Learn German in coffee-break lessons from the Radio Lingua Network. In each lesson we'll focus on the language you need to know and before long you'll be making yourself understood with native German speakers.
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In this episode of Coffee Break German you'll be amazed when you realise how far you've come, as you review everything you have learned so far in Season 2. Andrea and Mark talk about the topic from this unit such as cases and adjective agreements, adverbs, using denn and weil and making sure your perfect tense really is perfect! After listening to this lesson you will be an expert on all the language points covered so far. This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 episodes, publi...
If you've been following our Coffee Break German lessons you can now use denn to give a reason - ausgezeichnet! However, there is another word which also means "because", and that's weil , and this word brings with it some challenges regarding word order. In this lesson you'll master weil and you'll learn how to use it in a sentence and cope with the word order changes. As usual there will be lots of examples and you can work through the lesson and understand everything. This season of Coffee Br...
In this lesson of Coffee Break German you'll learn how to give a reason - without having to worry about word order! This lesson introduces the word denn and you'll be delighted to know that it does not change the word order of your sentence. This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 episodes, published every two weeks. Lessons 21-40 will be published during 2018. Stay subscribed to the podcast to enjoy each episode. If you'd like to benefit from lesson notes, bonus audio recordin...
We've dealt with the Perfect Tense using the verb haben, but there are some verbs which need to use sein as the auxiliary verb when forming the Perfect. In this lesson you'll learn which verbs take sein, and how to say where you went, when you woke up, when you were born and how you travelled. It's all about a change of place or state... Listen to the episode to understand everything! This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 episodes, published every two weeks. Lessons 21-40 wil...
In this lesson of Coffee Break German you'll be starting to learn to talk in the past using the Perfect Tense. This tense is formed by using a part of the auxiliary verb haben (to have) and the past participle. Andrea will explain everything you need to know, and you'll soon be saying what you did, what you cooked, what you ate and what you played yesterday, last week and 100 years ago! This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 episodes, published every two weeks. Lessons 21-40 w...
In this lesson of Coffee Break German you'll learn to talk about your hobbies and pastimes and to say when, where and how often you do these pastimes. This topic will introduce you to the concept of the Verbklammer, the "verb brackets" which surround any adverbs in your sentence. All will become clear when you listen to Andrea's explanations, and you can join Mark and practise your German in this context. This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 episodes, published every two wee...
In this episode you'll learn to make requests using the correct adjectival forms. Join Mark and Andrea as they look at using adjectives in the accusative case with definite articles. This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 episodes, published every two weeks. Lessons 21-40 will be published during 2018. Stay subscribed to the podcast to enjoy each episode. If you'd like to benefit from lesson notes, bonus audio recordings and video versions of the lessons featuring 'synchronise...
In this lesson you'll be all set for checking into a hotel - and using the correct German grammar to do so! Join Mark and Andrea as they look at the interesting topic of adjective endings in the nominative case with indefinite articles, so you'll be able to ask for "a large room, a comfortable bed and a beautiful view of the mountains"! This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 episodes, published every two weeks. Lessons 21-40 will be published during 2018. Stay subscribed to th...
How many times have you ordered a drink in a German café, or a snack in a German restaurant and you've never been quite sure about whether you're using the correct word for "a" or "the". Of course there's the gender of the word to think about, but the added complication with German is the case! This episode of Coffee Break German focuses on the Accusative case and you'll master how to use this case with both definite and indefinite articles. This season of Coffee Break German features a total of...
In this first lesson of the new series of Coffee Break German, join teacher Andrea and her student Mark as they review the topic of nationalities and languages. This lesson introduces the fact that, unlike in English, German normally has a different word for the nationality and the language of a country. You'll also review the verbs sprechen and lernen , and the team is joined by our Cultural Correspondent Julia who's back with more cultural information about the German-speaking world. This seas...
We have some exciting news to share ... we're delighted to announce that Coffee Break German Season 2 starts on Monday 13th February 2017 with lessons published every two weeks. Join our new teacher Andrea, learner Mark and our cultural correspondent Julia for the regular lessons and take your German to the next level! This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 episodes, published every two weeks. Lessons 21-40 will be published during 2018. Stay subscribed to the podcast to enjoy...
In the final episode of this series of Coffee Break German, Mark reflects on his visit to Innsbruck and Thomas helps him talk more about things in the past in German. In this lesson you will: learn how to use the perfect tense combining the auxiliary verb haben with the past participle; find out about the perfect tense uses the auxiliary verb sein with certain verbs; learn about the simple past tense of the verb seen to talk about the past; practise different conversational structures. This seas...
In this latest episode of Coffee Break German, Mark puts his German to the test as he joins some friends of Thomas as they prepare for a birthday party. In this lesson you will: review language used for talking about places; hear further examples of the use of seit to talk about how long you’ve been doing something; become familiar with more examples of the perfect tense; practise different conversational structures. This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 episodes. Stay subscr...
It’s time for a new lesson of Coffee Break German and in this episode Mark is feeling a bit under the weather. He and Thomas visit the pharmacy for some advice. The pharmacist asks Mark if he has eaten anything strange or if he has done anything out of the ordinary, and this provides an opportunity to look at one way of talking in the past in German. In this lesson you will: practise words and phrases used when asking for advice; review language used for talking about illness and parts of the bo...
In this latest lesson of Coffee Break German, Mark is asking for some information at the reception desk of his hotel in Innsbruck. In addition to providing an opportunity for practising various areas of vocabulary, this dialogue introduces a new grammatical concept. In this lesson you will: practise words and phrases used when asking for information; review language used for talking about public transport and directions; learn about the relative pronoun in German – a translation of the word “whi...
