We’re here with the final episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3! In the last chapter of “ Il tesoro di Montespelonca ” Professor Doppi’s motives are revealed: will he keep the treasure to himself or will it share it with the children? You will be able to really put yourself to the test with some advanced grammar points, including verbs in the passato remoto , conditional perfects and if clauses. Watch out for interesting new vocabulary like stivaloni , cenno and intraprendenza and don’t miss ...
Jul 20, 2023•17 min•Season 3Ep. 40
We’re back with the penultimate episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3! In this chapter of our story series “ Il tesoro di Montespelonca ” after making it to the cave, Alessandro and his friends decide to confront the person they believe is stealing the treasure hidden. Meanwhile, a terrible storm is flooding the cave. Will our protagonists manage to save themselves and the treasure? This episode will help you consolidate your knowledge of hypothetical clauses and the formal imperative. There ...
Jul 06, 2023•10 min•Season 3Ep. 39
Welcome back to a new episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3 and another instalment of our story series “ Il tesoro di Montespelonca ”! In this chapter, Alessandro shares with his friends what he has learned about le Torrette thanks to nonna Nina. Will they finally find the entrance to the legendary cave? Francesca and Mark analyse the text of the story and explain the use of the subjunctive as well as some new interesting vocabulary. If you'd like to take advantage of bonus materials, lesson ...
Jun 22, 2023•12 min•Season 3Ep. 38
We're back with another episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3 and another instalment of our story series " Il tesoro di Montespelonca ". After the events of the previous episode, Alessandro is still angry with his friends and decides to visit his nonna for lunch in hopes of finally getting to the bottom of the mystery! Alessandro's grandmother reveals another intriguing and possibly dangerous part of the legend surrounding the cave... what will Alessandro do now? In this episode, among other ...
Jun 08, 2023•9 min•Season 3Ep. 37
Welcome back to another episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3 and a further instalment of our story series “ Il tesoro di Montespelonca ”! In this chapter Alessandro and his friends finally make it to Le Torrette but are disappointed to find only grass and thorn bushes when they arrive. The three friends disagree on their next steps and Alessandro decides to continue to investigate on his own. Listen out for our Cosina : meglio soli che male accompagnati ! If you'd like to take advantage of b...
May 25, 2023•11 min•Season 3Ep. 36
We’re back with another episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3 and our fifth instalment of “ Il tesoro di Montespelonca "! In this part of the story Alessandro and his friends visit the village’s local historian, Professor Doppi, to find out more about the legend of the cave. He says that, according to some old documents, there could be an actual cave below the mountain but it has never been explored as the passage seems to be blocked. He also gives them a big book containing a chapter on ‘Le ...
May 11, 2023•13 min•Season 3Ep. 35
Welcome back to Coffee Break Italian Season 3. In episode 34 we are listening to the fourth segment of our story series ' Il tesoro di Montespelonca '! Alessandro and his three friends visit Nina, Alessandro's Nonna, who tells them about the legend of an underground cave going through the mountain near her wheat fields. Allegedly, hens would sometimes disappear when people took them to the market, and they would then reappear on the other side of the mountain, as if by magic. Alessandro wonders ...
Apr 27, 2023•13 min•Season 3Ep. 34
In this episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3 we listen to the third instalment of our story series ' Il tesoro di Montespelonca '! In this part of the story the residents of Montespelonca gather for a dinner in the square followed by a night walk to enjoy the stars. Alessandro and his friends tell a little lie and decide to look for the wolf instead but as they are searching they hear a terrifying noise! In this episode, among other things, you can observe how adjectives change their meaning...
Apr 13, 2023•15 min•Season 3Ep. 33
We're back with a new episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3 and another instalment of our story series " Il tesoro di Montespelonca "! In this episode Alessandro is worried about his lost dog, Stella, and takes it upon himself to ask around the village for any information. He soon learns that someone has heard about a wolf going around and Alessandro is seriously concerned for Stella's welfare. In this episode, among other things, you can learn some new vocabulary, like: sbadigliare , disprez...
Mar 30, 2023•12 min•Season 3Ep. 32
In this episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3 we are introducing our new story series ‘ Il tesoro di Montespelonca ’! Throughout the story we will put into practice all of the grammar and structures covered in the first 30 episodes of Season 3. It is set in Montespelonca, a lovely village in the centre of Italy and we follow Alessandro, an eleven year old boy, who lives there with his family and dog, Stella. The village is busy for the yearly Sagra della Lenticchia (the Lentil Festival) and a...
