know when to use in, on, and at in English?

These little words are called prepositions. They can be difficult to use correctly, because they appear very often, and there aren’t many rules to follow!

The Coffee Break English Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations to help you understand some difficult topics in English. In the latest episode, Josie and Maurizio talk about the rules for when to use in, on, and at when we talk about time, and they give examples to help you understand.

Continue reading to find out more and why not listen to the podcast as you go?

So, let’s get started and look at in, on, and at!

‘In’ for general time periods

We use the preposition in to talk about general, or “big” time periods. Here are some examples of these time periods.

‘In’ for years

We use in with years. For example:

I went on holiday in 2023.

He was born in 1995.

‘In’ for decades and centuries

We also use in to talk about decades (groups of 10 years) and centuries (groups of 100 years). Let’s look at some examples:

I was born in the 1990s.

The Beatles became popular in the 1960s.

We are in the 21st century.

The first man walked on the moon in the 20th century.

‘In’ for months and seasons

When we are talking about months and seasons in the year, we also use in. For example:

We usually go on holiday in June.

School starts in September.

My birthday is in the summer.

It sometimes snows in the winter.

‘In’ for times of the day

We also use in when we are talking generally about times of the day. Let’s see some more examples:

The sun rises in the morning.

I usually exercise in the afternoon.

He always takes a shower in the evening.

Watch out! We say in the morning, in the evening, and in the afternoon. But we don’t say in the night, we say at night.

‘On’ for more specific periods of time

Are you following so far? Maybe you need a refill of tea or coffee! Let’s continue…

We use the preposition on to talk about time periods that are less general than those with in. Here are some examples of these time periods.

‘On’ for days of the week and times within days of the week

We use on to talk about days of the week. We also use on when we mention times of the day within a specific day of the week.

A good rule to follow is: if we use the name of the day, we must use on.

Here are some examples:

I do yoga on Mondays.

Let’s meet up on Saturday.

On Sunday mornings she gets up late.

We are going out on Friday night.

‘On’ for special days

We also use on to talk about special days, like holidays and festivals. For example:

I eat lots of food on Christmas Day.

On Valentine’s Day, lots of people send cards and flowers.

We always have a big party on New Year’s Eve.

Watch out! We only use on with special days when the name includes the words day or eve. For holiday periods, we use at. This is explained in more detail later in the article.

‘On’ for dates

We use on for dates. Here are some examples:

My birthday is on June the 10th.

The election will be on the 21st of October.

‘At’ for the most specific periods of time

So far, we have looked at in for general periods of time, and on for more specific periods of time. Finally, let’s focus on at. We use at for periods of time that are even more specific, and “smaller” than those with in and on.

‘At’ for times

We use at to talk about precise times. Let’s see some more examples:

I finish work at 4 o’clock.

My nephew was born at 10.32 am.

We also use at to talk about specific points in the day. These may happen at different times. For example:

He always gets up at sunrise.

The beach is beautiful at sunset.

I talk to my colleagues at lunchtime.

‘At’ for holiday and festival periods

Earlier in this article, we learned about using on for holidays and special days, like on Christmas Day. But when we talk about holidays and festival periods, without using the words day or eve, we use at. Let’s look at a few examples:

We always take time off work at Christmas.

At Diwali, lots of people decorate their homes with lights.

I’m visiting my family at Ramadan this year.

It’s your turn!

Now, let’s practise! Here are three questions. Answer them so that they are true for you, using in, on, or at. Some possible answers are at the end of this blog post, but don’t look until you’ve thought about your answers!

  1. What time do you start work?
  2. When is your birthday?
  3. When do you watch TV during the day?

If you found this post interesting, make sure you listen to the full podcast episode with Josie and Maurizio on The Coffee Break English Show. We will release more episodes soon, about some more useful topics! Subscribe to our podcast feed and our channel on YouTube to learn when the next episode is available.

Plus! To get regular free English lessons in your inbox, you can sign up for our email lessons. We regularly send short (coffee-break-sized) email lessons that will help you improve your English. You will also hear from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, giving advice for language learners at any level. Sign up below!

So, keep practising in, on, and at! Remember that all English learners make mistakes, but people can usually still understand you. It’s all part of the language-learning journey.

Happy Coffee Breaking!

PS. Here are some possible answers to the test.

  1. I usually start work at about 8.30 am, but on Fridays I start at 9 am.
  2. My birthday is on the 10th of May. I was born in 1995.
  3. I usually watch TV in the evenings or at night, and I never watch TV in the mornings.

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When to use ‘ser’ and ‘estar’ in Spanish

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¿Ser o estar? That is the question.

As you may already know, in Spanish there are two verbs that translate as “to be”, and knowing which to choose in each situation can be one of the biggest challenges for Spanish learners.

The Coffee Break Spanish Show is a podcast series of short, informal conversations to help you understand some difficult topics in Spanish. In the latest episode, Mark and Concha help us to better understand these two verbs and decide in which moments to use ser and when to choose estar.

Continue reading to find out more and why not listen to the podcast as you go?

Identity and circumstance

It is often taught that ser is used to describe something that is permanent and estar is for something that is temporary. In the episode, Concha proposes a different way to think about this:

ser – identity (as opposed to permanent)
estar – circumstance (as opposed to temporary)

Ser

Let’s look at the following description of Concha’s cousin and consider why we use ser in this situation:

Mi prima es española, es rubia, es guapa y es estudiante.
My cousin is Spanish, blonde, pretty and she’s a student.

Here, ser is used because we are identifying Concha’s cousin. Not only are we describing her nationality (es española) and her physical traits (es rubia, es guapa), but we are also saying what she does (es estudiante). It’s like playing ‘Guess who?’.

However, let’s focus on es estudiante, because here is where things get interesting. At the time we are describing Concha’s cousin, she is a student, but she will become a lawyer in a couple of years. Entonces, if it’s not something permanent, ¿por qué usamos ser? Well, we use ser because at the time of the description, she identifies herself as a student – she is not a lawyer yet!

This is a great example of why saying that ser is ‘identity’ can sometimes be a more useful way of thinking about it than ‘permanent’.

Estar

Another example will help us here, so that we can compare ser with estar. Let’s imagine Mark has a friend called Roberta, and he tells us:

Roberta es alta, es rubia y es simpática.
Roberta is tall, blonde and friendly.

Let’s say the same Roberta decided to change her hair, and when Concha saw her for the first time, she was not very friendly with her. Then, Concha would tell us:

Roberta es alta, es pelirroja y es antipática.
Roberta is tall, red-haired and unfriendly.

Mark saw her that very same day, but his description would be:

Roberta es alta, está pelirroja y está antipática.
Roberta is tall, red-haired and unfriendly.

As we can see, Mark has changed ser for estar. He says está pelirroja because he knows she used to be blonde, and he says está antipática because Roberta is a nice person, but that day she wasn’t as nice as usual.

These two changes in the verb are because the circumstances have changed for Mark (but not for Concha) and now Roberta has red hair and is unfriendly.

We can clearly see this contrast in these sentences:

El cielo es azul pero hoy está gris.
The sky is blue but today it’s grey.

La sala es grande y hoy está llena.
The room is big but today it’s full.

You might notice that hoy (“today”) helps to show that the meaning of something is circumstantial and may change.

¡Hora de practicar!

Now it’s time to test yourself! ¡Vamos a ponernos a prueba! Translate the following sentences into Spanish. You’ll find the answers at the end of the article. ¡Mucha suerte!

