Coffee Break Italian

Italian is full of idioms that are borrowed from the kitchen, and once you spot them you'll notice them everywhere. In this episode Francesca takes you through 10 everyday food idioms, from someone who's "like parsley" and turns up everywhere to the moment an omelette is already made and the damage is done. She explains what each one really means and the kind of situation where it fits, then rounds things off with a bonus idiom: parla come mangi. ➡️ Click here to watch the video version of this episode. ➡️ Want more tips like these delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free newsletter: https://coffeebreaklanguages.kit.com/newsletter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You probably already know that 'potere' means "can" or "to be able to", but there's more to this everyday Italian verb than meets the eye. In this episode, Francesca shares five things you might not know about 'potere', from using the conditional to sound more polite to meeting 'potere' as a noun, and she helps you tell it apart from 'riuscire' and 'sapere'. It completes her little series on the modal verbs, after 'dovere' and 'volere'. How many of them are new to you? ➡️ Click here to watch the video version of this episode. ➡️ Get free mini-lessons and language tips every week by signing up to our newsletter: https://coffeebreaklanguages.kit.com/newsletter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pasta is the perfect way to practise some of Italian's trickiest sounds. In this episode, Francesca works through pasta names to help you get those gn, gl, ch and gh sounds right, with a few tasty facts thrown in along the way. ➡️ Click here to watch the video version of this episode. ➡️ Get free mini-lessons and language tips every week by signing up to our newsletter: https://coffeebreaklanguages.kit.com/newsletter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You probably already know that volere means "to want", but there are still a few secrets hiding in this everyday verb. In this episode, Francesca shares five interesting things to know about volere, from the tricky 'gl' sound and using it as a noun to choosing between ho voluto and volevo in the past. How many of them are new to you? ➡️ Want more tips like these delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free newsletter: https://coffeebreaklanguages.kit.com/newsletter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Francesca walks you through five tiny Italian words that come up in real conversations all the time: "allora", "dai", "boh", "figurati" and "magari". Each one carries a lot of meaning, and learning to use them naturally is one of the fastest ways to sound more Italian. Which one will you start using first? ➡️ To receive regular free mini-lessons like this straight to your inbox, visit: https://coffeebreaklanguages.kit.com/newsletter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Francesca goes beyond the textbook meaning of "dovere" and explores five nuances of this everyday Italian verb. You'll look at double conjugations, two different auxiliaries in the past tense, the less familiar meaning of "to owe", and the noun "il dovere". How many of these did you already know? ➡️ Love learning in short bursts? Our free weekly newsletter is packed with tips just like these: https://coffeebreaklanguages.kit.com/newsletter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Francesca walks you through five common mistakes that are easy to fix but make a real difference to how natural your Italian sounds. From choosing between "favorito" and "preferito" to understanding why Italians say "mi lavo i denti", these are practical changes you can start using straight away. ➡️ Want more tips like these delivered straight to your inbox? Sign up for our free newsletter: https://coffeebreaklanguages.kit.com/newsletter Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to il Caffè di Tullio - our charming Italian café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersive series, we follow a compelling story set in a local café and help you build your language skills naturally through storytelling. In Chiuso per ferie, Lorenzo's exhaustion from a busy summer leads to a well-deserved, but unexpected, break thanks to la signora Rachele’s wisdom. La signora Rachele, infatti, nota la stanchezza di Lorenzo e, prima che lui se ne accorga, attacca un avviso molto importante sulla porta del locale… Allora, sei pronto a leggere l’ultimo capitolo di Scenes 2? Non perdertelo! Want to take your learning further? Click here to access support materials and get more out of each chapter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to il Caffè di Tullio - our charming Italian café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersive series, we follow a compelling story set in a local café and help you build your language skills naturally through