Mar 16, 2023•12 min•Season 3Ep. 31
Welcome back to another episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3! In this episode we are learning about modified nouns and verbs, for example maritino , casetta and salterellare . Have you heard of these before? We then listen to a dialogue between architect Pizzi and signora De Marinis about renovation work that is underway in her house and you will hear plenty of examples of modified nouns and verbs throughout. If you'd like to take advantage of bonus materials, lesson notes and a translation ...
Mar 02, 2023•32 min•Season 3Ep. 30
In this new episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3 we are learning about pronominal and phraseological verbs! We then go on to listen to a dialogue between an anxious exchange student and their reassuring professor. As always, listen out for verbs like farcela and mettercela tutta and our cosina: qui pro quo . If you'd like to take advantage of bonus materials, lesson notes and a translation challenge, you can access the full Coffee Break Italian Season 3 course on the Coffee Break Academy . H...
Feb 02, 2023•32 min•Season 3Ep. 29
Welcome back to a new episode of Coffee Break Italian! In this episode Mark and Francesca go through all you need to know about the gerund. We then listen to a dialogue between two colleagues Tiziana and Carlo, who are discussing how a more environmentally friendly lifestyle could have a positive impact on the future of the environment. Listen out for some interesting vocabulary on the topic of the environment such as: sprecare , riciclaggio and ambientalista . If you'd like to take advantage of...
Jan 19, 2023•28 min•Season 3Ep. 28
In this episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3 we are learning about passive structures! You may have heard of this grammar point being mentioned in previous Coffee Break Italian series but in this episode we are finally analysing it in detail. You will then hear many examples in the context of a dialogue about a neighbourhood party. Be sure to listen out for our ancora una cosina: tra il dire e il fare c’è di mezzo il mare ! If you'd like to take advantage of bonus materials, lesson notes and...
Dec 22, 2022•29 min•Season 3Ep. 27
In this episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3 we are focusing on all of the possible ways to form a hypothetical clause (or 'if' clause) in Italian. We listen to a dialogue between two friends Michele and Giada, who are discussing the prospect of Michele losing his job and how a lottery win would ease his troubles. Listen out for our ancora una cosina: chi non risica, non rosica ! If you'd like to take advantage of bonus materials, lesson notes and a translation challenge, you can access the ...
Dec 08, 2022•27 min•Season 3Ep. 26
We are back with another episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3! In this episode we are focusing specifically on the perfect and pluperfect subjunctive. We then go on to listen to a dialogue based on a job interview: be sure to listen out for some key vocabulary which may come in useful for you when looking for a job in Italy. The episode includes vocabulary like: colloquio , stipendio , fare domanda and stagista . If you'd like to take advantage of bonus materials, lesson notes and a translat...
Nov 24, 2022•27 min•Season 3Ep. 25
Welcome back to a new episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3! In this episode we continue our learning of the subjunctive by focusing on the imperfect subjunctive. We hear some examples of it in context through a dialogue between two friends who are attending a property viewing! Be sure to listen out for key vocabulary such as: magari, casa di campagna and traslocare . If you'd like to take advantage of bonus materials, lesson notes and a translation challenge, you can access the full Coffee B...
Nov 10, 2022•32 min•Season 3Ep. 24
We are back with another episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3! In this episode we are consolidating our learning of the present subjunctive which was covered in the previous episode. We listen to a dialogue between a customer and a bank clerk on the topic of credit cards. Listen out for some useful vocabulary such as; carta di credito (f), scadere and scoperto. If you'd like to take advantage of bonus materials, lesson notes and a translation challenge, you can access the full Coffee Break I...
Oct 27, 2022•20 min•Season 3Ep. 23
Welcome to the latest episode of Coffee Break Italian! In this episode we are focusing on the structure of the present subjunctive and we will look at both regular and irregular forms. We will also listen to its use in context through a shopping dialogue. Listen out for the expression: a caval donato non si guarda in bocca. If you'd like to take advantage of bonus materials, lesson notes and a translation challenge, you can access the full Coffee Break Italian Season 3 course on the Coffee Break...
Oct 13, 2022•36 min•Season 3Ep. 22
Welcome back to another episode of Coffee Break Italian! In this episode we are introducing a new topic - the long awaited subjunctive! We then hear a dialogue based on the ups and downs of the workplace. Listen out for some key words and phrases throughout the episode such as: lancio, impegni, avere a cuore and sudare sette camicie . If you'd like to take advantage of bonus materials, lesson notes and a translation challenge, you can access the full Coffee Break Italian Season 3 course on the C...