  1. Pedro is a healthy boy, but today he is sick.
  2. Normally, you are serious, but today you are funny. (Use either tú or usted.)

We hope that you found this article useful. Make sure to listen to the full episode with Mark and Concha on The Coffee Break Spanish Show. In our next episode, we’ll be continuing with this topic and we’ll be exploring situations in which the choice of ser or estar changes the meaning of a phrase. Subscribe to our podcast feed and our channel on YouTube so that you know when the next episode is available.

Plus! To get regular free Spanish lessons in your inbox, you can sign up for our short (coffee-break-sized) email lessons that will help you improve your Spanish. You will also hear from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, giving advice for language learners at any level. Sign up below!

Keep practising using ser and estar, and whenever you’re unsure which to use, just think about whether it’s a question of identity or circumstance.

Happy Coffee Breaking!

PS. Here are the answers to the translation challenge.

  1. Pedro is a healthy boy, but today he is sick. – Pedro es un chico sano pero hoy está enfermo.
  2. Normally, you are serious, but today you are funny. – Normalmente, eres serio, pero hoy estás gracioso. / Normalmente, es serio, pero hoy está gracioso.

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Compound nouns – breaking down long German words

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You may have already come across some long German words in your experience as a German learner – and they can be very long!

Why does this happen? It’s mostly because German allows us to join different words together to form a new one, called a compound word.

The Coffee Break German Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations, in which we demystify tricky German language topics. In the latest episode, Thomas and Olivera discuss how to construct and understand German compound words.

They discuss the rules for forming these words by looking at the most common group of them – the compound nouns.

Continue reading to find out more and why not listen to the podcast as you go?

What are compound nouns?

Let’s start off with a couple of examples of compound nouns, so that you can see what they are and how they work:

das Stachelschwein (der Stachel + das Schwein)
porcupine
 (spike + pig)

der Bahnhof (die Bahn + der Hof)
the railway station
 (railway + yard)

An important tip is to start by looking at the last word in the chain of words. This is useful for a number of reasons:

  • This last part determines the gender of the noun.
  • It also determines how you would form the plural.
  • It gives the greatest clue as to what you are talking about (often the words before it just narrow down details or qualify that last part).

Let’s take a few compound nouns that have the same ending. You can see how the first part of each word gives the details that differentiate the nouns from one another:

die Sprachschule
language school

die Grundschule
primary school

die Hauptschule
high school

Note that compound nouns can contain other elements than just nouns. This includes verbs, adjectives, and prepositions. However, the last element is always a noun.

Let’s look at some examples of these.

Nouns formed with adjectives

Here are some examples of compound nouns formed with an adjective:

das Hochhaus
skyscraper (literally, “high house”)

der Feinschmecker
gourmet (literally, “fine taster”)

Nouns formed with verbs

The following compound nouns are formed using a verb:

der Schwimmunterricht
swimming lesson

die Sprechblase
speech bubble

Nouns formed with more than two words

It is also common to have compound nouns formed with more than two words. For example:

das Geburtstagsgeschenk 
(Geburt + Tag + Geschenk)
birthday present
 (birth + day + present)

To make the compound noun plural, you only have to make the last word plural. So, in the case of the previous example, it would be:

die Geburtstagsgeschenke
birthday presents

There are also some compound nouns that are made up of two or more individual parts and which don’t make sense if you translate them literally, but instead are used as metaphors. For example:

die Saukälte
really cold

der Mordsspaß
a lot of fun

Time to test yourself

Let’s work out the meaning of the following compound nouns. When you’re ready, scroll down to the bottom of the article to find the answers.

  1. der Marmeladenglasverschluss
  2. der Haustürschlüssel
  3. die Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft

Let’s review

 

Although they can seem daunting, once you get the hang of compound nouns in German, you will find them quite natural. It’s all about practice!

If you found this post interesting, make sure to listen to the full episode with Thomas and Olivera on The Coffee Break German Show. This is the series in which we look at a range of topics for German learners, so make sure to subscribe to our podcast feed and our channel on YouTube.

Plus! To get regular free German lessons in your inbox, you can sign up for our short (coffee-break-sized) email lessons that will help you improve your German. You will also hear from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, giving advice for language learners at any level. Sign up below!

Happy Coffee Breaking!

PS. Here are the answers to our challenge:

  1. der Marmeladenglasverschluss – jam jar lid
  2. der Haustürschlüssel – house / front door key
  3. die Donaudampfschiffahrtselektrizitätenhauptbetriebswerkbauunterbeamtengesellschaft – Association for subordinate officials of the main maintenance building of the Danube steam shipping electrical services
    This one was even a challenge for Thomas and Olivera, so well done if you managed to piece together even some of the elements. This word is a great example of just how long German compound nouns can be!

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How do you say “the” in Italian?

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How do we translate “the” into Italian?

There are, in fact, seven options, and it depends on the grammatical gender (masculine or feminine) and the number (singular or plural) of the noun.

The Coffee Break Italian Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations in which we demystify tricky Italian language topics. In the latest episode, Mark and Francesca talk about everything you need to know about Italian definite articles.

Continue reading to find out more, and why not listen to the podcast as you go?

Let’s see the rules to follow to choose the right definite article in Italian every time!

“The” with singular Italian nouns

Let’s start with singular nouns.

We have to take into account whether the grammatical gender of the noun is masculine or feminine. Then, when it comes to masculine nouns, the first letter or letters of the word also play into which definite article to choose.

Masculine singular

il

We use il for most masculine singular nouns. For example:


il ragazzo
the boy

il libro
the book

il pesce
the fish

lo

We use lo for masculine singular nouns starting with s+consonant, z, y, x, ps, pn, gn. For example:


lo studente
the student

lo spettacolo
the show

lo scatolone
the big box

lo gnocco
the potato dumpling

lo gnomo
the gnome

lo psicologo
the psychologist

lo zaino
the rucksack

lo zucchero
the sugar

lo yogurt
the yoghurt

l’

We use l’ for masculine singular nouns starting with a vowel. For example:


l’amico
the (male) friend

l’elefante
the elephant

l’ombrello
the umbrella

l’uomo
the man

Feminine singular

la

We use la for most feminine singular nouns. For example:

la ragazza
the girl

la penna
the pen

la stazione
the station

la zia
the aunt

l’

We also use l’ for feminine singular nouns starting with a vowel. For example:


l’amica
the (female) friend

l’Italia
Italy

l’uva
the grape

l’emozione
the emotion

“The” with plural Italian nouns

With plural nouns, we also have to take into account whether they are masculine or feminine, and the letter with which they begin.

Masculine plural

i

We use i (plural of il) for most masculine plural nouns. For example:


i ragazzi
the boys

i libri
the books

gli

We use gli (plural of lo and l’) for masculine plural nouns starting with s+consonant, z, y, x, ps, pn, gn, or a vowel. For example:


gli studenti
the students

gli zaini
the rucksacks

gli gnocchi
the potato dumplings

gli psicologici
the psychologists

gli amici
the friends (male or mixed group)

gli elefanti
the elephants

gli ombrelli
the umbrellas

gli uomini
the men

Feminine plural

le

We use le (plural of la and l’) for all feminine plural nouns. For example:


le ragazze
the girls

le penne
the pens

le amiche
the (female) friends

When to use the definite article in Italian

Let’s look at some situations in which the definite article is used in Italian but not in English.