storytelling. In Episode 9, La vita qui non è poi così male, Lorenzo’s friend talks about life in Berlin and his surprising new perspective on Italy. Fabrizio è tornato in Italia per le vacanze e passa il suo tempo andando al mare e rilassandosi. Decide che forse rimarrà in Italia più del previsto… Tune into Episode 9 of Scenes, where you’ll learn plenty of useful vocabulary and expressions to boost your Italian. Want to take your learning further? Click here to access support materials and get more out of each chapter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to il Caffè di Tullio - our charming Italian café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersive series, we follow a compelling story set in a local café and help you build your language skills naturally through storytelling. In L’estate della maturità, a small group of students go to il caffè di Tullio to celebrate the end of their maturità exams.  Ora che la scuola è finita, i tre studenti hanno progetti diversi per il futuro: c’è chi vuole studiare e chi, invece, preferisce andare subito a lavorare. E poi c’è anche chi vuole prendersi del tempo per decidere bene cosa fare… Step into L’estate della maturità and enjoy the episode! Want to take your learning further? Click here to access support materials and get more out of each chapter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to il Caffè di Tullio - our charming Italian café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersive series, we follow a compelling story set in a local café and help you build your language skills naturally through storytelling. In Chapter 7, Il colloquio di lavoro, the fate of a job interview hangs in the balance as Tommaso arrives at il Caffè di Tullio, seeking solace and an honest ear. Tommaso si dirige al bar subito dopo il suo colloquio. Lorenzo ascolta le sue parole, lo rassicura e, ovviamente, gli offre qualcosa per tirarlo su di morale!  Join us for another exciting episode of Scenes, full of new vocabulary and interesting language points to boost your Italian. Non perderti il capitolo 7! Want to take your learning further? Click here to access support materials and get more out of each chapter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to il Caffè di Tullio - our charming Italian café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersive series, we follow a compelling story set in a local café and help you build your language skills naturally through storytelling. In Episode 6, La vera amicizia non ha età, Gianni talks about his latest health diagnosis. Sono giorni di gran caldo e al bar vanno a ruba granite e caffè freddi, ma Gianni purtroppo ha ricevuto una brutta notizia dal suo dottore. Per fortuna, gli amici Mario e Anselmo dimostrano che l’amicizia può alleggerire anche i momenti più difficili! Want to take your learning further? Click here to access support materials and get more out of each chapter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to il Caffè di Tullio - our charming Italian café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersive series, we follow a compelling story set in a local café and help you build your language skills naturally through storytelling. In 'Tutto è bene quel che finisce bene', a young woman introduces her girlfriend to her parents over an aperitive at il Caffè di Tullio. Esatto! Una ragazza presenta la sua fidanzata ai genitori. E la reazione della sua famiglia la sorprenderà… non se l’aspettava proprio!  Join us for another exciting episode of Scenes, full of new vocabulary and interesting language points to improve your Italian skills. Non perderti il capitolo 5! Want to take your learning further? Click here to access support materials and get more out of each chapter.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to il Caffè di Tullio - our charming Italian café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersive series, we follow a compelling story set in a local café and build your language skills naturally through storytelling. The latest episode of Scenes is here, and in this chapter, Problemi di cuore, Angelica learns of Mattia's summer plans and she's thrown into a turmoil of conflicting emotions.  Lorenzo, ovviamente, nota subito la tristezza negli occhi di sua sorella, ma solo più tardi ne scoprirà la causa: una scelta di Mattia che potrebbe cambiare tutto… So, what has Mattia decided to do and how will it affect Angelica? Find out in Episode 4 of Scenes, where you’ll also learn plenty of useful vocabulary and expressions to boost your Italian. Want to take your learning further? Click here to access support materials and get more out of each chapter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to il Caffè di Tullio - our charming Italian café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersive series, you’ll follow a compelling story set in a local café and build your language skills naturally through storytelling. Are you curious to find out what’s in store for you in Chapter 3, Una simpatica coppia di scozzesi? Al bar è arrivata la stagione dei turisti. In particolare, Lorenzo fa quattro chiacchiere con una coppia di scozzesi che gli raccontano quello che hanno fatto la sera prima ad una sagra.  