Sep 29, 2022•26 min•Season 3Ep. 21
Welcome to the latest episode of Coffee Break Italian! In this episode we will be focusing on the passato remoto (past historic), on it's formation and it's use. We will then listen to a story from Carlotta's grandfather about his family migrating from Italy to New York. Listen out for some key vocabulary such as dopoguerra, traversata and the classic storytelling phrase of c’era una volta + vissero tutti felici e contenti . If you'd like to take advantage of bonus materials, lesson notes and a ...
Aug 11, 2022•35 min•Season 3Ep. 20
Welcome to the latest episode of Coffee Break Italian! This time, we're introducing a new past tense - the trapassato prossimo , also referred to as the “pluperfect”. Listen out for some handy phrases including: essere a pezzi, a proposito and ci sto! Don't miss our ancora una cosina at the end of the episode. If you'd like to take advantage of bonus materials, lesson notes and a translation challenge, you can access the full Coffee Break Italian Season 3 course on the Coffee Break Academy . Hos...
Jul 25, 2022•23 min•Season 3Ep. 19
In this episode of Coffee Break Italian we’re covering the topic of irregular plurals both in terms of nouns and adjectives. In the dialogue featured in this lesson, Elisa meets her friend and tells her about her recent summer holiday in Turkey. She mentions the topics of food, methods of transport and a cycling injury. Listen out for the following words and phrases: filare liscio , ginocchia and guadagnare . To round off the episode we hear a very interesting way to describe the city of Padova ...
Jul 14, 2022•36 min•Season 3Ep. 18
Welcome back to another episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3! In this episode we cover the topic of molto, troppo, poco, tanto used as adjectives and adverbs. We continue listening to the dialogue of Nicola and the guided tour of Puglia, which has now reached the destination of Alberobello, famous for its Trulli and for being a UNESCO world heritage site. Listen out for some key vocabulary used in the dialogue, including: artigianato, cocente, del posto . If you'd like to take advantage of b...
Jun 30, 2022•24 min•Season 3Ep. 17
Welcome back to another episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3! The topic of this episode is indefinite adjectives and pronouns - words used to express indefinite quantities without any specific reference to quantities, people, things, or places. Throughout the lesson, Mark and Francesca focus on the most widely used indefinite adjectives and pronouns in Italian. We then hear a dialogue in which Nicola, a local tour guide, is meeting tourists who have signed up for his guided tour in Puglia. L...
Jun 16, 2022•30 min•Season 3Ep. 16
Welcome back to Coffee Break Italian Season 3! In this episode we continue our journey through the conditional. Following on from the previous episode where we introduced this new mood and explained its functions; we are now focusing on the conditional perfect. We hear this grammar point in context during a conversation between husband and wife watching the news at dinner time. Take note of some useful vocabulary including: negozietto , telegiornale and vigili del fuoco . We also share a new idi...
Jun 02, 2022•28 min•Season 3Ep. 15
Welcome to another episode of Coffee Break Italian Season 3! This time we’re introducing a new type of verb: the conditional mood. Join Mark and Francesca as they explain how and when to use the conditional in order to be more polite; to give advice; and to say that something would happen or occur if circumstances were different. We then hear the conditional in context during a conversation between two characters at a doctor’s appointment. Along the way, we hear some useful expressions including...
May 19, 2022•24 min•Season 3Ep. 14
In this episode of Coffee Break Italian, Mark and Francesca introduce a new grammar point: the very useful si impersonale or “impersonal si ”. We learn how the word si can be used as a generic subject in order to avoid specific reference to a person or group of people. We also learn how to form this impersonal structure with different tenses, provided the verb is in the third person singular form. We then hear this grammar point during a conversation between Elena, a teacher of English, and her ...
May 05, 2022•26 min•Season 3Ep. 13
We're back with another episode of Coffee Break Italian! This time, Mark and Francesca are looking at the formal imperative and its negative and irregular form. We see this grammar point in context with a dialogue between a Scottish tourist and a local who provides directions to the Museum of Modern Art. Listen out for some useful vocabulary in this episode including the words: cartina , proseguire and semaforo . If you'd like to take advantage of bonus materials, lesson notes and a translation ...
Apr 21, 2022•26 min•Season 3Ep. 12
In this week's lesson of Coffee Break Italian Season 3 we're looking at the following forms of the imperative: tu and voi forms; the negative imperative; irregular forms; and the imperative with pronouns. We also hear a dialogue between two colleagues, Carlo and Michela, who are back to work after their Christmas holidays. If you'd like to take advantage of bonus materials, lesson notes and a translation challenge, you can access the full Coffee Break Italian Season 3 course on the Coffee Break ...
Mar 24, 2022•35 min•Season 3Ep. 11