In Italian, you use the article with:

Continents, countries, states, nations, regions

For example:

la Francia
France

il Regno Unito
the UK

gli Stati Uniti
the USA

lo Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka

la Toscana
Tuscany

la Sicilia
Sicily

il Piemonte
Piedmont

le Marche
Marche

il Texas
Texas

il Devon
Devon

la Cornovaglia
Cornwall

Rivers, mountains, seas, lakes, volcanoes, islands

For example:

il Po
the Po

il Tamigi
the Thames

la Senna
the Seine

il Monte Bianco
Mont Blanc

l’Everest
Everest

We would see the definite article being used in the following sentence, for example:

L’Italia è un bellissimo paese.
Italy is a beautiful country.

However, in Italian, you don’t use the article with cities. For example:

Roma
Rome

Torino
Turin

Napoli
Naples

Note that there are some exceptions. For example:

La Spezia
La Spezia

Il Cairo
Cairo

It’s worth noting that you do use the definite article before a city when you want to talk about its football club. For example: la Roma, il Torino, il Napoli.

È tutto per oggi!

While this might seem like a lot of information, these little words are used all the time in Italian, so you will gradually get used to seeing and using them.

The best way to improve is to try to put them into practice and remember: if you make mistakes, that’s a normal part of learning. Italian speakers will be likely to still understand you, anyway.

Make sure to listen to the full podcast episode that accompanies this blog article with Mark and Francesca on The Coffee Break Italian Show. This is the series in which we look at a range of topics for Italian learners, so subscribe to our podcast feed and our channel on YouTube to find out when the next episode is available.

Plus! To get regular free Italian lessons in your inbox, you can sign up for our short (coffee-break-sized) email lessons that will help you improve your Italian. You will also hear from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, giving advice for language learners at any level. Sign up below!

Happy Coffee Breaking!

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When to use ‘qui’ and ‘que’: French relative pronouns

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Do you know the difference between qui and que?

Both qui and que are relative pronouns – designed to replace a noun in a sentence – yet, each has its distinct role.

When to use qui and when to use que is one of the questions we get asked the most by our Coffee Break French community. So, let’s explore both words so that we can better understand when to use each of them.

The Coffee Break French Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations, in which we demystify tricky French language topics. In the latest episode, Mark and Max discuss the meaning of qui and que and how to choose between them when speaking French.

Grasping the subtle differences between qui and que is a key step towards mastering French grammar. Continue reading to find out more and why not listen to the podcast as you go?

Using ‘qui’ to replace a subject

Starting with qui, this relative pronoun comes into play when replacing a subject – the thing that is carrying out the action of a verb. Qui can mean “who”, “which” or “that”.

For example, consider the following sentences.

Je parle à mon frère. Mon frère habite à Toulouse.
I am speaking to my brother. My brother lives in Toulouse.

By combining them, you get:

Je parle à mon frère qui habite à Toulouse.
I’m speaking to my brother who lives in Toulouse.

Question tags: when to say ‘is it?’ at the end of a sentence

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Do you know when to use is it? at the end of a phrase in English?

Is it? is a question tag. Question tags can be a little difficult to use in English, but once you understand the rules, they are very useful.

The Coffee Break English Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations to help you understand some difficult topics in English. In the latest episode, Josie and Mark talk about the rules for how to use question tags, and give some examples to practise.

Continue reading to find out more and why not listen to the podcast as you go?

So, now we can start looking at question tags, can’t we?

How to use question tags

Question tags are like “mini-questions”, which we add onto the end of phrases or sentences to check that the information we are giving is correct.

For example, if I think it is not raining outside, but I want to check that I am right, I can say:

It’s not raining, is it?

Is it? is a question tag. All question tags are made of a verb and the subject from the main sentence.

When the first verb in the sentence is in the negative form, the question tag is in the affirmative form, like in the example above. However, when the first verb is in the affirmative form, the question tag is in the negative form, like this:

It’s raining outside, isn’t it?

Now, let’s talk about how to make question tags. The rules depend on the first verb in the main sentence.

Question tags with the verb ‘be’

When the first verb in the main sentence is be, this is the verb that we use in the question tag. Here are some examples:

She is a doctor, isn’t she?

We are not late, are we?

You’re going running this evening, aren’t you?

I’m not wrong, am I?

Question tags with modal verbs and auxiliary verbs

When the first verb in the main sentence is a modal verb or an auxiliary verb, we use this verb in the question tag.

Remember, modal verbs are verbs that we put before the main verb, to add a “flavour” of meaning, like possibility, obligation, or probability. Some examples are must, should, can, would and will.

Auxiliary verbs are verbs that we use to build verb tenses, like have.

Let’s look at some examples:

You can speak Spanish, can’t you?

You can’t tap dance, can you?

We should shut the door, shouldn’t we?

I shouldn’t go to bed late, should I?

You have been to Paris, haven’t you?

We haven’t seen that movie, have we?

Question tags with present simple verbs

When the first verb in the main sentence is in the present simple, we use do, does, don’t or doesn’t in the question tag. Here are some examples:

You like pizza, don’t you?

He doesn’t play the piano, does he?

Question tags with past simple verbs

When the first verb in the main sentence is in the past simple, we use did or didn’t in the question tag. Here are some examples:

You read that book, didn’t you?

You didn’t go to Spain, did you?

It’s your turn, isn’t it?

Now, let’s practise! Here are five sentences. Complete each of them with a question tag. The answers are at the end of this blog post, but don’t look until you’ve thought about the answers!

  1. Mark is from Scotland, … ?
  2. You don’t like fish, … ?
  3. You can speak ten languages, … ?
  4. Josie has never been skiing, … ?
  5. They went to Manchester at the weekend, … ?

We’ve not finished already, have we?

Question tags can be difficult to think of fast when you are speaking, so why not review the rules and write your own example sentences using question tags?

If you found this post interesting, make sure you listen to the full podcast episode with Mark and Josie on The Coffee Break English Show. We will release more episodes soon, about some more useful topics! Subscribe to our podcast feed and our channel on YouTube to learn when the next episode is available.

Plus! To get regular free English lessons in your inbox, you can sign up for our email lessons. We regularly send short (coffee-break-sized) email lessons that will help you improve your English. You will also hear from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, giving advice for language learners at any level. Sign up below!

So, keep practising question tags! Remember that all English learners make mistakes, but people can usually still understand you. It’s all part of the language-learning journey.

Happy Coffee Breaking!

PS. Here are the answers to the test.

1. Mark is from Scotland, isn’t he?
2. You don’t like fish, do you?
3. You can speak ten languages, can’t you?
4. Josie has never been skiing, has she?
5. They went to Manchester at the weekend, didn’t they?

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How to know which syllable to stress in Spanish

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When it comes to Spanish pronunciation, some aspects of it are relatively easy to get your head around. However, at times, things can get a little tricky when it comes to knowing which syllable to stress when pronouncing a word in Spanish.

Like in English, the stress of words is not always on the same syllable. On top of this, what happens with the accents when written? Have you ever wondered why some words have an accent on the stressed vowel and why other words don’t?

The Coffee Break Spanish Show is a podcast series of short, informal conversations to help you understand some difficult topics in Spanish. In the latest episode, Mark and Concha look at where the stress can be in a Spanish word and learn when to use accent marks on vowels.

Continue reading to find out more and why not listen to the podcast as you go?

To make this easier, we can divide all Spanish words into four categories, depending on which syllable of a word is stressed.