Mark’s continuing his trip to Austria in this lesson, and as usual he’s accompanied by Thomas who is helping him practise his language skills. This week Mark’s buying postcards and Thomas is buying sports shoes with his friend, Daniel. In this lesson you will: practise words and phrases for shopping scenarioes; learn about the expression könnte ich…? meaning “could I…?”; see further examples of German modal verbs and the word order rules associated with them; discover a new way to say “goodbye” ...
In the latest lesson of Coffee Break German, Mark and Thomas take a trip to the nearby town of Schwaz and visit the Tourist Information Office to find out what there is to do and see. In this lesson you will: review language for giving directions and describing locations; investigate further examples of German word order and the “second place” rule for verbs; talk about opening times and other types of information for tourists; practise different conversational structures. This season of Coffee ...
Join Mark and Thomas in Innsbruck for a practical German lesson embedded in a breakfast conversation. This episode covers essential transactional language for ordering food and drinks, introduces Austrian greetings like "Grüß Gott," and delves into crucial grammar concepts such as the modal verb "sollen," adjectival nouns (e.g., "der Verlängerte"), dative verbs like "helfen," and separable verbs like "einladen." Learners will gain practical phrases and a deeper understanding of German sentence structure.
Mark is continuing his trip to Austria where he’s practising his German with cohost Thomas. In this episode they eavesdrop on a conversation between an American tourist and the hotel receptionist. Coming up in this lesson: learn new ways to ask for information; review vocabulary for checking into a hotel; learn more about prepositions and the cases they use; test your understanding by listening to a conversation. This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 episodes. Stay subscribed...
Mark has travelled to Austria to put his German into practice with his cohost, native speaker Thomas. This week they are travelling into the town centre from Innsbruck airport and Mark has a conversation with the person working at the information desk in the airport to find out how best to get into the centre of town. Coming up in this lesson… review ways to ask for directions in German; learn new ways to ask for information; find out about the comparative form of adjectives in German; test your...
Mark has travelled to Austria to put his German into practice with his cohost and native speaker Thomas. In this lesson Mark has just arrived at Innsbruck airport and he and Thomas discuss the kind of language he’ll need to take part in conversations during his trip. In this lesson you will: learn to talk about what you’re looking forward to doing; learn to talk about how long you’ve been learning German for; test your understanding by listening to a conversation. This season of Coffee Break Ger...
In lesson 30 of Coffee Break German you’ll join Mark and Thomas as they review the language covered in the past ten lessons. In this lesson you will: find out who the mystery personalities from lesson 29 were; test your translation skills from German into English; test your translation skills from English into German; review the grammar covered in lessons 21-30 with our Grammar Guru; learn about some famous German speakers. This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 episodes. Stay...
In this special lesson of Coffee Break German, we’re challenging you to identify five personalities by using the German skills you’ve acquired in the courses so far. Listen to the show, enter our competition, and you could win an iPad mini! [PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS COMPETITION HAS NOW CLOSED] This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 episodes. Stay subscribed to the podcast to enjoy each episode. If you'd like to benefit from lesson notes, bonus audio recordings and video versions ...
In this new lesson in our series you’ll learn to talk about likes and dislikes in German. Coming up in this lesson… how to say what you like and what you don’t like in German; how to talk about what you like doing; how to use the verb gefallen ; how to use the word gern to talk about what you like doing; about some famous German language film. This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 episodes. Stay subscribed to the podcast to enjoy each episode. If you'd like to benefit from le...
In this lesson you’ll learn to talk about birthdays and jobs with your new German-speaking friends. Coming up: how to say dates in German; how to talk about your date of birth; to talk about your job and say where you work; to use certain prepositions which can use the accusative or dative cases depending on the situation; about the Austrian capital, Vienna. This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 episodes. Stay subscribed to the podcast to enjoy each episode. If you'd like to ...
In this lesson you’ll learn to talk more about your family and to talk about why you’re visiting Germany, or indeed Austria or Switzerland! Coming up in this lesson… how to introduce members of your family; how to use possessive adjectives (my, your, his, her, etc) in the nominative, accusative and dative cases; to talk about why you’re visiting a German-speaking country; how to talk about the ages in German; about the German capital, Berlin. This season of Coffee Break German features a total o...
In this lesson we’re dealing with emergencies and learning to talk about problems you may encounter while travelling in a German-speaking area. In this lesson you will learn: how to say you’ve lost something; how to say someone has stolen something belonging to you; to ask for help in German; how to describe things using colours and sizes; about prepositions which take certain cases; about the Bavarian capital, Munich. This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 episodes. Stay subs...
This lesson focuses on using the phone in German. In this lesson you will learn: how to answer the phone in German; how to ask to speak to someone; to understand other phone phrases in German; how to use pronouns in the dative case; about the German concept of Kurorte which translates roughly as “spa towns”. This season of Coffee Break German features a total of 40 episodes. Stay subscribed to the podcast to enjoy each episode. If you'd like to benefit from lesson notes, bonus audio recordings a...
This week’s lesson continues on from last week and we’ll be continuing to learn to cope with a visit to the pharmacy or doctor’s while travelling in a German-speaking country. In this lesson you will learn: further practice of the aches and pains we learned about in the last lesson; how to describe your symptoms in German; how to ask for medication for a particular condition; how to use demonstrative articles – the words for “this” and “these”; more about the plural definite article in different...
When travelling on vacation or business sometimes things don’t go according to plan and you need to visit a doctor or pharmacy. In this lesson you’ll learn to talk about various parts of the body and to describe your symptoms. In this lesson you will learn: the words for various parts of your body; how to say you have a headache, a stomachache, toothache, etc.; how to explain your symptoms using the construction “my … hurts”; what Schrebergärten , Gartenzwerge and Dauercamper are in our cultural...
