Coffee Break Italian – Season 2

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 2.40 | Ognuno vivrà l’estate che aveva sognato

And so our series, and our soap opera, reach their conclusion and we’re delighted to bring you episode 40 of Coffee Break Italian Season 2. In this episode you’ll enjoy the finale of La Mia Estate and, as ever, Mark and Francesca are on hand to help you understand everything. We hope you’ve enjoyed this

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 2.39 | Che scenetta romantica …

In the previous instalment of La Mia Estate which featured in episode 38 of Coffee Break Italian, we left our characters at a dramatic point. In episode 39, it’s time to see if the night of Ferragosto will help to thaw relations and if the stars finally align for Riccardo and Maria – and for

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 2.38 | Adesso, esprimi un desiderio!

In this episode of Coffee Break Italian, the big day has arrived, La Notte di San Lorenzo. Mia, Anna and Giorgio are full of expectations for the romance of the evening ahead and hope that it will be the perfect opportunity for Maria and Riccardo to get together. Not only that, but Mark and Francesca

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 2.37 | Chissà quali sorprese ci regaleranno le stelle!

In the latest lesson of Coffee Break Italian, it’s the day of preparation for the famous Notte di San Lorenzo, and it’s all hands on deck at the campsite. This episode provides further practice of direct object pronouns, and we’ll also learn the verb servire which is used in a similar way to piacere. As

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 2.36 | Incredibile, sembrano due piccioncini!

In the latest lesson of Coffee Break Italian we’re listening to episode 6 of our soap opera, La Mia Estate. Riccardo and Maria seem to be getting on well, much to the surprise of Mia, Anna and Giorgio, and Riccardo has some exciting news regarding his search for a house. The episode provides an opportunity to

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 2.35 | La Mia Estate ep5 – Perché non ci diamo del tu?

It’s time for a new episode of Coffee Break Italian, and the latest episode of our soap opera, La Mia Estate. In this instalment Riccardo and Maria are on their way to Vipiteno, but they end up missing the train. Is this a recipe for disaster, or is it the perfect opportunity for them to

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 2.34 | La Mia Estate ep4 – Dobbiamo escogitare un piano!

In this latest episode of Coffee Break Italian, join Francesca and Mark for the fourth instalment of our Italian soap opera, La Mia Estate. Preparations are underway for a summer concert at the campsite and Mia, Anna and Giorgio are busy putting the final arrangements in place. Even Riccardo and Maria seem to be getting

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 2.33 | La Mia Estate ep3 – Accipicchia! Che sbadato…

In lesson 33 of Coffee Break Italian Season 2 you’ll hear the latest instalment of our Italian soap opera, La Mia Estate. Mia is now fully involved at the campsite, helping Anna and Giorgio, and in this episode Mia’s father, Riccardo, gets to know Anna’s mother, Maria, a little more. From a grammatical point of view,

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 2.32 | La Mia Estate ep2 – Sognare non costa niente!

In lesson 32 of Coffee Break Italian Season 2 you’ll listen to the second instalment in our Italian soap opera, La Mia Estate. Mia and her father are now on their way to Italy and in this episode they arrive in Verona where they’re met by Mia’s friend Anna and her mother, before heading to

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 2.31 | La Mia Estate ep1 – Facciamo le valigie!

We’re back with another lesson of Coffee Break Italian, and in lesson 31 we’re presenting the first episode of our Italian soap opera, La Mia Estate. You’ll meet three of our characters: Mia, her friend Anna, and her overprotective father Riccardo. In each of the ten episodes of La Mia Estate, you’ll be hearing Italian

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 2.30 | Review lesson

This episode of Coffee Break Italian is a review episode, covering many of the topics discussed in lessons 1-29. With Francesca, Isla and Mark you’ll review the pronouns ci and ne, how to form the perfect, how to choose between the perfect and imperfect, and much more.

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 2.29 | Ho molti amici molto simpatici

It’s time to take a detailed look at a topic which, on the surface, can seem straightforward, but when you get into it in more detail it can get a bit more complicated. We’re talking about adverbs: words which “describe” a verb, or which give more information as how quickly, effectively, badly etc., you’re doing

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 2.28 | Dopo aver fatto colazione, vado al lavoro

In this episode of Coffee Break Italian we’re looking at two constructions which will help you increase your range of expression easily and effectively. You’ll learn to use prima di + infinitive and dopo + past infinitive with both avere and essere verbs. Once you’ve mastered these expressions you’ll be able to talk about “before

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 2.27 | Fra 10 minuti dobbiamo essere da tuo zio!

We’re back with the second instalment of our two-part preposition marathon. In this episode you’ll learn all you need to know about the prepositions di, da, con, per and tra/fra. Once again, there are some crucial nuances with certain prepositions which can completely change the meaning, so listen carefully in this lesson! As usual, Francesca

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 2.26 | Preferisci andare in palestra o a teatro?

This is the first of our two-part preposition marathon! In this episode you’ll learn all you need to know about the prepositions a, in and su. Using prepositions in Italian can be quite tricky, particularly because they don’t work the same way as in English. There’s also the fact that, when combined with the definite

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 2.25 | Chi è quella persona che lavora in biblioteca?

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.

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 2.24 | Chi va a Roma perde la poltrona

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

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 2.23 | Cosa facevi quando ti ho telefonato?

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

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 2.22 | Preparavo la cena quando Luca è arrivato

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

Coffee Break Italian

CBI 2.21 | C’era molta gente e non faceva troppo freddo

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