1 – aguda

When a word has the stress on the final syllable, it is called aguda. Agudas have an accent on the vowel of the final syllable when the word ends in -n, -s or a vowel. Here are some examples of agudas:

mujer
woman
The stress is muJER, but there’s no accent because it ends in -r.

ajedrez
chess
The stress is ajeDREZ, but there’s no accent because the word ends in -z.

televisión
television
The stress is televiSIÓN, and there’s an accent because it ends in -n.

interés
interest
The stress is inteRÉS, and there’s an accent because it ends in -s.

café
coffee
The stress is caFÉ, and there’s an accent because it ends in a vowel.

2 – llana

When a word has the stress on the second-last syllable, it is called llana. Llanas have an accent on the penultimate syllable when the word doesn’t end in -n, -s or a vowel. Here are some examples:

volumen
volume
The stress is voLUmen, and there’s no accent because the word ends in -n.

estatuas
statues
The stress is esTAtuas, and there’s no accent because the word ends in -s.

caja
box
The stress is CAja, and there’s no accent because the word ends in a vowel.

dólar
dollar
The stress is DÓlar, and there’s an accent because the word ends in -r.

móvil
mobile
The stress is MÓvil, and there’s an accent because the word ends in -l.

3 – esdrújula

When a word is stressed in the third-to-last syllable, it is called esdrújula. Esdrújulas always have an accent showing the stressed syllable. Here are some examples:

música
music
The stress is MÚsica.

América
America
The stress is aMÉrica.

miércoles
Wednesday
The stress is MIÉRcoles.

¡Cuidado! Sometimes, forming the plural of a word can add another syllable, making the word require an accent when before it didn’t need one.

Here’s an example:

examen
exam
The stress is eXAmen, so it’s llana and it doesn’t have an accent because it ends in -n.

exámenes
exams
The stress is eXÁmenes, so it’s esdrújula and so it does have an accent.

Something similar happens with an infinitive form of the verb when we use more than one pronoun:

dártelo (dar + te + lo)
to give it to you

4 – sobresdrújula

Occasionally, we are going to find words that are stressed on the fourth-to-last syllable. This type of stress is called sobresdrújula. These types of words always have an accent mark and they are often found in verbs with pronouns. For example:

devuélvemelo (devolver in the imperative form + me + lo)
give it back to me

comprándotelo (comprar in the gerund form + te + lo)
buying it for you

The other situation where we find this stress pattern is in adverbs ending in -mente. When forming adverbs in -mente, the adjective retains the same accented syllable as before and so we don’t ever need to add or take away an accent when written. So, that’s why we have:

fácilmente (fácil + mente)
easily

difícilmente (difícil + mente)
with difficulty

lentamente (lento + mente)
slowly

¡Un consejo! With a very long word, we recommend practising by splitting it into chunks of two or three syllables and saying them out loud individually until you can combine them. Por ejemplo:

devuélvemelo > devuelve-melo

comprándotelo > comprando-telo

¡Hora de practicar!

Now it’s time to put your knowledge to the test! Translate the following phrases into Spanish. Think carefully about where to place any accents and which syllable to stress when saying each word out loud. You’ll find the answers at the end of this article.

  1. immediately
  2. write it (la carta) to me
  3. say it (el mensaje) to him

We hope that you found this article useful. Make sure to listen to the full episode with Mark and Concha on The Coffee Break Spanish Show. This is the series in which we look at a range of topics for Spanish learners, so make sure to subscribe to our podcast feed and our channel on YouTube.

Plus! To get regular free Spanish lessons in your inbox, you can sign up for our short (coffee-break-sized) email lessons that will help you improve your Spanish. You will also hear from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, giving advice for language learners at any level. Sign up below!

Scroll down for the answers to the translation challenge. Next time you read a Spanish text pay special attention to the accents and ask yourself: is it aguda, llana, esdrújula or sobresdrújula?

Happy Coffee Breaking!

PS. Here are the answers to the translation challenge.

  1. inmediatamente (inmediata + mente)
    The adjective inmediato/a is llana ending in a vowel, so there’s no accent.
  2. escríbemela (escribe + me + la)
  3. dímelo (di + me + lo)

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An introduction to German cases

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When we start to learn German, one of the most important steps is to get our heads around cases of nouns and pronouns.

For that reason, it’s time for a crash course on cases in German!

The Coffee Break German Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations, in which we demystify tricky German language topics. In the latest episode, Mark and Olivera discuss the four German cases and how to identify and use them.

Continue reading to find out more and why not listen to the podcast as you go?

What do cases do?

Each case serves a different grammatical function and indicates the role a noun or pronoun plays in a sentence.

Let’s look at the four German cases, one by one.

Nominative case: ‘Nominativ’

The nominative is used for the subject of a sentence. It represents the “doer” or the one performing the action. For example:

Der Lehrer unterrichtet.
The teacher teaches.

It’s also used for predicate nouns (that means nouns that come directly after verbs, for example sein and werden), indicating a state of being. Here are some examples:

Sie ist Lehrerin.
She is a teacher.

Mario ist ein guter Schüler.
Mario is a good student.

Accusative case: ‘Akkusativ’

The accusative is used for the direct object of a sentence. It represents the noun or pronoun that receives the action of the verb. Let’s look at some examples. The noun or pronoun that is in the accusative in each German sentence is in italics.

Ich mag dich.
I like you.

Ich esse den leckeren Apfel.
I am eating the delicious apple.

It’s also used after certain prepositions indicating motion or direction:

Wir fliegen in den Urlaub.
We are flying away on holiday / vacation.

Wir gehen zu unserer Oma.
We are going to our grandma’s.

Wir fahren an den See.
We are going to the lake.

Dative case: ‘Dativ’

The dative case is used for the indirect object of a sentence. It represents the noun or pronoun that benefits from the action of the verb. Take a look at the following sentences, where the examples of the dative are in italics:

Ich helfe dir.
I am helping you.

Ich schenke meiner Schwester einen Apfel.
I give an apple to my sister. (Note that the direct object, “apple”, is in the accusative.)

It’s also used after certain prepositions indicating location, time or direction:

Das Essen ist im Kühlschrank.
The food is in the fridge.

Das Buch liegt auf dem Tisch.
The book is lying on the table.

Wir sind im Theater.
We are in the theatre.

Die Kinder sind bei den Nachbarn.
The children are at the neighbours’ house.

Note that in the dative case we add an -n or -en to the end of plural nouns, as can be seen in Nachbarn.

Genitive case: ‘Genitiv’

The genitive case is used to indicate possession, origin or relationships between nouns. This will become clear with some more examples. Again, we’ve put the nouns that are in the genitive in the German sentences in italics:

das Foto des Mädchens
the girl’s photo

Das ist das Hemd meines Vaters.
That is my father’s shirt.

der schönste Ort der Welt
the most beautiful place in the world

Note that when using the genitive case an -es or -s is added to the end of masculine and neuter nouns, as seen in the examples above: des Mädchens, meines Vaters.

In conclusion

There is a lot more to discover about cases, but we hope that this article and episode have given you a brief overview to help you get started.

If you found this post interesting, make sure to listen to the full episode with Mark and Olivera on The Coffee Break German Show. This is the series in which we look at a range of topics for German learners, and we’ll certainly cover German cases in more detail in future episodes, so make sure to subscribe to our podcast feed or our channel on YouTube.

Plus! To get regular free German lessons in your inbox, you can sign up for our short (coffee-break-sized) email lessons that will help you improve your German. You will also hear from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, giving advice for language learners at any level. Sign up below!

