Coffee Break German Magazine

Coffee Break German

CBG Mag 2.10 | Til Schweiger

In the final episode of this season of the Coffee Break German Magazine, we hear a text about the well-known and successful German actor and director, Til Schweiger. As we hear about his life and international career, we review some important grammar points such as the imperfect irregular tense and scheint zu sein. As always,

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CBG Mag 2.09 | Das Leben der Anderen

We’re discussing a film in this episode of the Coffee Break German Magazine: ‘The Life of Others’ by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. Set in 1984, the film portrays life in the German Democratic Republic, in East Berlin, and follows a couple being spied on by a member of the Stasi. We hear more about the film

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CBG Mag 2.08 | Heißluftballonrennen im Januar

The topic of this Coffee Break German Magazine episode is hot air balloons – specifically the annual hot air balloon competitions which take place in the Alps during the month of January. As we learn about these fascinating competitions, we encounter some interesting vocabulary including the words: bunt, egal ob… oder… and lenken. Mark and

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CBG Mag 2.07 | Großglockner Hochalpenstraße – ein österreichischer Roadtrip

In the latest instalment of the Coffee Break German Magazine, we’re heading on a road trip in the Austrian Alps! Throughout the text featured in this episode, we explore the Großglockner Hochalpenstraße – a scenic mountain road and one of Austria’s main attractions – while taking note of the interesting language points, including: adjectives, the

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CBG Mag 2.06 | Labskaus

We hope you’re hungry as this episode of the Coffee Break German Magazine is all about a traditional North German dish made of potatoes, beef, pickles and beetroot. This used to be a sailor’s dish but today it’s found all over Northern Europe, and there are lots of different variations. This episode will give you

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CBG Mag 2.05 | Die Habsburger

We’re halfway through the Coffee Break German Magazine Season 3! In Episode 5 we listen to a text about the Habsburg dynasty and its legacy. We hear lots of new vocabulary and grammar points which Mark and Andrea explain along the way. Be sure to listen until the end to learn about a proverb which

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CBG Mag 2.04 | Hansestädte

Welcome to another episode of the Coffee Break German Magazine! This time, our hosts, Mark and Andrea, focus on a text about the Hanse (a trade/military network of cities between the 12th and 17th century) and the Hanseatic cities of Germany. We discuss the cities which were part of the Hanseatic league and how this

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CBG Mag 2.03 | Die Deutsche Bundesliga

We’re back with another episode of the Coffee Break German Magazine! We’re talking football this week, specifically the highest professional German football league. As we learn how the league works, we focus on some interesting language points including adjective declination and superlatives before rounding off the episode with the following proverb: Da liegt der Hund

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CBG Mag 2.02 | Glacier-Express

Welcome back to the Coffee Break German Magazine! In this episode we hear a text about the most famous train route in the German-speaking region: the Glacier-Express! We learn about this 8-hour trip which runs between Zermatt and St. Moritz, offering breathtaking views along the way. We encounter many interesting pieces of vocabulary throughout the

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CBG Mag 2.01 | Der Deutsche Schäferhund

Welcome to a brand new series of the Coffee Break German Magazine! In this first episode of Season 2, our hosts, Mark and Andrea discuss The German Shepherd Dog. We learn about the origins of this type of dog and how German Shepherds can act as police dogs, rescue dogs, and therapy dogs while also also

Coffee Break German

Coffee Break German News – 4th April 2022

In this special episode, Mark provides an update on all things Coffee Break German including the return of the Coffee Break German Magazine in late April 2022; the launch of the Coffee Break books, available from June in your local bookshop and from online retailers; and the Coffee Break German Club, where you can get

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CBG Mag 1.10 | Berlins berühmteste Straße

We’ve reached the final episode in this season of the Coffee Break German Magazine. Join Andrea and Mark for one last time as they discuss Berlin’s most famous street. We also hear from listener, Andrew who is looking for some tips on pronunciation. To finish, Olivera shares an impressively long word in German.

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CBG Mag 1.09 | Von Bayern in die ganze Welt

Andrea, Olivera and Mark are back with a new episode of the Coffee Break German Magazine. This episode focuses on a famous German composer and his works. Our phone-in question from listener Anu deals with learning more than one language at a time, and Olivera’s “long word in German” this week has no fewer than

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CBG Mag 1.08 | 300 Jahre Liechtenstein

In this episode of the Coffee Break German Magazine we’re heading to the Principality of Liechtenstein, sandwiched between Austria and Switzerland. Europe’s fourth-smallest country it’s one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world (the other being Uzbekistan!) Find out more about this small German-speaking country and its 300th anniversary in this episode. In

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CBG Mag 1.07 | Entdecke die Bremer Stadtmusikanten

Have you heard the one about the donkey, the dog, the cat and the rooster? In this episode of the Coffee Break German Magazine we’re finding out about the famous Town Musicians of Bremen. First published in Grimms’ Fairy Tales in 1819, Die Bremer Stadmusikanten has become a key part of the cultural legacy of

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CBG Mag 1.06 | Die unendlichen Geschichten von Michael Ende

In this latest episode of the Coffee Break German Magazine we’re focusing on the author Michael Ende who wrote one of the most famous works of fiction for younger readers, the Neverending Story, among other books. Find out more about Ende and his work in this edition of the Magazine, and you can also learn

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CBG Mag 1.05 | Der Rheinfall ist kein Reinfall

For this episode we’re heading to northern Switzerland, the location of the impressive Rheinfall waterfall. You’ll learn all about this natural wonder and practise your German at the same time. Andrea also answers a question from listener Adebajo which concerns two very similar words: Zeichen and zeichnen.

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CBG Mag 1.04 | Ein bisschen Schlager muss sein

We have a musical episode of the Coffee Break German Magazine for you today: our theme is Schlager, an immensely popular style of music with catchy melodies and happy-go-lucky lyrics. Find out more about this cultural phenomenon, and learn about reflexive verbs and using the perfect or Präteritum with als.

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CBG Mag 1.03 | Das Leben der Trümmerfrauen

Following the events of World War 2, the monumental task of clearing and reconstructing towns and cities fell to the Trümmerfrauen, literally “rubble women”. In this episode of the Coffee Break German Magazine we’ll look at this fascinating period of German history. In the other segments of the show, Andrea answers listener Maddie’s question about

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CBG Mag 1.02 | Spaß im Wiener Prater

In episode 2 of the Coffee Break German we’re heading to the Austrian capital, Vienna, where the world-famous Wiener Prater is to be found. This former hunting ground has become the hub of entertainment for Viennese families. As usual Mark and Andrea will be discussing the language featured in our text, and there’s also a