Join us for this exciting episode of Scenes, full of new vocabulary and interesting language points to boost your Italian. Episode 3 is now available: non perderlo! Want to take your learning further? Click here to access support materials and get more out of each chapter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to il Caffè di Tullio - our charming Italian café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersive series, we follow a compelling story set in a local café and help you build your language skills naturally through storytelling. In this episode, Lorenzo is puzzled when he goes to open the café and finds the shutter half open already. Chissà perché!  Lorenzo va ad aprire il bar come ogni mattina, ma questa volta nota che la saracinesca non è chiusa bene. Chi sarà arrivato al bar prima di lui? Vuoi scoprire come continua la storia? Find out what happens in the this episode of Scenes, where you’ll also learn plenty of useful vocabulary and expressions to boost your Italian. Want to take your learning further? Click here to access support materials and get more out of each chapter. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome back to Season 2 of Scenes from the Coffee Break Italian Café! Benvenuti alla Stagione 2 di Scenes! The Coffee Break Italian team is excited to welcome you back to il Caffè di Tullio. If you joined us in Season 1 then you will already be familiar with il Caffè di Tullio - our charming Italian café, where the aroma of fresh coffee lingers, conversations flow, and life unfolds around every table. In this immersive series, you’ll follow a compelling story set in a local café and build your language skills naturally through storytelling. In the first chapter of this new season, Un caffè tira sempre su di morale, Lorenzo learns that even on quiet days, his café has its way of lifting spirits. Nel primo episodio rivedremo Lorenzo, il proprietario del bar. Torneranno alcuni volti familiari come Gianni, Mario ed Anselmo, e scopriremo perché Mario è giù di morale. In seguito, conosceremo anche dei nuovi personaggi, ciascuno con mille storie da raccontare… Join us to hear all about these new stories. This chapter also introduces useful words and expression such as andirivieni and il solito tran tran. ✨Allora, che aspetti? Non perderti questa nuova stagione di Scenes.   Want to take your learning further? Click here to access support materials and get more out of each chapter. Our 10-lesson premium course includes access to: Chapter text  Audio discussion Lesson notes / transcript featuring additional examples Vocabulary lists Exercises Interactive quizzes to check your understanding Downloadable files for offline use Lifetime access to all lessons Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In today's mini-lesson, Francesca from the Coffee Break Italian team is here with a delicious espresso lesson all about Italy’s favourite festive sweet treats! 🎄🍰 She introduces you to two iconic holiday cakes: ➡️ il panettone, the classic Milanese Christmas staple ➡️ il pandoro, the soft, buttery favourite from Verona Francesca shares a bit of history, how she likes to enjoy them, and of course… reveals her favourite! And you... Are you team panettone or team pandoro? 😉✨ 🎯 You can receive regular free mini-lessons just like this straight to your inbox by signing up for our Coffee Break Italian newsletter.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back with a new episode, bringing you a festive espresso lesson to enjoy in between the main seasons of Coffee Break Italian! 🎄✨ In this mini lesson, you’ll discover that December in Italy is much more than Christmas itself. From regional customs to useful seasonal vocabulary, this episode is the perfect way to immerse yourself in Italy’s magical month of celebrations. 🎁 ➡️ Don’t miss more content like this. Subscribe to the Coffee Break Italian newsletter! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join Francesca from the Coffee Break Italian team for a festive coffee break as she explores three very different Italian films that are traditionally enjoyed during the holiday season! 🎄🍿 In this little espresso lesson, you’ll discover: 🎬 Natale in casa Cupiello  🎬 Parenti Serpenti  🎬 Il cinepanettone Whether you're looking for something heartwarming, dramatic or funny, this mini lesson will give you new vocabulary and a taste of Italy’s cinematic traditions. ✨ ➡️ To get more helpful content like this directly in your inbox, subscribe to the Coffee Break Italian newsletter! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.