Happy Coffee Breaking!

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CBGa 1.18 | What are you doing? – How to talk about what you are doing in Gaelic

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Welcome back to another lesson of Coffee Break Gaelic! This time, Susanna and Mark are focusing on how to ask “what are you doing?” in Gaelic. By the end of this lesson, you’ll not only know how to ask this question, you’ll also be able to provide a range of answers. You’ll be one step closer to becoming a fluent Gaelic speaker!

CBP 1.18 | Understanding and giving directions – How to give directions in Portuguese

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Welcome to lesson 18 of Coffee Break Portuguese! In this lesson we are talking about how to ask for directions and how to give directions in town. If you haven’t already listened to episode 8 of our course, we would recommend finding it wherever you’re listening to this episode, as we’ll be expanding on what we learned in that lesson. Vamos lá!

‘Avere’ expressions practice

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There are many expressions in Italian that are used very often, but which you may have to think twice about before translating directly from English. If you want to say that you’re hungry, for example, it may take a while before it feels natural not to use the verb essere (“to be”).

In this article we are looking at everyday avere expressions. These are expressions that use the verb avere in Italian, but whose English equivalent doesn’t contain the verb “to have”.

The Coffee Break Italian Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations, in which we demystify tricky Italian language topics. In the latest episode, Francesca and Maurizio discuss the verb avere and some of the most common expressions featuring this verb, which don’t translate using “to have” in English. This episode is the second part of a double episode on this topic. So, before we start, if you haven’t already watched our other episode on this topic, or read its accompanying blog article, you can find it here.

When you’re ready, continue reading to find out more and why not listen to the podcast as you go?

Everyday ‘avere’ expressions: a quick recap

To help you review the expressions we discussed in our previous episode and blog article, let’s do a quick recap – cominciamo con un ripassino!

While in English you use the verb “to be” to talk about how old you are, in Italian you have to use the verb avere.

avere _ anni
to be _ years old

For example:

Ho diciotto anni.
 I’m eighteen years old.

The same happens with other expressions, such as:

avere caldo
 to be warm / hot

avere freddo
to be cold

Remember that you don’t need to worry about gender agreement with these expressions because we are using avere and not essere. For example, both Francesca and Maurizio would say ho freddo or ho caldo to say that they’re feeling cold or warm.

The following expressions also use avere, whereas in English they are translated using the verb “to be”.

avere fame
to be hungry

avere sete
to be thirsty

avere sonno
 to be sleepy

For example:

Abbiamo sempre sonno.
We are always sleepy.

Francesca and Maurizio also mention some other expressions, such as:

avere ragione
to be right

avere torto
to be wrong

Here are some examples:

Tu hai ragione.
You’re right.

Francesca non ha mai torto.
Francesca is never wrong.

We also use avere to express being in a hurry.

avere fretta
to be in a hurry

For example:

Ho fretta!
I’m in a hurry!

To say that you are scared of something, in Italian we literally say that you “have fear of” something.

avere paura (di)
to be scared (of)

For example:

Ho paura del buio.
 I’m scared of the dark.

Finally, to say that you need or feel like something, in Italian you literally “have need of” or “have desire of” something.

avere bisogno di
to need

avere voglia di
to feel like, to want, to fancy, to crave

For example:

Ho bisogno di aiuto.
I need help.

Ho voglia di un gelato.
I’m craving ice cream.

Ho voglia di leggere un libro.
I feel like reading a book.

Let’s practise!

Now it’s time for una piccola sfida, “a little challenge”. In the second part of the podcast episode, Francesca and Maurizio challenge each other to use as many avere expressions as possible to describe how they feel in each of the scenarios they give each other.

Below are the written versions of the short paragraphs Francesca and Maurizio come up with. Why not have a go yourself and write down your own paragraph for each of the situations presented, fitting in as many avere expressions as you can?

Cominciamo!

Situation 1

It’s a snowy day and you have to go to work.

Take a few minutes to write down your own answer, then take a look at what Francesca comes up with below.

Francesca’s answer:

Ho freddo. Ho voglia di un caffè / tè bollente. Ho bisogno di una giacca pesante. Ho sonno.

I’m cold. I fancy a hot coffee / tea. I need a heavy jacket. I’m sleepy.

Situation 2

You’ve just come back from a hard day at work and you haven’t had your dinner yet.

How many avere expressions can you use to describe how you feel in this scenario?

Here’s Maurizio’s answer:

Ho molta fame. Ho famissima! Ho sonno perché ho lavorato. Ho voglia di una pizza. Ho bisogno di rilassarmi.
I’m very hungry. I’m super hungry! I’m sleepy because I’ve worked. I’m craving a pizza. I need to relax.

Situation 3

You’re on holiday on a tropical island and the sun is shining.

Here’s what Francesca comes up with:

Ho caldo. Ho bisogno della crema solare. Ho voglia di uno spritz. E anche probabilmente ho paura di scottarmi.
I’m warm. I need sunscreen. I feel like a spritz. And I’m also probably afraid of getting sunburned.

Situation 4

You’re moving to a new house with a friend of yours.

Have a go at writing your answer to this final challenge before looking at Maurizio’s answer below.

Maurizio’s answer:

Ho sete. Ho voglia di un bicchiere d’acqua. Devo avere pazienza perché il trasloco è stancante. Ho voglia di fare una festa.

I’m thirsty. I want a glass of water. I have to be patient because moving is tiring. I want to have a party.

È tutto per oggi

Ed eccoci alla fine! We hope you enjoyed practising these expressions with avere. We’re sure that they will come in handy in many conversations you’ll have in Italian.

Make sure to listen to the full podcast episode that accompanies this blog article with Francesca and Maurizio on The Coffee Break Italian Show. This is the series in which we look at a range of topics for Italian learners, so subscribe to our podcast feed and our channel on YouTube to find out when the next episode is available.

Plus! To get regular free Italian lessons in your inbox, you can sign up for our short (coffee-break-sized) email lessons that will help you improve your Italian. You will also hear from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, giving advice for language learners at any level. Sign up below!

Happy Coffee Breaking!

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Mastering French pronunciation: a comprehensive guide to the letter ‘e’

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French pronunciation can be a challenge, but understanding the rules regarding certain vowels and consonant combinations can make all the difference in your language-learning journey.

In this article, we’ll focus on one very common letter than can have different pronunciations, depending on accents and the letters that follow – the letter e. 

The Coffee Break French Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations, in which we demystify tricky French language topics. In the latest episode, Mark and Max discuss how to pronounce the letter e with no accent and how to pronounce é and è, as well as looking at other letter combinations that create the same sounds.

Continue reading to find out more and be sure to listen along to the podcast episode – hearing Max’s pronunciation will be essential for you to get the most from this article.

The sound ‘é’

The French letter é, with an acute accent, maintains a consistent pronunciation – the sound you hear in the word café. This sound is always the same when you encounter the letter é. Here are some examples of words containing é:

été
summer

météo
weather

déjeuner
lunch

Note, however, that there are other combinations of letters that produce exactly the same sound as the é.

We find the é sound in infinitive verbs ending in -er. For example:

parler
to speak

manger
to eat

When verbs are conjugated in the vous form, the -ez ending is also pronounced é. For example:

parlez
you speak

donnez
you give

In three-letter words, the combination -es also produces the é sound.

les
the

des
of the, some

mes
my

tes
your

ses
his, her

ces
these, those

The sound ‘è’

The French letter è, with a grave accent, also remains consistent in terms of pronunciation. Make sure to listen to the audio or video version of this episode to tune into how è sounds. Here are some common nouns containing this letter and sound:

frère
brother

père
father

bière
beer

The same sound can be obtained with the two-letter combination ai. For example:

français
French

paix
peace

Another way to obtain the sound è is when the letter e is followed by two consonants. Let’s see some more examples:

merci
thanks

respect
respect

appelle
call

In addition, the letters ei are also pronounced è. For example:

neige
snow

beige
beige

peine
sorrow

Max mentions an important point in the episode: as with many pronunciation points, there are regional differences and you may hear these letters and letter combinations pronounced in different ways, depending on where you are in the French-speaking world. So, listen out for slight differences in these vowel sounds and remember that there isn’t one specific regional variety of French to learn or copy – all accents and pronunciations are correct.

The sound ‘e’

The letter e, with no accent and when not part of the previously mentioned combinations, is pronounced something like an euh – exactly as it is pronounced in the French alphabet. Here are some common words that contain this sound:

petit
small

ce
this, that

le
the

Again, remember to listen to the podcast and practise this sound with Max and Mark.

In conclusion

Voilà pour ce mini-guide de la lettre ‘e’ !

Mastering French pronunciation takes time and practice, but understanding these rules can significantly improve your language skills. Don’t worry if you find these sounds difficult to master – French speakers will love that you are making an effort to pronounce them correctly.

Make sure to listen to the full episode with Mark and Max on The Coffee Break French Show. This is the series in which we look at a range of topics for French learners, so make sure to subscribe to our podcast feed and our channel on YouTube.

If you’d like more help with your pronunciation of French vowel sounds, you can watch a previous episode of The Coffee Break French Show in which Max and Mark discussed the tricky sounds u and ou. Click here to find the episode and the accompanying blog article.

Plus! To get regular free French lessons in your inbox, you can sign up for our short (coffee-break-sized) email lessons that will help you improve your French. You will also hear from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, giving advice for language learners at any level. Sign up below!

Keep practising your e sounds and you’ll become more confident in your ability to speak and be understood in French. Bonne chance !

Happy Coffee Breaking!

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What’s the difference between ‘like’ and ‘as’?

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Do you know the difference between like and as when you’re speaking English?

Using like and as can be a difficult topic for English learners, because these words can be used in similar ways.

The Coffee Break English Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations to help you understand some difficult topics in English. In the latest episode, Josie and Mark talk about the rules for when to use like and as, and they give examples to help you to remember them.

Plus, don’t miss our free worksheet at the end to practise deciding between like and as in English!

So, let’s get started and look at the rules for like and as. Why not get a cup of coffee or tea to enjoy while you read and listen to the podcast episode?

Making comparisons using ‘like’ and ‘as’

We use like + noun to compare two or more real things, and say that they are similar. Here are some examples:

She’s like my mother.

My shirt is like your shirt.

My perfume smells like flowers.

He looks like a famous actor.

We use like + subject + verb, or as if + subject + verb to compare something real to something imaginary, or not real. Here are some examples:

Mark, you look like you’ve seen a ghost!
Mark, you look as if you’ve seen a ghost!
= Mark looks very scared, but he hasn’t really seen a ghost.

It feels like it’s 50 degrees in this studio.
It feels as if it’s 50 degrees in this studio.
= The temperature in the studio is very hot, but it isn’t 50 degrees.

There’s just one more comparison to talk about now. We use as + adjective/adverb + as to compare two things, and say that they are equal. Here are some examples of this:

I can run as fast as you.

This pizza is as delicious as the pizza I ate in Italy.

He is not as tired as he was yesterday.

Giving examples using ‘like’ and ‘such as’

We use both like and such as to give examples of things. Let’s look at some examples:

Why don’t you try a new hobby, like tennis?
Why don’t you try a new hobby, such as tennis?

I’ll bring some snacks, like popcorn.
I’ll bring some snacks, such as popcorn.

Saying something is part of a group using ‘like’

We use like when we’re talking about a group of people or things, and we want to mention something which is part of that group. Here, like means “including”. Here are a few examples:

Lots of young people, like my cousin, go to university after they finish school.

Like many cities, Paris has a metro system.

Describing a job or function using ‘as’

We use as to describe the job or the function of something. Let’s look at some examples:

He works as an architect.

I didn’t have a knife, so I used my spoon as a knife.

She wears an old t-shirt as pyjamas.

Using ‘as’ to mean ‘because’

As can also mean “because”. Here are some examples:

I didn’t go to the beach as the weather wasn’t very good.

As I had a doctor’s appointment, I arrived late to work.

She has lots of work to catch up on, as she was on holiday last week.

Using ‘as’ to mean ‘while’ or ‘during’

Finally, as can also mean “while” or “during”, so we use it when two actions happen at the same time. Here are the final examples that Josie and Mark mention in this episode:

She called her husband as she left work.

It started raining as I got home.

As we got to the station, the train was leaving.

A visual summary of when to use ‘like’ and ‘as’

Coffee Break English Show - When to use like and as

Keep practising using ‘like’ and ‘as’

These little words can be confusing, so why not review the rules and write your own example sentences with like and as?

For a little more practice, download the free worksheet below and see how much you’ve learned about using ‘like’ and ‘as’.

If you found this post interesting, make sure you listen to the full podcast episode with Mark and Josie on The Coffee Break English Show. We will release more episodes soon, about some more useful topics! Subscribe to our podcast feed and our channel on YouTube to learn when the next episode is available.

Plus! To get regular free English lessons in your inbox, you can sign up for our email lessons. We regularly send short (coffee-break-sized) email lessons that will help you improve your English. You will also hear from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, giving advice for language learners at any level. Sign up below!

So, keep practising like and as! Remember that all English learners make mistakes, but people can usually still understand you. It’s all part of the language-learning journey.

Happy Coffee Breaking!

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How flexible are Spanish adverbs?

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Spanish is a very flexible language, in the sense that we can often move things around in the sentence and change the word order. However, sometimes a different word order can result in a difference in emphasis or in meaning.

This is especially important to remember with some adverbs.

The Coffee Break Spanish Show is a podcast series of short, informal conversations to help you understand some difficult topics in Spanish. In the latest episode, Mark and Anabel talk about where you can place adverbs in your sentences when you are speaking Spanish and how it affects what you are saying.

Continue reading to find out more and why not listen to the podcast as you go?

What is an adverb?

First of all, let’s refresh our memory. What are adverbs and how do we use them?

Adverbs are words that modify verbs (and occasionally adjectives and other adverbs). Some examples are:

muy
very

simplemente
simply

siempre
always

a veces
sometimes

fácilmente
easily

Adverbs of quantity and manner

Adverbs of quantity and manner usually go after the verb. Let’s look at some examples:

Me gusta mucho.
I like it a lot.
(Mucho is an adverb of quantity.)

Hablas bien español.
You speak Spanish well.
(Bien is an adverb of manner.)

In certain cases, you could use the adverb before the verb, but this results in a strong emphasis. For example:

Me gustan mucho los cacahuetes, pero mucho me gustan.
I like peanuts a lot – I really like them.

Some adverbs that go with a direct object could have three different placements:

Leo un libro despacio.
Leo despacio un libro.
Despacio leo un libro.
I read a book slowly.

¡Ojo! All three versions mean “I read a book slowly”, but the third one places more emphasis on the fact that we are reading the book slowly (rather than quickly). When this adverb placement is used it gives dramatic effect.

It’s also important to keep in mind that if you’re placing an adverb before the verb, it has to come before any auxiliary verb or pronoun used with the verb. An adverb cannot go between an auxiliary verb and a past participle, or between an object pronoun and a conjugated verb, for example. Let’s see the following examples:

Despacio lo leo.
I read it slowly.

Despacio he leído.
I have read slowly.

Despacio lo he leído.
I have read it slowly.

Adverbs of place and frequency

Adverbs of place and frequency – such as a veces (“sometimes”), frecuentemente (“frequently”) and cerca (“nearby”) – also allow you to use the adverb in the same three places. Here are some examples:

Allí vi a Juan.
Vi allí a Juan.
Vi a Juan allí.
I saw Juan there.

Siempre ve la tele.
Ve siempre la tele.
Ve la tele siempre.
He always watches TV.

Adverbs of time

Adverbs or phrases of time – such as hoy (“today”), esta mañana (“this morning”) and el verano pasado (“last summer”) – have a fourth placement option, as they can also go at the beginning of the sentence. For example:

Ayer Rafa ganó el campeonato.
Rafa ayer ganó el campeonato.
Rafa ganó ayer el campeonato.
Rafa ganó el campeonato ayer.
Yesterday, Rafa won the competition.

Let’s practise!

Now, how could we say “I quickly finished my breakfast” in Spanish? Try to write down all the possible options and we’ll tell you the answers at the end of this article.

If you want an extra challenge, also try writing down all the possible options if you translate the sentence using the perfect tense (i.e. he terminado) in Spanish.

¿Lo aprendiste rápidamente?

Listen out for native speakers using adverbs in conversation and on TV and see if you can notice how the meaning subtly changes depending on the placement. The more exposure you have to the language, the more natural things like adverb placement will feel when you are speaking Spanish.

If you found this post interesting, make sure to listen to the full episode with Mark and Anabel on The Coffee Break Spanish Show. This is the series in which we look at a range of topics for Spanish learners, so make sure to subscribe to our podcast feed and our channel on YouTube.

Plus! To get regular free Spanish lessons in your inbox, you can sign up for our short (coffee-break-sized) email lessons that will help you improve your Spanish. You will also hear from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, giving advice for language learners at any level. Sign up below!

Happy Coffee Breaking!

PS. Here are the answers to the translation challenge.

First of all, using the preterite tense:

  1. Terminé mi desayuno rápidamente.
  2. Terminé rápidamente mi desayuno.
  3. Rápidamente terminé mi desayuno. (Remember that this is the emphatic structure, so can only be used in certain contexts.)

Now, using the present perfect tense:

  1. He terminado mi desayuno rápidamente.
  2. He terminado rápidamente mi desayuno.
  3. Rápidamente he terminado mi desayuno. (Remember that this is the emphatic structure, so can only be used in certain contexts.)

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How to use the formal ‘you’ in German

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It’s time to get to know “you”! Saying “you” in German is slightly more complicated than in English, but what an important word it is.

It won’t surprise you that the word “you”’ is one of the most commonly used words in English. It’s equally as common in German, but there are seven different ways to say “you”.

The Coffee Break German Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations, in which we demystify tricky German language topics. In the latest episode, Mark and Thomas look at how to say “you” when you are in conversation with a German speaker.

Continue reading to find out more and why not listen to the podcast as you go?

The 7 ways to say “you”

First things first, what are the seven forms of “you” in German?

You might know about du, Sie and ihr. However, another four arise because of the different cases in German. These are: dir, dich, euch and Ihnen.

What is the formal “you” in German?

The formal forms of “you” are Sie (nominative), Sie (accusative) and Ihnen.

Note that this formal form of “you” always has a capital S-, or capital I- for Ihnen. It can be distinguished from the word for “she” and “they”, sie, which always has a lower case s- (apart from at the beginning of a sentence).

Sie – nominative

Sie can be used as the subject of a sentence, in the nominative case. Here are some example sentences:

Möchten Sie etwas trinken?
Would you like to have something to drink?

Sie sprechen sehr gut Deutsch.
You speak German very well.

Sie – accusative

Sie is also used as an object of a sentence, in the accusative case. For example:

Ich kann Sie gut verstehen.
I can understand you well.

Darf ich Sie etwas fragen?
Can I ask you something?

Ihnen – dative

Ihnen is used as an indirect object, in the dative case. Here are some examples:

Wie geht es Ihnen?
How are you?

Kann ich Ihnen helfen?
Can I help you?

When to use the formal “you”

There are general rules you can follow so you know when to use the correct form of “you” with German speakers (du, Sie or ihr).

The formal form of “you” should be used with:

  • people you don’t know very well
  • people in the workplace
  • people in a position of authority, such as the police
  • people who are older than you

Note that there can be some regional differences. Thomas explains in the podcast that in Austria and in southern Germany the du form is more commonly used.

Let’s look at an example context. Imagine you go into an ice cream shop and ask for help. The correct and polite way to address someone in that situation is with the formal form:

Können Sie mir helfen?
Can you help me?

However, if the shop assistant was clearly younger than you, and since it is a relatively informal setting, it would be normal to use du when speaking to the assistant. Indeed, it can be seen as a compliment to someone to address them as du, depending on the setting.

Moving from formal to informal

Once you’ve known someone a little while or the situation has changed to become less formal, you may use the following expression in the transition from Sie to du:

das Du anbieten
to offer the informal “you”

Let’s see this phrase in context in some examples:

Mein Chef hat mir das Du angeboten.
My boss offered that I call him by the informal “you”.

Ich biete dir das Du an. Wir sind gute Freunde.
I am offering that you call me by the informal “you”. We are good friends.

Duzen and siezen

The verb duzen can also be used after das Du anbieten. Duzen means “to use the du form of “you”. For example:

Wir duzen uns.
We are using the informal “you”.

Wir können uns duzen.
We can use the informal “you” with one another.

There is also the verb siezen, which means “to use the Sie form of “you”. Here are some examples:

Sie siezen sich.
They use the formal form of “you”.

Hier in der Arbeit siezen sich alle.
Here at work, everyone uses the formal form of “you”.

A visual summary

We hope that you found this short overview of how and when to use the formal “you” in German useful. If you still have any doubts, the most important thing is not to worry about this – German speakers will still understand you regardless of which form of “you” you use and you will be sure to get more used to this cultural nuance the more you speak the language.

If you found this post interesting, make sure to listen to the full episode with Mark and Thomas on The Coffee Break German Show. This is the series in which we look at a range of topics for German learners, so make sure to subscribe to our podcast feed or our channel on YouTube.

Plus! To get regular free German lessons in your inbox, you can sign up for our short (coffee-break-sized) email lessons that will help you improve your German. You will also hear from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, giving advice for language learners at any level. Sign up below!

Happy Coffee Breaking!

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Useful expressions with ‘avere’

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The verb avere was probably one of the first verbs you came across in Italian. Of course, its basic meaning is “to have”, but there are many useful everyday expressions that use avere in which the verb doesn’t translate as “to have”.

The Coffee Break Italian Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations in which we demystify tricky Italian language topics. In the latest Italian episode, Mark and Maurizio discuss the verb avere and many useful expressions featuring this verb.

Continue reading to find out more, and why not listen to the podcast as you go?

A review of the verb ‘avere’

First of all, let’s take a second to review the conjugation of avere in the present tense:

avere – present tense:


ho
hai
ha
abbiamo
avete
hanno

As you can see, it’s an irregular verb, but it is also one of the most useful verbs to understand in Italian.

Let’s examine how we use avere, when it doesn’t mean “to have”.

‘Avere’ expressions where “to be” is used in English

As mentioned above, there are some Italian expressions using avere that take the verb “to be” when translated into English. Let’s take a look at these one by one, or in logical pairs.

Age

avere _ anni
to be _ years old

For example:

Ho quarantatré anni.
 I’m forty-three years old.

Quanti anni hai?
How old are you?

To be cold or hot

avere freddo
to be cold

avere caldo
 to be warm / hot

For example:

Martino ha freddo mentre Arianna ha caldo.
 Martino is (feeling) cold while Arianna is (feeling) hot.

To be thirsty or hungry

avere sete
to be thirsty

avere fame
to be hungry

For example:

Hai sete?
Are you thirsty?

Ho sempre fame!
I’m always hungry!

To be sleepy

avere sonno
 to be sleepy

For example:

Hai sonno?
Are you sleepy?

Sono stanco e ho sonno.
I’m tired and I’m (feeling) sleepy.

As a side note, Maurizio and Mark also mention the very Italian expression avere l’abbiocco, which means “to be sleepy from eating too much” and describes the feeling of tiredness after having a hearty meal like, for example, a delicious Sunday lunch with your Italian family!

To be patient

avere pazienza
to be patient

For example:

Bisogna avere pazienza con i bambini.
You need to be patient with children.

To be right or wrong

avere ragione
to be right

avere torto
to be wrong

For example:

Paola ha ragione, ma Maurizio ha torto.
Paola is right, but Maurizio is wrong.

To be in a hurry

avere fretta
to be in a hurry

For example:

Non ho fretta, possiamo prendere un caffè e parlare.
I’m not in a hurry, we can have a coffee and have a chat.

To be scared

avere paura (di)
to be scared (of)

For example:

Avevo paura del buio quando ero un bambino / da bambino.
I used to be scared of the dark when I was a child / as a child.

To need

There are also other expressions with avere that are translated using neither “to be” nor “to have” in English. The first of these is:

avere bisogno di
to need

For example:

Ho bisogno di quel libro.
I need that book.


Ho bisogno di una mano.
I need a hand / help.

To want or feel like something

Finally, let’s look at:

avere voglia di
to feel like, to want

For example:

Ho voglia di andare in discoteca.
I feel like going to a nightclub.


Ho sempre voglia di un gelato.
I’m always craving an ice cream.

È tutto per oggi

These expressions with avere will come in useful in many everyday Italian conversations, so keep up your practice and listen out for them.

If you found this interesting, make sure you listen to the full podcast episode with Mark and Maurizio on The Coffee Break Italian Show. We will regularly be uploading more episodes for Italian learners, so make sure to subscribe to our podcast feed or our channel on YouTube.

Plus! To get regular free Italian lessons in your inbox, you can sign up for our short (coffee-break-sized) email lessons that will help you improve your Italian. You will also hear from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, giving advice for language learners at any level. Sign up below!

Happy Coffee Breaking!

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What’s the difference between ‘jour’ and ‘journée’ in French?

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Why does French have two words for “day”? The distinction between jour and journée can be confusing for French learners and can seem subtle, but we’re going to look at the nuances of each word to help you know when to translate “day” as jour and when it should be journée.

The Coffee Break French Show is a podcast series of bite-sized, friendly conversations in which we demystify tricky French language topics. In the latest episode, Mark and Max explore the distinction between jour and journée in French, and similar word pairs like soir and soirée, an and année or matin and matinée.

These pairs of words are often used interchangeably by learners, but they have subtle differences in their meanings that deserve exploration, as using the right one will be an extra step towards feeling more confident in French.

Continue reading to find out more and why not listen to the podcast as you go?

‘Jour’ and ‘journée’: what’s the difference?

First and foremost, it’s important to understand that jour (a masculine noun) refers to a 24-hour period, as in one calendar day. On the other hand, journée (a feminine noun) refers to the time during the day when the sun is shining, as in from sunrise to sunset.

When we use un jour, it encompasses all the different parts of the day, including la matinée (“the morning”), la journée (“the day”), la soirée (“the evening”) and la nuit (“the night”). Let’s compare jour and journée by looking at the following examples:

Nous avons passé trois jours à Paris.
We spent three days in Paris.

Nous avons passé la journée à Paris.
We spent the day in Paris.

‘Tous les jours’ and ‘toute la journée’

It’s also important to note that tous les jours means “every day”, while toute la journée means “all day long”. So, while these two phrases may appear to be similar at first glance, this distinction is crucial to understand when conveying the duration of an activity or event.

‘Matin’ and ‘matinée’, ‘soir’ and ‘soirée’

The same pattern applies to matin (a masculine noun) and matinée (a feminine noun). Le matin describes the time of day, whereas la matinée describes a length of time during which an action takes place.

Similarly, we can differentiate between soir and soirée. Soir refers to a period between sunset and the beginning of the night – the evening as a period in time. It is often used as context for something else that happens within that timeframe. This is different from the word soirée, which indicates the duration of the evening.

This is perhaps easiest to understand with two examples:

Ce soir, je vais chez mon ami Nicolas.
Tonight, I’m going to my friend Nicolas’s house (i.e. at some point this evening or tonight, I will travel to Nicolas’s house).

On the other hand:

Je vais passer la soirée chez Nicolas.
I’m going to spend the evening at Nicolas’s (i.e. I will be at Nicolas’s for the duration of the evening).

It’s worth noting that soirée can also mean a “party” or “gathering” held at night, adding another layer to its usage.

‘An’ and ‘année’

Lastly, let’s touch on the difference between an and année.

An primarily denotes a year as a unit of time and it is mostly used with numbers (for example, when talking about age or dates) or with expressions like tous les ans (“every year”).

On the other hand, année is used with adjectives (for example, bonne, longue, magnifique) and with quantifiers (for example, chaque, quelques, combien).

A visual summary

To finish off, if you have watched or listened to this episode of The Coffee Break French Show, you will have heard some examples to think about. Here they are in writing:

Katia va au supermarché tous les matins.
Katia goes to the supermarket every morning.

Qu’est-ce que tu fais ce soir ?
What are you doing this evening?

Passe une bonne soirée chez Louis.
Have a good evening at Louis’s.

L’année prochaine nous allons à Tokyo.
Next year, we’re going to Tokyo.

The nuances between jour and journée, soir and soirée, as well as matin and matinée and an and année may seem subtle, but they play a crucial role in conveying precise meanings. By understanding these differences, you can enhance your communication skills in the French language and express yourself more accurately.

Of course, don’t worry if you do mix these words up – French speakers will have no problem understanding what you mean and the more you use the language, the more natural this will become.

If you found this post interesting, make sure to listen to the full episode with Mark and Max on The Coffee Break French Show. This is the series in which we look at a range of topics for French learners, so make sure to subscribe to our podcast feed or our channel on YouTube.

Plus! To get regular free French lessons in your inbox, you can sign up for our short (coffee-break-sized) email lessons that will help you improve your French. You will also hear from Mark, the founder of Coffee Break Languages, giving advice for language learners at any level. Sign up below!

So, whether you’re planning a soirée or looking forward to an année filled with adventures, remember the distinctions and you’ll master the art of using these words effectively.

Happy Coffee Breaking!

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